Sound Card Upgrade

[y00tz]

My media center PC has a default onboard sound card, and I have a 5.1 system so I'm looking to upgrade, but it is worth it to get another $15x.xx card like I have in this machine (for gaming) or should I take the cheap way out (the way I'd prefer) and get a $5, 5.1 card from Newegg?

I'm pretty much deaf anyway so is the extra cash worth it, or do generic cards work just fine?

[Apocalypse]

Its a bit of a hard decisision but if I were you I'd go with the 5.1 I dont find sound to be that big of an issue unless its absolutely horrid.

[jitspoe]

I'd go somewhere in the middle.  You can get some versions of the x-fi's for like $50 now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102016 or grab an audigy for about half that.

[lekky]

    Pros: None
    Cons: Skips, Stops, Sputters and spits, does everything BUT what a sound card should DO
    Other Thoughts: BURN IT

[Zorchenhimer]

    Other Thoughts: BURN IT

"Other than witches, what else do we burn?"
"MORE WITCHES!!"

[y00tz]

    Pros: None
    Cons: Skips, Stops, Sputters and spits, does everything BUT what a sound card should DO
    Other Thoughts: BURN IT

Haha that is the best review I've ever read on Newegg.  Yeah I think I'll order an Audigy for ~$25, thanks for the input guys.

[Spook]

I bought a 5.1 compatible audigy, but i can't get my speakers to work. Only 2 of my speakers work, and the woofer works.

[coLa]

(Sound card 1) Xtreme Sound PCI Audio, brand: Diamond Multimedia -=- this card was only about $20 at staples and it works great. only thing is you have to play with the settings if you use vent or ts. like lets say you have it on 5.1 setting(which is all the speakers) if you wanted to use vent/ts you'd have to change the setting to headphones. but i have no complaints with this card.

I bought a 5.1 compatible audigy, but i can't get my speakers to work. Only 2 of my speakers work, and the woofer works.

have you tried messing with the settings of the card itself?

[Spook]

I actually just fixed it.

If you get the Audigy, make sure it installs the program files>creative>SBaudigy folder. My software didn't install right, so i manually downloaded the software and got it. That one folder caused all my speakers to mess up, because that folder holds all the surround sound information settings.

Seeing this thread made me take a 2nd look at my setup, and now it sounds even better!

[coLa]

^ yah mine has separate controls that i had to install to get it to work right.