Finding Sound card under $40

S

sterlingr

Member
Hello all,

I recently got an old Dell t3400 and upon looking though the settings, I found that the motherboard does not have any support for surround sound or Realtek (What I used to use on my old mobo/computer). I have some pretty decent speakers but they are terribly balanced, I was using the Realtek equalizer but now I have no way of doing a systemwide eq balance.

Anyways, I was also thinking about setting up surround sound (5.1 or quadraphonic) in the future so I figured it was time to invest in a dedicated sound card. There are so many cards out there and I thought it would be better to ask the knowledgeable people on these forums to lead me in the right direction rather than sifting though tons of reviews and hoping I pick a good one myself. Here are my requirements:

1. Under $40
2. Has Drivers/ software that have a decent and easy to use equalizer.
2. 5.1 Surround support (or AT LEAST quadrophonic support)
3. PCI-e OR PCI is fine
4. Reliable

Having an optical audio output would be a huge bonus as well.

Also, would having a dedicated sound card take a noticeable load off of the cpu?

As always, thanks!
 
CrayonMuncher

CrayonMuncher

Active Member
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...132052&cm_re=xonar_dgx-_-29-132-052-_-Product

or pci version

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9132020&cm_re=xonar_dg-_-29-132-020-_-Product

I have the DGX, it is a capable card but it is worth noting that, as with many internal sound cards, you can have sound issues (mainly interference), but the only sure way to avoid that is to move the sound externally using a DAC/AMP (But that can get way expensive), This is what I do and I use the DGX as an spdif pass through.

Really a minor and unlikely issue but worth mentioning.

EQ is real easy to use.

Got many, many rave reviews btw.
 
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salvage-this

salvage-this

Active Member
Why do you say that? He mentioned that PCI was fine. The user guide for the T3400 references both PCI and PCI Express. He should be fine with either.

I've never used anything from Creative, but I have used Xonar D1 and DX soundcards. I'll second that Asus DG/DGX would be a good choice.
 
FuryRosewood

FuryRosewood

Active Member
The xonar will work fine with the t3400, its got several PCI and PCI-e slots, its quite a heavy box....we have 2 at work.
 
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