Is a discrete sound card worth it in 2014?

[Fork_Q2]

For gaming, music and film/TV? Not at all interested in audio production, nor do I have special requirements or equipment (just a pair of good Sony headphones and decent enough speakers).

Not an audiophile by any stretch (can't tell Flac, Wav or MP3 apart, but can just about tell an 128kbps file from a 320kbps), but I hear strong opinions either for or against.

Would even a cheap soundcard be a good investment for gaming, or should I just stick with the onboard mobo audio?

[UberFiend]

nope

v v that

[TeKraken]

If you're happy with the onboard stick with it.

The only time i used a sound card was back when it helped take some load of the (single core) CPU.


In my opinion, for the average user, onboard audio has improved in quality in recent times. Probably better than many cheap soundcards.

Put the money you would have spent into the mobo/gpu.

[PLANTROON]

Definitely look for a quality mobo :) I recently got one that didn't evenly divide electricity (or something like that, I have zero knowledge about this) and my headphones were catching interference and making weird noises. It was a low quality mobo though.
So you should look for a good mobo because the CPU load isn't the only problem of onboard audio cards.

[Fork_Q2]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย TeKraken:

If you're happy with the onboard stick with it.

The only time i used a sound card was back when it helped take some load of the (single core) CPU.


In my opinion, for the average user, onboard audio has improved in quality in recent times. Probably better than many cheap soundcards.

Put the money you would have spent into the mobo/gpu.

Here's the thing, I have almost always relied on onboard, so I don't know if there is an massive improvement in sound I have been missing out all this time.

I will be getting a new pair of Nvidia cards soon, but I have two slots left over, one of which could be occupied by a soundcard, if it is worth it. The higher rated soundcards seem to be very much affordable anyway (~£200 or £300).

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย PLANTROON:

Definitely look for a quality mobo :) I recently got one that didn't evenly divide electricity (or something like that, I have zero knowledge about this) and my headphones were catching interference and making weird noises. It was a low quality mobo though.
So you should look for a good mobo because the CPU load isn't the only problem of onboard audio cards.

Not sure what's a quality mobo either, sorry. I have almost always relied on Asus's ROG line for my gaming PCs, but only because the brand hasn't failed me yet so far. Not sure if this is even good for audio either.

[PLANTROON]

Yeah ASUS ROG is cool, I just wanted to tell you not to buy some chinese cheap stuff. Motherboard is definitely not something you want to save money on.

[Air]

No, not unless you encounter problems with your motherboard's sound or if your motherboard doesn't have the audio outputs that you want.
Personally, I ended up getting a sound card because my motherboard's sound used a Beats Audio control panel, and I couldn't get the audio sounding right after a certain point.

[TeKraken]

There would be a difference but:

Would you notice it in games and films? Maybe, there may be surround sound features or better 7.1 support etc....

What speakers do you have? Could they keep up with a new soundcard or would you need to upgrade those as well?

If it's just for gaming, then no. Unless you are playing competitive and you need surround to help with locating foes.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Most sound cards below $100 or so range usually will not be of any benefit over the onboard one. Most motherboards and laptops have Realtek HD Audio Onboard and that isn't all that bad. Only real reason to upgrade to dedicated sound card is if u need more inputs/outputs; or connection types then your onboard one already has. And if you are a gamer; best bang for buck in upgrading the sound is to get a decent USB headset. Since a headset that is USB has it's own audio chip + drivers; it won't use your onboard audio or card.

[Hopper]

I don't think there is any benefit. The mobo one should be fine.

[Fork_Q2]

Thanks for the response guys, think it's almost certainly an unanimous "no", I guess.

Probably will use that spare PCI-e slot for a three-way SLI, or a dedicated physx card, or just leave it well alone.

[Azza ☠]

Gaming motherboards normally have some high quality audio built-in... such as the ASUS ROG, GIGABYTE G1.Sniper series, etc. These are normally onboard Creative Sound Core3D quad-core audio processor, sometimes even with upgradable OP-AMP. You can get some very good audio from those.

Or if you have a standard motherboard, with crappy builtin sound, then another option is to use an external MixAMP via USB (this will act as your high-quality sound card). Highly recommend Astro A40 with MixAMP.

Now if your like me and an audiophonic... wanting a sound card... then go for the very high-end to make a huge difference. Never waste your cash on the low-end or mid-range sound cards, they will NOT be worth your while. However, a very high-end sound card suddenly matters and changes your audio world around you to cinema quality surround - it can blow you away at the difference from which you will never return.

Think cinema surround quality...

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD
or
Asus Xonar Essence STX

Use high-end 600 Ohm-headphone, such as from Beyerdynamic
and/or
Use high-end Box Speakers or Theatre Surround

Consider your budget to be at least $1000+ for audio gear and set it up via optical digital. You are pretty much almost getting a Theatre System, but for the PC rather than TV (or both if that's a possiblility - same room, different channels).

Get ready to jump out of your skin and wet yourself, when you play your first person shooter game and someone fires off a shotgun from behind you. You will be looking over your shoulder!