Motherboard Audio vs Dedicated Card

[Askeptic]

Hi guys!

I just upgraded my motherboard and need some advice on which audio device would be best. I don't know much about audio specs, so I am kinda lost. I could probably try out both methods to see which I think sounds better, but I would also like to know spec wise, which one should be better before doing so.

Gigabyte Z170x Gaming 7 motherboard
VS
Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Edition

I bought my audio card many years ago, so I am not sure if it can still hang. Lastly, is there a better PCIe x1 sound option for $50 or less? It is worth mentioning that I no longer use my computer only for gaming, but I also like to listen to music as well. I don't watch any DVD's or anything like that though.

Thanks!

 

[John721]

What sort of speakers and/or headphones are you using?

 

[Askeptic]

I use the Klipsch pro media 2.1 - 98% of the time

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/klipsch...lack/9382232.p?id=1218095770265&skuId=9382232

I only use headphones in a handful of games when I need to communicate... For that I use some Corsair gaming headphones ... Sorry, not sure of the model. They are about 4 years old now though. (I don't need Toslink)

 

[Criticalhitkoala]

The on board sound sound be fine if on speakers.

 

[GotNoRice]

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1041965352

Why post the same thread over and over again? Guess I'll just quote my answer from your last thread.

In terms of gaming, you will have the benefit of a creative chip either way, as your motherboard has a Sound Core 3D chip built in (same as Recon3D series and current Z series). This will come into play if you are looking to downmix 5.1 / 7.1 game content into stereo, etc. With your motherboard this would be done using SBX Pro Studio, whereas on the X-Fi it would be done using CMSS-3D. Some prefer one over the other (I personally prefer CMSS-3D) but they are both very good. The X-Fi has the benefit of having an actual processor onboard to handle the processing, whereas the the "Sound Core 3D" chip is just a DSP that makes your CPU do a lot of the work. In the end though it doesn't really matter.

In terms of music playback, the X-Fi isn't anything special, only sporting an SNR of 109db. I'm having difficulty finding similar stats for your motherboard, but it looks like similar models have an SNR of ~115db, in which case your motherboard may very well be the superior solution. Of course, as with most things audio, nothing beats simply trying both for yourself and seeing what you prefer.