Soundblaster AE-7 on sale sorta

netbrad

Limp Gawd
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In order to properly answer your question, we need to know what you mean when you say "better sound than on board audio for games", because that is very ambiguous. Not all onboard audio is the same, with most being mediocre but some actually pretty decent. Some provide adequate amplification for most headphones, some don't.

Are you getting background static or hiss when using your onboard audio?
Is your onboard audio not able to supply adequate amplification for your headphones?
Does your onboard lack specific features that you want? (If so, what features?)
Are you looking to use virtual-surround positional audio (The ability to downmix 5.1/7.1 into 2 channels for headphone usage while retaining the original positional audio information)?

how are the ae5 and 7 powered? slot power or what?

The card plugs into the PCIe slot, and there is no external power connector.
 
I currently have an Asus ROG STRIX X470-F motherboard and I am using on-board sound. I thought the sound was fine but after listening to some gameplay videos with better setups I feel like mine is a little tinny and not as rich/deep. I'm using Senheiser GSP 302 headphones and yes I can hear some interference (hiss, clicks, pops, etc.) on occasion. I've updated drivers but that didn't really change anything. Virtual surround would be cool but not a deal breaker.
 
I've noticed while playing COD, that during certain events while in MP I will get beeps along with the sound cutting. it's the only game that does it. x570 unify. kind of annoying. drivers are current
 
I thought the sound was fine but after listening to some gameplay videos with better setups I feel like mine is a little tinny and not as rich/deep.

You were listening to a video of someone else's setup? You can't really evaluate sound by listening to a recording that someone else made. Whatever was used to make the recording, and whatever you are using to play that recording, will have just as much influence as what got recorded. So what are you actually evaluating at that point? That's like trying to evaluate a TV screen by having someone else take a picture of it and send it to you.

I'm using Senheiser GSP 302 headphones and yes I can hear some interference (hiss, clicks, pops, etc.) on occasion. I've updated drivers but that didn't really change anything.

Soundcards (and onboard audio) are susceptible to interference from other sources inside your PC. With a powerful CPU and GPU this is even more likely, though sometimes it's not an issue. That is where an external DAC is beneficial. If you are using the line-out/microphone jacks in your case, you might try plugging directly into the sound card instead. When you say "a little tinny and not as rich/deep", that sounds more like an amplification issue than a DAC issue. You might find that the biggest upgrade would be to simply get a headphone amplifier, example: https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-1
 
It sounds like you've got a solution in search of a problem. You like the solution, now need to find a problem. :)
First, depends on what headphones you're using. A sound card won't fix crap headphones, and vice versa.
Second, if you don't know what problem you're trying to solve, how will you know whether you've solved it?
Audio source is also a big factor. Get better audio setup and you'll start hearing limitations of crap audio source. It's a slippery slope, this playing the audiophile pursuit.
I think you need to do some more research and ask better questions.
I have ROG X470-I, which probably has the same level audio as your X470-F, and I find it to be a very good setup with my Sennheiser Momentum headset.
Ext volume control issue for me got solved with a DAS Keyboard, and I'm very pleased. Hope this helps.
 
I've noticed while playing COD, that during certain events while in MP I will get beeps along with the sound cutting. it's the only game that does it. x570 unify. kind of annoying. drivers are current
The beeps are curse words of the computer censored. It's probably annoyed that it has to run COD :D
 
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