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Atomos Darksun
Infortunatus Eventus
Obsidian Empire
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Posted - 2008.08.09 03:06:00 -
[1]
I'm finally sick of how craptacular my onboard audio on my new computer so I"m going to (hopefully) spend less than $50 on a decent-to-good audio card whose drivers work with vista.
 Originally by: Amoxin
My vent is talking to me in a devil voice...
Atomos' Guide to Forum Flaming |
Kazuma Saruwatari
Caldari
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Posted - 2008.08.09 04:15:00 -
[2]
Originally by: Atomos Darksun
...audio card whose drivers work with vista.
better chance of shooting yourself to the moon on a bottle rocket tbh.
But if you must, any good old Audigy card will do. My 9rold Audigy 2 has been with me since I started owning my own PC's. Has not failed me yet.
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defiler
Mad Hermit
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Posted - 2008.08.09 08:00:00 -
[3]
Edited by: defiler on 09/08/2008 08:01:37
Yeah, the Audigy 2 cards are still quite nice, got a ZS myself. In my opinion the only thing it's lacking is proper dual stereo output (same signal to two outputs), the 4 speaker + CMSS trick doesn't work very well and shouldn't be necessary anyway. (edit: and perhaps 24-bit DSP effects. I/O mixing is 24, DSP 16  )
All in all, the Audigy 2 series are a great choice. It's a pity that Creative have pretty much had a monopoly on the gamer soundcard market, would've been nice with some competition... While that might change with Vista's new driver architecture they're still well ahead of the competition in both the gaming and Bang For Your BuckÖ departments.
Mad Hermit corporation
Minding our own business since 2004 |
Meiyang Lee
Gallente
Azteca Transportation Unlimited
Gunboat Diplomacy
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Posted - 2008.08.09 08:47:00 -
[4]
Edited by: Meiyang Lee on 09/08/2008 08:48:10
Asus Xonar
Yes these are over your budget, but unlike the Creative cards these don't have half their features neutered under Vista (unless you use modified drivers) and work perfectly with good audio quality.
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ReaperOfSly
Gallente
Lyrus Associates
The Star Fraction
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Posted - 2008.08.09 08:50:00 -
[5]
+1 for Asus Xonar. They've been designed to work in Vista without any problems. I have a Xonar DX, the cheapest of the 3 Xonar cards. The sound coming out of it is fan-bloody-tastic. Just make sure you have some decent headphones or speakers to make the best use out of it. But even with cheap headphones/speakers, you'll still notice a vast improvement.
__________________________
Quote:
...bored, skint, no charter, and a ship that looks like an explosion in a girder factory...
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The TX
Gallente
Earth Inc.
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Posted - 2008.08.09 09:20:00 -
[6]
I'm just not getting Vista. I'd now like to add the word 'ever', but I don't wanna be eating my hat in a few years time when Vista becomes useable.
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[Signature]
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Meiyang Lee
Gallente
Azteca Transportation Unlimited
Gunboat Diplomacy
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Posted - 2008.08.09 09:35:00 -
[7]
Originally by: The TX
I'm just not getting Vista. I'd now like to add the word 'ever', but I don't wanna be eating my hat in a few years time when Vista becomes useable.
"What do people think of Windows Vista, when they don't know it's Windows Vista?
Not that I use Vista myself, but I'd use it if I were to build a new PC. 
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Gone'Postal
Minmatar
Vengeance 8 Interceptors
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Posted - 2008.08.09 09:52:00 -
[8]
Originally by: Meiyang Lee
Originally by: The TX
I'm just not getting Vista. I'd now like to add the word 'ever', but I don't wanna be eating my hat in a few years time when Vista becomes useable.
"What do people think of Windows Vista, when they don't know it's Windows Vista?
Not that I use Vista myself, but I'd use it if I were to build a new PC.
Using something in a test enviroment is 100% diffrent then using it at home.
I don't think they went here, use this PC as you would your own for a week and let us know how it was for you.
Boost SISI VOTE NOW! |
ReaperOfSly
Gallente
Lyrus Associates
The Star Fraction
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Posted - 2008.08.09 09:57:00 -
[9]
Yes, they would have been using a fresh install. Give it a week or two and it would be like running through treacle.
__________________________
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...bored, skint, no charter, and a ship that looks like an explosion in a girder factory...
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Liranan
M'8'S
Frontal Impact
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Posted - 2008.08.09 10:17:00 -
[10]
Edited by: Liranan on 09/08/2008 10:20:43
Do not buy a Creative card as Creative do not update their drivers and any bugs are for you to live with. I have had a Live! and a Live! 24bit and the only time they have updated the drivers in the past four years was when they released new, buggy and half functioning, Vista ones.
I recommend Asus and the Xonar looks really sexy. Another brand you could get is Terratec but they don't have much for gamers unfortunately.
Review
http://techreport.com/articles.x/14500/1
I really like this card and it beats the X-Fi in many tests. I might get one for myself because of the limitations of my own on-board sound. COD 4 might sound better.
Edit: my mobo has the ALC988A chip and going from 32 to 128 might be fun. I am tone death however so it might turn out an epeen thing rather than a practical one.
