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Which sound card?

M

Matt2

Diamond Member
I have a new budget/gaming rig here and the onboard sound on this MSI KT333 motherboard sucks. There is no hardware 5.1 support in any games with this Avance AC'97.... and if there is I dont know how to enable it.

I have the Creative Inspire 5.1 5300 speaker set. They're pretty good for only $80.

So, I was wondering which is the best sound card for my money? This is a gaming rig, but the price should be reasonable, ya know, the ol' bang for my buck.

Thanks!
 
Matt2, check out this <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=57&manufactory=1137&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1">Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 - oem</a> at Newegg.com. $33.95 for a 5.1 card. If you want/need to go Audigy newegg has the Audigy oem card for $60. But, for your best bang for the buck you'll be hard pressed to do better than the Live 5.1 for $34.
 
I personally think the SBLive, although still a solid card, is a little long in the tooth right now. To get the best possible 5.1 experience on a budget, I'd recommend the (new) Philips Rythmic Edge which is around the $40 range if you look around. Just make sure you get the newer PSC703 model and not the older PSC702 which does not have the Thunderbird Avenger DSP. This, by the way, is the same sound chip used on the top of the line Acoustic Edge. The Fortissumo II is another good, fairly inexpensive option, but it's (emulated) 5.1 support is not as good.

If you're looking for the absolute, cheapest 5.1 option (that doesn't completely suck), then there's the Herc Muse XL 5.1 DVD. You can find these for under $20. I have one in one of my backups. It's not a bad card for the price and offers a lot of bang for the buck.
 
The Philips SE would be my choice,it`s average price is only $48(check prices with pricegrabber.com),if you want to pay more then the Audigy is an excellent gaming sound card(using one at the moment).To be honest I could also add the Santa Cruz,Hercules sound cards etc,it`s really down to your ears and how much you`re willing to pay.
 
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