Best gaming card NOT Creative

C

conscript

2[H]4U
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Mar 19, 2001
Messages
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Well after years of using Creative solutions I've given up, their drivers are just horrid and the last "auto update" was the last straw.

While i appreciate good sound quality, I'm hardly an audiophile, and when I'm gaming I'm using my Razer Carcharias headset. I'm especially looking for crystal clear vent, both input and output.

And while I realize my set of demands is more than satisfied by onbaord sound...in my case, my onboard sound is the Creative CA20K2 chip, so no dice.

Any suggestions? I was looking at the HT | OMEGA STRIKER, then I decided to post first and get some input I trust before pulling the trigger. Thanks!
 
You have pretty much nailed it with Creative IMHO, I absolutely love the hardware but the software needs some TLC. I've been an owner of a Soundblaster X-Fi Titanium HD for over a year now. Last driver update? Feb 2011 and the Beta was September 2011. Their latest inferior model Recon3D, driver update Feb 2012. I've got a feeling that they won't be doing much more driver updates for my card. Drivers currently do have issues with me, occasionally it will eat up an entire core in useless processing for no reason also sometimes I will lose sound in all applications I have to exit out of everything then go back in to wake it up. There are some 3rd party drivers that I hear are pretty good I may give them a go.
 
I'm going to second the Xonars for their sound quality, but really don't expect much better drivers.

For example, the xonars claim auto front panel audio detection, and it does work when you plug it in. But unplug your headphones and it still plays sound through the front panel. Even basic motherboard audio chips have this functionality working fine.

I bought a Auzentech X-Fi forte and am much happier with it than my Xonar DS. My only problems with it are that it's a bit long (and blocks my GPU intake a bit) and the adapter in the back is kind of annoying.
 
conscript said:
Well after years of using Creative solutions I've given up, their drivers are just horrid and the last "auto update" was the last straw.

While i appreciate good sound quality, I'm hardly an audiophile, and when I'm gaming I'm using my Razer Carcharias headset. I'm especially looking for crystal clear vent, both input and output.

And while I realize my set of demands is more than satisfied by onbaord sound...in my case, my onboard sound is the Creative CA20K2 chip, so no dice.

Any suggestions? I was looking at the HT | OMEGA STRIKER, then I decided to post first and get some input I trust before pulling the trigger. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Do you currently have an XFI you've struggled with?

You might try tha Pax or Daniel K drivers intead of the ones from Creative. I don't think I'd invest in another product from them, but if you already have one you might eliminate your issues with 3rd party drivers. Worked like a charm for me.
 
I have a Xonar D2 and love it. It does well for me both in games and for entertainment (music and movies). It was easy to setup and had a decent amount of configurable options to help customize the experience. The D2 is more expensive, but I've heard nothing but praise for the entire Xonar line
 
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