• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Worth buying a Audigy 2ZS to play BF2?

I

imported_Sincity

Senior member
Hey Forum Members:

Just wondered if the sound quality is MUCH better than my Abit AudioMax 7.1 based on the ALC850? The Abit is on a separate riser card so noise shouldn't be an issue. I read somewhere that the Audigy gave a 4 FPS and about 2% CPU overhead reduction advantage over a ALC850.

What are your experiences?
 
Never buy a sound card with hopes of increasing your performance as your first priority. That's just a side benefit IF it happens to be available. That said, BF2 sounds absolutely great with the A2. Noticably better than of my other non-Creative cards. It's worth the upgrade from the ALC850 in my opinion.
 
Ok..I got the Audigy Gamer Limited Edition for $56 shipped (after rebate). Using my AudioMax, I used to get static running High Quality Hardware mode. Now the static is gone...IMO it only sounds slightly better than High Quality Software mode. But for $56 shipped after MIR and 4 games I did not previously own (I have COD 1), still not a bad deal.
 
New speakers/headphones might help you get the most out of the card if you don't have something nice already.
 
Yeah....I forgot about that. I am using some old Creative Cambridge Soundworks 2.1. Perhaps it is time for a 5.1? 6.1 and 7.1 is too extreme for me....plus where the heck am I going to mount the side speakers????
 
5.1 is pretty much the standard. It would probably be best to stick with that anyway.

Are you going to be able to mount to speakers kind of behind you / to the side?
 
Yes I can. I have a large U-shaped desk. I can actually mount 1 side speaker also. But not the other side since it is open to get in and out of the desk sitting area.
 
Yes..I am using the latest Audigy drivers (1/06).

Budget up to $100 for new speakers. Shiet....I paid a little over $100 for these Cambridges a few years back!
 
Originally posted by: Sincity
Yes..I am using the latest Audigy drivers (1/06).

Budget up to $100 for new speakers. Shiet....I paid a little over $100 for these Cambridges a few years back!
Click to expand...

For $100 Logitech z-5300s on a sale might be your best bet.

There are better sets out there, but the next step up would probably be doubling that budget.
 
Yeah....I could wait till the speakers go on sale. No big deal. Funny thing is that I just loaded NFS Hot Pursuit 2 (a favorite oldie) and it sounded a lot better with the Auidgy!
 
Originally posted by: Sincity
Yeah....I could wait till the speakers go on sale. No big deal. Funny thing is that I just loaded NFS Hot Pursuit 2 (a favorite oldie) and it sounded a lot better with the Auidgy!
Click to expand...

Well that's good.

beyond the 5300s if you wanted to think about other sets the z-5500s and Promedia Ultras would be some other popular ones to look at. I'm not sure how big a deal sound is to you though.
 
Yes..I am using the latest Audigy drivers (1/06).
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about Audigy drivers, I'm talking about Audigy2 drivers. They work just fine on the Audigy Gamer, and give a boost to performance as well as added features. You just need the set, and the ".exe" mod to convert them.
 
Originally posted by: maluckey
Yes..I am using the latest Audigy drivers (1/06).
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about Audigy drivers, I'm talking about Audigy2 drivers. They work just fine on the Audigy Gamer, and give a boost to performance as well as added features. You just need the set, and the ".exe" mod to convert them.
Click to expand...

The latest drivers are unified for Audigy 1/2/4 DSP's. Thus I don't know if ye olde compatability patch has a raison d'etre any longer. Anyhooo, BF2 sports OpenAL audio yet is supplied with a DirectSound3D wrapper for compatability and seems to be used by default. The wrapper in BF2's folder (BF2OpenAL.dll) can be replaced with the OAL router from system32 (OpenAL32.dll) by copying and renaming, thus ensuring optimum quality and performance. Whether this does or will remain necessary is unknown (hopefully the forthcoming BF2 patch will offer a friggin' menu option with detection).
 
Originally posted by: Sincity
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
something weird buying expensive soundcards to output to cheap 100 dollar speakers.
Click to expand...

Uh....this was a $56 souncard going into $100 speakers 😀
Click to expand...

Still, prolly $50 more than the included audio. $100 oughta be adequate for stereo if that does not include an amplifier but I concur that so-called "surround" sets are certainly a waste of money at that level. Headphones FTW.
 
Auric

With an nVidia game card, patched drivers automatically detect what kind of card that yo have and load those drivers. SYou can manually assign a different driver if you so chose. Sometimes it works better, sometimes worse.

I am not aware of the way Creative does their drivers. I DO know that the Audigy and Audigy2 are virtual clones as far as capabilities. It used to be that you could not use the drivers that unlocked the potential of the Audigy without patching them. If Creative is still playing their silly games, then this is still true.

My patched Audigy Gamer card used to show a different driver set than my other Audigy that wasn't patched. This was true after several driver updates as well.

I would be interested to know if this is still the same, though I haven't upgraded audio drivers for awhile.
 
maluckey, yeah, the Audigy series DSP's are essentially the same so all functions short of physical I/O are the same with the only remaining difference being DAC's and I too was glad for the setup compatability patch a few years ago when A1 drivers were not updated while A2's were and also the latter's applications were much better too. I am not sure whether any differences did or do exist at the driver level, especially since unified (i.e. false crippling upon setup detection) but I doubt it as that would imply extra effort on Creative's part when most of these SKU's have long been discontinued and thus no threat to upgrade sales. In any case the main differences other than aforementioned hardware appeared to be in the control applications so if those are desired (despite largely being replaced by the Audio Console) and the installation of later versions is still limited by detection then perhaps the setup patch still does have a use? Maybe you can be the guinea pig 😉
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
something weird buying expensive soundcards to output to cheap 100 dollar speakers.
Click to expand...

Besides, I do not live in a dorm and rely on my PC for theater use. I have my Mitsubishi bigscreen with 5.1 Infiniti in-walls in the TV room and a Panasonic plasma with Klipsch in-walls in the bedroom for that 😀 Now...what I really need are two Sunfire subs, one for bedroom and one for TV room! I want to hear Jenna's deep moaning....
 
Auric,

I'd love to twiddle with the Audigy Gamer and it's drivers, but nowadays I only have one Audigy Gamer card. If someone else wants to mess around with this, then I can compare findings. Otherwise, it's not hapening.
 
Originally posted by: Sincity
Yes..I am using the latest Audigy drivers (1/06).

Budget up to $100 for new speakers. Shiet....I paid a little over $100 for these Cambridges a few years back!
Click to expand...

By 'for the game' he means you need to go into the game and SET what sound drivers/set you want to use.
 
Originally posted by: TrevorRC
Originally posted by: Sincity
Yes..I am using the latest Audigy drivers (1/06).

Budget up to $100 for new speakers. Shiet....I paid a little over $100 for these Cambridges a few years back!
Click to expand...

By 'for the game' he means you need to go into the game and SET what sound drivers/set you want to use.
Click to expand...


Yes..I set it for Audigy when avail and all to HIGH Q.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top