Sound vs. Video: AT Cost Comparison

[Nebor]

This was inspired by another post where someone was looking at sub $10 speakers. I wonder how much more people value video on their computer than sound. Let's see!

 

[CSMR]

One vote for sound! Unfortunately my monitors set me back more than $10 so it works out as about even for me.

 

[Davegod]

soundcard: Audigy £80 ish
speakers: creative 5300 £80 ish (waste, rarely use), technics headphones £25 (bargain)
vid card: 9800pro £200 ish
monitor: syncmaster 757DFX £180

except for the vid card these purchases were 1 to 2+ years ago.

imo though, cant really compare. something like an Audigy 2, maybe even onboard soundstorm is actually more than perfectly good quality audio for gaming and OTT for MP3 - even fine for CDs. You can get enough out of it with a decent pair of headphones, and gamers are miles better off with headphones to speakers - how many games have good 5.1 sound anyway? All I'm bothered about is that the positional audio is good*, and the quality isnt bad.

Good audio just doesnt cost as much as a good gamer videocard, and it doesnt need to. Its well worth spending extra on a quality monitor also.

* Always hilarious listening to some newbie stomping about, reloading etc and then when you ambush him he accuses you of wallhack because you knew he was there.

 

[RyanM]

I'm still running my Game Theater XP from 3 years ago, and until some company comes out with a break-out-box-sportin' 7.1 sound system with all the amenities and a price LESS than what I paid for this ($150 in '01), I will keep it. It pisses me off that the sound card market has stagnated as much as it has.

 

[SickBeast]

Video will always cost more than sound on a system except in extreme circumstances. It doesn't mean people "value" it less, it just means you can get great sound for very cheap these days.

 

[ViRGE]

I put in "free" for the video, but it's not integrated; it was a freebie from Nvidia.

 

[Corporate Thug]

$60 on an audigy 2 clearance @ BB
$180 for a BFG 5900
$150 for logitech Z560 back in the day
$500 for a Dell 2001FP

 

[SickBeast]

OK shady, how did you get a 2001FP for $500!? Wow is all I have to say. You got awesome stuff for dirt cheap. You must be a HD guru.

 

[MDE]

$99 AR for an Audigy2 ZS Platinum
$70 for Logitech Z640s (bought when I was still using the very capable onboard sound on my NF7-S\A7N8X Deluxe)
$200 AR for a BFG FX5900
$200 for an open box Sony HMD-A240 17" flatscreen CRT

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
OK shady, how did you get a 2001FP for $500!? Wow is all I have to say. You got awesome stuff for dirt cheap. You must be a HD guru.

off a friend

i got HD to thank for the other stuff though

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: shady06
off a friend

That's right.

 

[Ionizer86]

Let's see:
Sound card: nVidia Soundstorm digital out (free)
Speakers: Boston 735 digital (Worth about $50 but they came with an old Gateway rig)
Video card: inexpensive $54 passive R9200
Monitor: pretty hefty $300 17" LCD

 

[Tostada]

The monitor poll needs a little clarification seeing as so many people have multiple monitors. I spent $650 on my primary display, but another $300 each on two secondary displays. It's pretty difficult to spend $1000+ on one display unless it's a high-end LCD/plasma over 20 inches.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Speakers: ones that came with a packard bell, and my Yorx mini rack system that's older than CD-R. (effectively free)
Sound card: Philips Acoustic Edge ($99)
Video card: Matrox G450 ($149)
Monitors: Viewsonic PS790 ($560)+Viewsonic E771 ($87)

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Tostada
The monitor poll needs a little clarification seeing as so many people have multiple monitors. I spent $650 on my primary display, but another $300 each on two secondary displays. It's pretty difficult to spend $1000+ on one display unless it's a high-end LCD/plasma over 20 inches.

And yet, as you can see, some people have.

and gamers are miles better off with headphones to speakers

I have better headphones than most people here, and I can honestly tell you, my kills get cut nearly in half in Call of Duty going from my Gigaworks to Bose Triports (not the best headphones I have.)

My setup is:
~$120 Audigy 2 (needs replacing)
~$360 Radeon 9800 Pro (hot deal at the time, spent another hundred on cooling devices for it)
~$400 for Gigaworks
~$410 for NEC 1760

The sad part is I think every piece of equipment there is inadequate. I'd like
Audigy 3 (soon baby, sooooon)
GFX 6800 Ultra
A really nice surround reciever with surround analog inputs and around 1000 watts RMS of total power
A Samsung 213t

 

[Paratus]

Currently:
SC: Creative Awe 128 - not sure how much back in 2000 probably $50
Spkrs: Dell Mediavoice Powered by Peavy circa 1994 from an old p90 - free
VC: Ati Rage Fury 32mb ~100-200 back in 2000
Mon: Planar 19in LCD ~$600-$700 in 2003

In work
SC: On board 7.1 - Asus P4P800 E - Free (110 from Newegg for the board)
Spkrs: Reuse the Dells they actually sound good! (Maybe a 5.1 system for Christmas) - Free
VC: Probably an Asus 9600XT with VIVO -$181
Mon: Keeping the Planar - Free


Well I obviously need to spend some more on my sound. Better go tell the wife to get out the check book

 

[jkresh]

soundblaster live 5.1 (about $50 back in 2000)
monsoon m500 ($100 i think) logitech z680 (hooked up to xbox for the moment) ($260 from dell 2003)
ATI AIW9800 ($285 after rebates, march 2004)
SGI 1600sw($1300 august 2001, just after drop from $3000, before it hit $600 though)

when i move the logitechs to the pc i will upgrade the sound card, until then it works acceptably.

 

[Tab]

Speakers: Logitech Z-5300s 5.1s ($200 bought in town when I was a nub to online shopping)
-Now had I know how average these are I would have saved up for Klipsch or the logitechs digital solution, however if you can hit these for $100 thats a sweet deal.
Video Card: 9600XT ~$220
-No real complaints, however I'll be spending more on my next video card
Sound Card: Audigy 2 ZS ~$120
-No complaints, but EAX isn't THAT great or my speaker positioning sucks
Monitor: Just got a NEC 1765 only because of a good deal however I wouldnt mind shelling out $700 for a 21" Dell.

Nebor you should change the int audio and a part relating to buying this board with Nvidia's SoundStorm/VIA's Envy Audio presuade me in purchasing a motherboard with it or something to that affect.

 

[NewBlackDak]

$free Soundstorm sounds great
$187 Sapphire 9600Pro Ultimate
~$250 Sony MDR-DS3000 Infrared Wireless Headphones(Christmas from wife)
$80 ViewSonic 19" Openbox+Sale+Giftcard

 

[high]

Sound: Audigy Gamer - $60CAN (buddy)
Speakers: Altec Lansing 5.1 $49.99CAN (pricing error + $50 MIR)
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800NP $265.00CAN(buddy @ ATI)
Monitor: NEC FE1250 $260CAN (pricing error, forgot the 1 in front of 260 !!! )

 

[tr1kstanc3]

sound: motu 828 mkII $750 motu baby
speakers: event tr8 studio monitors $500 pair www.event1.com
headphones: sony mdr-7506 $100
videocard: radeon 9800 pro $200
monitor: samsung 753df 17" $150

my audio workstation =P