Value Sound Card

[Poncherelli]

For a value gaming PC i'm building my friend, i wanted to know if there is a decent pci sound card out there in the 50 dollar range that anyone can recommend. Thanks.

 

[office boy]

Well the SB live value is pretty cheap (OEM) But lately I've found for more and more people integrated audio is acceptable too (If you don't have a MB yet)

 

[Poncherelli]

People said to avoid the SBlive because of too many problems.

 

[office boy]

What people would these be? And what problems did they talk about?

The em10k1 IMO is one of the best audio chips out there. In price and performance, Just don't load all that crap liveware, and you'll be fine. (works great in Linux too)

If you want really cheap and can't do integrated, there is always a SB16.

Anyway, SB live value OEM goes for $45 at Mwave, and they have a few others there too.

Mwave audio link

 

[John P]

Just curious, but if you're building a "value" rig why not just get a motherboard with built in sound? There are plenty of quality boards out there with sound. If it's not "good enough" buy the sound card later.

 

[thraxes]

I am still using the SB Value! that I bought when it was just released. Since then I have added SPDIF optical output for my MD deck and have the card itself running on my dolby surround receiver. I know some folks that have problems with the card but they are mostly MB related on old K6 systems and some newer ones with VIA chipsets (which enforces my opinion that VIA is a load of crap).

I like the SB live (without the most of the liveware as said earlier, the live mixer is good to have though) and I do recommend it.

EDIT: form

 

[Caiwyn]

The only difference between the SB Live! Value and the regular SB Live! is the software bundle. That being said, the Value is a fantastic card, and cost about $40 at most online. You can go cheaper to a SB PCI128, or even a SB 16, but I really wouldn't recommend it. A good sound card is a nice thing to have, if you ask me. Especially if you play mp3s.

As for these "problems" with the SB Live, I'd love to hear what they are. I've had a SB Live! Platinum ever since it came out and I've had absolutely no trouble with it. And considering I use it as part of a home recording studio, I drive it pretty hard.

 

[Muerto]

"What people would these be? And what problems did they talk about?"

I'm surprised to see a Diamond member asking that question. This issue was all over the forums for several weeks. It still pops up from time to time. Too much time spent in OT huh?

There's a bug in the VIA 686B south bridge chip where if a Creative audio card is used it can cause data corruption. I can't remember all the details; I didn't pay meticulous attention to it since my board (A7V) uses the 686A south bridge. You can download a fix for it from VIA or install the 4.31 4 in 1 drivers, they include the fix.


EDIT: Check out this link.

 

[Boobers]

I have an IWill KK266-RAID motherboard and had to flash the latest BIOS which was supposed to "FIX" the SB Live! problem. But, I still junked the Live! because the onboard sound really is pretty good (running 4.1 channels).

Don't ever buy a Creative Labs product. They are all junk, I don't care what anybody else says. Just because they work for some people doesn't mean they are not a POS. If they weren't, they would work for everybody.

IMHO, the best/cheapest sound card to buy (if you don't buy the IWill MB w/ onboard sound - $107) is the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. It works for everybody, from Socket 7 systems to the newest Athlon platforms.

 

[kylef]

The Santa Cruz is only slightly more expensive than the SB Live Value and is a much better card. It also doesn't suffer from the bus arbitration problems that have plagued the SB lately (not just under Via south bridge chipsets).

 

[Poncherelli]

Does anyone know anything about Philips Rhythmic Edge 3D PCI Sound Card ? PSC702 or Philips Seismic Edge 4-Channel PCI Sound Card ? PSC704? They are 29 and 39 dollars respectively and i've heard some good things about the AE, so i'm wondering if these will work with a decent speaker system. Or from Santa Cruz the Montego II which is also very cheap?

 

[bulldawg]

I bought a Philips Rhythmic Edge as a temporary replacement for my Live X Gamer which had many problems in Win2K. Worked well and had a good sound in my Microsoft DSS80's. But, I replaced it with a Santa Cruz which has better sound and works great in 2K and XP. Overall, for a budget card I was impressed.

 

[Poncherelli]

For a value gaming system with a 3 speaker setup, do you think the rythmic edge would be tolerable?

 

[Poncherelli]

bump

 

[jeffrey]

I just installed a Rhythmic Edge to replace a sound blaster ensoniq PCI sound card. It uses the Thunderbird sound chip and is miles ahead of the creative sound card that it is replacing. Maximum PC had a review of it a couple of months back and it scored pretty darned well. Not bad for a card that retails for $29 in brick and mortar's. Using it in a computer than runs win98. No problems whatsoever. Recommended.

 

[BA]

If you're using 98, SQ2500's are pretty damn cheap...

 

[Antioch]

<< I am still using the SB Value! that I bought when it was just released. Since then I have added SPDIF optical output for my MD deck and have the card itself running on my dolby surround receiver. I know some folks that have problems with the card but they are mostly MB related on old K6 systems and some newer ones with VIA chipsets (which enforces my opinion that VIA is a load of crap).

I like the SB live (without the most of the liveware as said earlier, the live mixer is good to have though) and I do recommend it.

EDIT: form >>


I like to second yr opinion abt the VIA chipset especially when I install in my Radeon AIW. I brought the card down to the retail and they proves the AIW was OK!
Now that I have switch over to a Intel815E mobo and the AIW have had no problem. Maybe I was not ready for the VIA chipset yet...too bad then.