Farjung is my God |
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Opertone
Caldari
SIEGE.
The Border Patrol
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Posted - 2008.08.09 11:01:00 -
[11]
Originally by: Meiyang Lee
Originally by: The TX
I'm just not getting Vista. I'd now like to add the word 'ever', but I don't wanna be eating my hat in a few years time when Vista becomes useable.
"What do people think of Windows Vista, when they don't know it's Windows Vista?
Not that I use Vista myself, but I'd use it if I were to build a new PC.
why would you have to rely on housewife's first experience? who are these people and how long have they been using Vista? At first glance it appears to be cool, but after 2 months of use you discover all the other sides of the product.
Vista isn't about bad design, it's about poor compatibility, excessive resource use and disturbing user interface...
More technical issues include vulnerability, not being truly 64 bit, no chance for manual configuration...
PS. do you believe every other BUM who acts in a commercial? Is first impression the most accurate? Do you always have to try and see for yourself?
and who do you trust? yourself? other users? editors opinions? the claims of the developer? commercials and advertising?
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Meiyang Lee
Gallente
Azteca Transportation Unlimited
Gunboat Diplomacy
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Posted - 2008.08.09 13:05:00 -
[12]
No I don't believe every commercial I see, but people have a lot of wild evil stories about Vista in their head and while I certainly am willing to believe that Vista doesn't like older hardware, if you build a PC with current components I doubt you'll run into many problems.
Sure it uses quite a bit more resources, but didn't XP use a LOT more than Windows 98SE too?
Computers get more powerful negating the increased resource consumption.
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Insane Kiwi
Gallente
Federal Navy Academy
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Posted - 2008.08.09 13:15:00 -
[13]
Okay
Just another pod in space |
Atomos Darksun
Infortunatus Eventus
Obsidian Empire
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Posted - 2008.08.10 01:14:00 -
[14]
I have a deathly fear of Asus in their audio department - my motherboard is Asus and the onboard audio drivers broke my speakers - IE, they only used one. And with my experience with their audio software, you have to wrestle with the damn stuff just to get your audio devices to work - unlike without their own drivers installed you just plug it in and it works perfect.
Ugh. And as for Vista, it's only technically inept people that whine about it. I've had problems with it, but very few of them are Vista's fault - mostly my own and manufacturers fault. Again, the technically inept people are the first to jump to blame vista.
Taking my deathly fear of Asus drivers in mind, anybody have a suggestion for another card?
Originally by: Amoxin
My vent is talking to me in a devil voice...
Atomos' Guide to Forum Flaming |
Viqtoria
Caldari
Groping Hand Social Club
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Posted - 2008.08.10 02:38:00 -
[15]
firstly, vista is very good, ultra stable (makes XP look like a china shop in an earthquake tbh), and I speak as a computer user/gamer not someone with a strange religious affinity over what OS they use.
And onboard audio has come leaps and bounds, i have a gigabyte mobo and the onboard sounds great with music and games blasting out, albeit through a NAD amp into some beovox cx50's. I do also have an maudio 2496 but wouldn't recommend it for gaming.
for your price perhaps try picking up an old audigy ZX2 or something? most cheapy soundcards are pretty much all the same tbh.
Please keep your signature on-topic.
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Bish Ounen
Gallente
Omni-Core Freedom Fighters
Ethereal Dawn
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Posted - 2008.08.10 04:29:00 -
[16]
Well, Sound in Vista is going to be a problem for a good long while. And not due to any technical limitations. Vista's underlying architecture is certainly CAPABLE of producing great sound. the problem comes in because Microsoft has introduced DRM (Digital Rights Management) software into the kernel.
The DRM in Vista basically demands that IT and the content you watch or listen to, be given complete control of your PC, RATHER THAN YOU. You read that right, Vista's DRM locks you out of your own PC. What this means for sound is that sound card manufacturers have had to do all sorts of crazy back flips JUST to get their soundcards to WORK, let alone work well.
Check out THIS page from Turtle Beach, regarding features not available on their premium sound card, the Montego DDL.
Pretty stupid, Isn't it? All those standard features NOT supported by Vista for absolutely no good reason other than Microsoft wanting to be prickish. This is why I'm sticking with XP as long as possible, and then moving to LINUX (I'm half on Linux as it is now.). Vista sucks, hardly anyone wants it, and XP is still out-selling it by a 3 to 1 margin! I realize that some here like it, and have good experiences with it. but for Network Admins like myself, or even your average Power user, Vista is WAY WAY WAY more trouble than it's worth.
Your BEST bet? Keep your onboard sound, and either downgrade back to XP, or Upgrade to Linux. Just don't stick with Vista.
Tactical Logistics using the last T1 Frigate hull!
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Atomos Darksun
Infortunatus Eventus
Obsidian Empire
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Posted - 2008.08.10 04:55:00 -
[17]
There's a problem with the first paragraph of the page you linked:
"Perhaps the most exasperating thing about Vista is the security feature
called: "User Account Control". ... UAC may well be
necessary to block malicious programs from secretly installing themselves
or hijacking your browser settings. But Microsoft has designed it to drive
you nuts. Unfortunately, turning off UAC is not an option, as it severely
weakens Vista's defenses."
