Sound Blaster X-Fi?

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I Currently have Realtek Hi-Def Onboard sound,If i got an X-Fi will i notice a substantial difference?

Also,What better,Internal or External? (Im Tight on PCI Slots on my mobo)
 
What all do you do with your computer? Gamming, music, internet?

I'm not sure, but my guess would be that internal is better. External would almost have to go through USB which would most likely be slower and more choppy.
 
X-FI is a rip. Period. It sounds cool and it's cool to have it but X-Fi is a rip off. My brother has X-Fi and while it sounded better than his Audigy 2 ZS it wasn't nearly worth the large amounts more it costs. My $100 M-Audio Revolution 7.1 sounds almost as good. If you don't have the speakers for it, then don't even get it. A 2.1 system is good for most onboard sound. You can make a lot of other better investments than getting X-Fi, most people say it's revolutionary but most of them are just trying to make themselves think they didn't waste most of their money. It's ovepriced and there is better for a lot less, you're not paying for the sound card when you buy X-Fi, you're buying the brand, you can get better for cheaper, you just have to look, Creative is just one of the biggest (if not the biggest) sound card seller, thus, you have to pay +$100 more to get a good sound card, when you can get better for a lot less. Invest a bit and scope out many different choices, if you're a true audiophile with $300 speakers or more and everything I recommend this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156005

It's about half the price of an X-FI Elite Pro (which is like $300) and it is overall better. My friend got it and he loves it, save some money. I realize you're tight on PCI slots, if you're not a hardcore gamer/serious audiophile with serious audiophile speakers I'd just stick with internal. Especially if you only have 2.0 or 2.1.
 
If you aren't too much of an audophile, but have some good speakers (Like the Logitec X-5300e) Then get this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006

It's what I have in my computer, with those speakers. It is much better than my onboard sound (which has a early Vista Realtek driver, I think.) You can hear much lower and higher frequencies then you could. This card is really built for 5.1, but it supports 7.1 because of the SPDIF In/Out connector. Its really great for games, and the console setup is amazing. You can fine-tune just about everything with the Creative Console, which is pretty much an equalizer build for games, music, movies even audio creation. Only downside is theres no MIDI input.

This card supports X-FI, but the card is still excellent even when you turn it off.
 
I Mainly use my PC For Multimedia (Music Movies) Programming and Gaming.I already have a decent stereo at the moment so there is no need to upgrade the speakers,But ill see how much other sound cards are before i go buying anything else.......
 
X-Fi isn't a rip. There are cards from anywhere between $70 and $400 dollars - the difference in quality is mainly the input/output modules, and the software you get with it.

If you get "XtremeAudio", which is the cheapest, you get the 24-bit sound, X-Fi Crystalizer (guesses missing frequences - pretty cool), and 5.1 sound input, mic, and line in/out.

You can then go to "XtremeMusic","XtremeGamer", or "Xtreme" standard chipsets - they have the same input/output plugs but include extra software and EAX 5.0. Look at the individual cards to see their advantages.

When it gets expensive, you are buying F1delity and Elite Pro, or "Extreme" versions of xtremeGamer/XtremeMusic like remote controls, and external modules with lots of inputs/outputs, and stuff like 64mb X-RAM on the chipset.

For a small budget, you WILL get a good sound quality difference if you upgrade to XtremeMusic, or XtremeGamer standard. That's a good price, and a good set of features. I noticed a huge difference when I had to take out my XtremeMusic card out and suffer the onboard sound card.

Regards
Rhys
 
X-Fi Crystaliser for me just seems to make the bass louder.

I have an X-Fi Xtreme Music and I miss the MIDI in, and I also miss a dedicated Optical out.

I want to connect my speakers using Digital, but have no idea what I have to do to do that.

Supposedly a Coaxial cable would do it, using a special plug, but where would I buy one of them?
 
X-Fi Crystaliser works really well sometimes, sometimes not at all - depends on the song / soundtrack, speaker setup, etc. I have Creative T20 Speakers designed for crystal high pitch sounds, and it makes a really good difference.

Kage, not sure what you could do there. Just a bit of research will get you some understanding of your possibilities.

As for external and internal sound cards, it;s up to you what you get - but external cards are generally more expensive, and you usually need a PCI slot anyway for the controller card.

-Rhys
 
The only bad thing about the X-Fi cards is that the drivers are terrible. That's why the AuzenTech card that NeciFiX posted is great. It has EAX and all that, but with good drivers.
 
Exactly. Why spend $400 on a card when you can get a better one for less than half price? I've heard music and games from X-Fi sound cards, it's impressive, but not overwhelmingly sky opening-choir-and-piano-chorus impressive.
 
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