xfi fps 7.1

K

kinson

Gawd
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
772
The X-Ram only helps in some games and in the games that support it, I don't think the performance difference is big. If you need the front drive, the Platinum is cheaper, if you don't need the front drive, the XtremeMusic and XtremeGamer are cheaper. All X-Fi sound the same, with or without the X-Ram, just the Elite Pro sounds better, I don't know about the XtremeGamer because the circuit board looks different but maybe the sound is more or less still the same.
 
well kinda want one that is future proof, and I noticed that the front drive has all the spdif and optical outs which is neat to have for HTPC's... Which I plan on goofing around with in the future... X-ram, they should be supporting with more and more games coming out no ?...

It doesnt really matter to me about the price as its a xmas present, although I'd like to keep it low, I also want something that is good, and future proof as I've already stated :)...
 
Well for HTPC I would suggest a DD/DTS encoding card as you can deliver a surround sound to the receiver through SPDIF. A normal X-Fi already has a SPDIF output at the back, you just need an adaptor(a simple stereo jack to 2 RCA will do the trick). I don't about future proof, but also try ask others, does the X-Ram help much or not.
 
oh, and with the mail in rebate I'd be better off getting the FPS... They're the same cards according to the creative website, at least thats the way it seems... The platinum would be nice as it has good support for movies as well and not just gaming, but I'm sure that the fps will do just as well for movies...

Least I hope so :)... Gonna be doing mostly gaming for now with a headset, and movies with a headset, ss will be later on...
 
egh.. Every review I've just read says that X-ram is completely useless... lol... How cool... ;), and seems that the future proof of it does not really matter as games designed to use it still do not gain any performance from, or sound any different that say the pro...

Bleh... I wish I could find a really good benchy test that shows just what the difference is :p...
 
They are all the same card except the Elite which has better DACs

There are two lines, the normal and fatal1ty

The only difference is that the fatal1ty has the XRAM, not other differences at all, all have the same sound quality and ability besides the XRAM which is only for offloading system memory in some games.

Then there are the differences in each lineup which are really just whether the card comes with the frontpanel or not.

Xtrememusic - No XRAM, No Frontpanel
Xtremegamer Fatal1ty Pro - XRAM, No frontpanel
Platinum - No XRAM, Frontpanel
Fatal1ty FPS - XRAM, Frontpanel
Elite Pro - XRAM, Frontpanel, Better DACs

The only wierd thing are those two new low profile cards (the xtremeaudio and whatever). Seems like a different board and I cannot comment on if it is the same quality or whatever as it is a different looking board.
 
Maybe not completely useless because I've read some thread saying that the famous sound crackle is gone when changing from a X-FI without X-Ram to one with the X-Ram or maybe not.
 
ok, so for gaming, audio, video, for headset, and 5.1 when I decide, WHICH is the most feasible card to go with right now... I mean I want better sound quality... and would like to see better performance as well, but that does not really matter as much...
 
Thats the funny thing, it doesn't really matter the use for the XFIs.

Its what you want. Do you want a frontpanel? If yes then you are narrowed down to:
XFI FPS
XFI Platinum

Do you want XRAM (it could always be something good to have if you want as it will be there for you for gaming)?
If yes then you need the XFI FPS


If you dont want XRAM and do want the frontpanel, then go for the Platinum

If you dont want the frontpanel but do want XRAM, then go for the Pro

If you dont want frontpanel or XRAM, go for the Xtrememusic

Want it all and extra audio quality (the only one that has better audio quality), then go for the Elite Pro


I just went through this trying to figure out which to get and i decided i do not need the frontpanel (wrong color and I wouldnt use it) and then I said that I dont REALLY need the XRAM I think, so I went with the Xtrememusic.