FAIL.
One of the first things I did when I installed Vista was turn that sucker off. No viruses.
Originally by: Amoxin
My vent is talking to me in a devil voice...
Atomos' Guide to Forum Flaming |
Jim McGregor
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Posted - 2008.08.10 08:13:00 -
[18]
Edited by: Jim McGregor on 10/08/2008 08:12:50
Skip Vista. See if Windows 7 is better, it should be out late next year.
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Originally by: Roguehalo
Can you nano Titans?
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Atomos Darksun
Infortunatus Eventus
Obsidian Empire
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Posted - 2008.08.19 08:36:00 -
[19]
Originally by: Bish Ounen
the Montego DDL.
That looks like the best card so far, however it's performance is decreased in Vista vs XP, no? |
P'uck
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Posted - 2008.08.19 14:42:00 -
[20]
Originally by: Meiyang Lee
Computers get more powerful negating the increased resource consumption.
I don't know about you, but I forked out for a more powerful computer to get moar powah in my favourite games.
In other words: my intentions, when upgrading, were to support my own ****, and not an expensive microsoft ****. |
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Atomos Darksun
Infortunatus Eventus
Obsidian Empire
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Posted - 2008.08.20 07:25:00 -
[21]
THREAD RERAILMENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY ATOMOS
anybody want to answer the question? |
Opertone
Caldari
SIEGE.
The Border Patrol
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Posted - 2008.08.20 08:09:00 -
[22]
I made my creative X-fi fataliti pro work under Vista x64 after 2 weeks of struggle
it's not guaranteed that it will work in your machine... PCI bus is bugged in VIsta
this is why PCI-e mini is preferred
there are 2 type of cards, cards made for gaming such as X-fi and Xonar and cards made for music creation such as M-audio and E-mu
gaming audio cards are optimized for regular user, they have standard stereo jacks as output... top range models have coxial/optical output, gaming cards come with EAX and multichannel audio acceleration which essentially speeds up games
having good hearing capabilities I can detect a sniper that shot 1000 meters away from me in Battlefield 2 with X-FI soundcard
audio creation cards have weird output slots, BIG jack, one for left channel one for right channel... often support 2.0 stereo and optical/coaxial inputs and outputs, they have MIDI interface... which is not used much in modern games, these cards may struggle to boost your in game performance, but they may sound better on the expensive monitor speakers and headphones
Neither of the sound card types works under Vista seamlessly, there have always been problems with Vista's sound as many sound creators say... It is because of the way Vista is, partially hardware manufacturers fault
How i got my X-fi to work... researched internet and switched my computer (In Bios setup) IDE/ACHI controller into other than the default mode... disabled all unused ports and devices in the Operating System to free up IRQs, then installed video and audio drivers, latest instances from official web-sites
before that i had crackling every 0.5 seconds... it was horrible, imo it was due to Vista's improper resource sharing, when it decides to put ATA, Video Card and Sound Card on the same line, resulting in disturbed data transfer.
a Sound card is a must if you play 3D games and listen to music... built in is not an option, unless you only use MS office and web browser
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Spawinte
Aliastra
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Posted - 2008.08.20 15:46:00 -
[23]
Audigy 2 ZS user checking in to report my card working perfectly on Vista. Also I've been a Vista user for 4 months, no major problems and no slowdown (learn to maintain your machines). This whole omg Vista sucks thing is just sad. |
Verone
Gallente
Veto Corp
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Posted - 2008.08.20 20:14:00 -
[24]
Edited by: Verone on 20/08/2008 20:15:42
Originally by: Meiyang Lee
Originally by: The TX
I'm just not getting Vista. I'd now like to add the word 'ever', but I don't wanna be eating my hat in a few years time when Vista becomes useable.
"What do people think of Windows Vista, when they don't know it's Windows Vista?
Not that I use Vista myself, but I'd use it if I were to build a new PC.
lol, awesome.
I have to say, I'd have been one of those people.
I heard so much negativity about it, then decided to take the plunge when I wanted to build a Tri-SLI machine with 3 Gig of GFX memory and realised XPx64 was a shoddy nightmare.
I've had some minor driver issues with the early releases of Nvidia's 64 bit WHQL 9800GX2 drivers, but now the whole machine runs as sweet as a nut, 5.9 index across the board.
Q6600 G0 @3.87GHz
8GB OCZ 1333MHz DDR3 @ 2000MHz
3x ASUS Top Level 9800GX2 (1GB PCI-E x16)
Striker II Extreme 790i Board
6x 500GB Samsung Spinpoint F1's
There's been a few minor hiccups with drivers that I've experienced, and some of my older software doesn't like to run unless it's in XP compatibility mode, but other than that it's lightening fast and runs like a dream.
As for a soundcard, I'd go with the Asus Xonar, or go for a SupremeFX II. They both work great under Vista and driver issues aren't a problem as they're designed to run with it.
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