Really stupid sound card question...

W

widemind

New Member
I have an Asus A8V Deluxe motherboad (specs at http://techreport.com/reviews/2004q3/asus-a8vdeluxe/index.x?pg=1) and I was wondering - if I wanted to upgrade my sound card, couldn't I just buy one and plug it into one of the PCI slots and over-ride the on-board sound card I already have in there? Or can you not have two sound cards?

Additionally, if it's possible to replace the sound card, what sound card might be an ideal upgrade for the one I have?

I know these are stupid questions for most of you - but I'm new to hardware. Just trying to get the stupid things out of the way.

Thanks!
Adam
 
Emperor_nero said:
yeah you can just buy a sound card and just plug it into a empty PCI slot
Click to expand...

Awesome! Any particular sound card recommendations? Doesn't have to be anything overly fancy - just better than what I've got on my motherboard. Preferrably something I can manage individual speakers with on my 5.1 sound system. Right now my sound card only lets me run all my speakers at the same volume - but rumor has it, if you have one of them Creative Labs/Sound Blaster sound cards you can manage the individual speaker volumes. True? :confused:

Thanks again!
 
I don't do a TON of gaming - I mostly do video editing/ web design/ imaging, etc... But I just bought Battlefield 2142 and it crashes like mad. A lot of what people are saying on forums all over the place is that it's due to the sound card, and/or drivers, but nobody seems to have pin-pointed the problem. I know it's not the drivers because they're all up to date. But I figure for a motherboard that only cost me $120, the sound card can't be that great.

I just bought me a new video card though, so I'm going to wait for that to get here so I can test it and see if that helps with game crashes - but I'm sure I'll end up buying a sound card anyway pretty soon.

As far as budget goes, I'm trying to keep it under $100. Preferrably no more than about $50. You think I could score a sound card that's any good for less than $50?

Thanks.
 
Yeah - been shopping around on newegg all day. Any particular brand I should avoid? I know nothing about sound cards... and I mean NOTHING!
 
widemind said:
I know these are stupid questions for most of you - but I'm new to hardware. Just trying to get the stupid things out of the way.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about that.. everyone started at some point.. ;)

anyhow, You can plug in a soundcard into an empty pci slot, and if you're going to do that, i would suggest you disable the onboard soundcard in the BIOS, since that could save you a lot of trouble in windows when you're setting up the sound again :D
I have a Audigy 4 at the moment, and the sound's beautifull.
you could go for a X-Fi soundcard.. but you'll need good speakers to justify for such a card (in my oppinion :o ). at this moment im funning a Audigy 4(like i said) paired with a $900 set of speakers and a 18 year old Tube Amp,.. and i do really like the sound ( so that card is really good imo).

so, if you want a good soundcard for a reasonable price, i can Only suggest the Audigy 4 too :)
 
Wait - what's the major difference between the Audigy 2 ZS and the Audigy 4?

I'm mainly getting a new sound card for gaming purposes - though I don't do a TON of it. I just know I need something better than what came with my motherboard. Is there a major difference between those two cards? Reason I ask, is because for me, it makes the difference of being able to pick it up locally, or having to order online. If the Audigy 2 ZS is good for gaming, I'll just pick that up today locally.

Thanks again.
 
the audigy 2 ZS is a good card too (from what ive heard)
but.. are you upgrading the card because you dont really like the onboard sound?
 
Archangel said:
the audigy 2 ZS is a good card too (from what ive heard)
but.. are you upgrading the card because you dont really like the onboard sound?
Click to expand...

I'm upgrading for a couple reasons...

One - because I can't alter the volume on individual speakers with the on-board sound card I already have. There's just one universal volume setting - up or down.

Two - I think the on-board sound card is having trouble processing some of the games I play, like BF2142. From what I gather from forums all over the place, the sound card/drivers are the main reason the game keeps crashing/freezing. I've updated all my drivers and changed all recommended settings but still no luck, so I'm pretty convinced it's the sound card. Even still, a little better sound quality in my games couldn't hurt.

I don't plan to upgrade to a 7.1 speaker system - at least not any time soon. Right now I just have a 5.1 Logitech x-530 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121126) and I love it. Though I often play with headphones as well.

So maybe just for better sound quality, and a more stable gaming system....
Are these the right cards for that? Or should I maybe get something a little newer, like x-fi as some people have suggested? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102006)
 
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the audigy 2 ZC will be enough i think (or the 4 for that matter ).
anyway, if you buy a soundcard, make sure to disable the onboard on in the bios, else it wouldnt help :)
 
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