As said though before, all have the SAME audio quality and SAME abilities except for the addition of XRAM on the fatal1tys and the better quality on the Elite Pro ($$$$)
 
How about the XtremeGamer??? Is this ok:

If you want a sound card but you don't have enough money to buy a real X-Fi, then go with the XtremeGamer, it has a X-Fi chip and it is cheap.
 
with the plat or the fps, they both offer 5.1 through the ad link correct, with the proper cord... I just like the easier options with the front panel I believe...

That way I wont really have to worry about buying any new cords that I might have trouble finding to begin with... :) Thanks for the info, most help I've had in a while... I'm not really massive in the audio department if you didnt notice, but will soon be doing a lot more research :)... Thanks..
 
oh shit, now I'm worried whether or not I'll be able to get x64 drivers for this card... Read a lot that their driver support sucks... Checked their site and do not see any drivers for x64 :(... lol that and I have an NF4 mobo..
 
kinson said:
with the plat or the fps, they both offer 5.1 through the ad link correct, with the proper cord... I just like the easier options with the front panel I believe...

That way I wont really have to worry about buying any new cords that I might have trouble finding to begin with... :) Thanks for the info, most help I've had in a while... I'm not really massive in the audio department if you didnt notice, but will soon be doing a lot more research :)... Thanks..
Click to expand...


The AD Link is not used for 5.1, it is used for the External I/O Console.

X-Fi I/O Console

The X-Fi Xtreme Gamer is Not upgrade friendly like the Xtreme Music card is. It also allows you to get this.
 
hrmm... My bad then... Must have misread something... :p... anyways, I'm really worried about having troubles with this product and my pc... The fps comes with that front panel already... :)

X64, and a dfi nf4 mobo... Just don't want to buy it, and then return it to lose 15%... Sigh, so many things to consider...
 
See all this junk is confusing the hell out of me, too much stuff to read, so much information from too many sources that I have to find and put all together... as I've already stated I'm not much into the audio department for computers, and am just building my way up the ladder... How exactly are you suppose to get dts and dolby... Just straight up 5.1 through a sound card... I mean through a freaking real receiver with real speakers, no pc audio setup... :)

Way off topic I know but hell I'm confused :p
 
kinson said:
How exactly are you suppose to get dts and dolby... Just straight up 5.1 through a sound card... I mean through a freaking real receiver with real speakers, no pc audio setup... :)

Way off topic I know but hell I'm confused :p
Click to expand...
You can't from a creative's card, it is time for you to read the first post of the X-Meridian thread.
 
yeah, I have... read quite a bit about the meridian... Still a little confused... :)... Owell, I guess I'll just order the FPS, and put it in... if it works it works, if it doesnt, I'll sell it in the forums... Either that or take the 15% blow and go home...

Since Meridian isnt good for gaming, and I do not have a full 5.1-7.1 setup, nor do I really think i will in the near future, I wont fret too much... I'm making this harder on myself by wanting to know everything about everything at one time for stuff I really do not have... I just want the best performance from gaming at this very moment... Later down the road when I have my full blown system I'll worry about it then :p...

Thanks for the help...!!! :)
 
kinson said:
Since Meridian isnt good for gaming
Click to expand...
It is good but maybe the X-Fi is better, it sounds good and it can do 128 voices. It just doesn't support EAX higher than 2 and it is slower than the X-Fi but it is still better than an onboard sound for games. I think that it is better than an Audigy 2 if you consider that Audigy 2 can't do 128 voices but the Audigy 2 can do EAX 3&4 I think. If you just want a digital connection and analogue doesn't matter for you, the Theatron DTS is also very cheap.
 
Heh... Kinda need analogue... So... Anyways, as I've said, just gonna roll with it and see how it goes... Wish me luck ;)...
 
Goodluck with your FPS, you will notice that the card is excellent for games and also good for musics. Well it seems like people think that if they buy the X-Meridian, they can't play games with it, the card is a total crap for games but it is not. It is more suitable for musics than the X-Fi and the X-Fi is more suitable for games than the X-Meridian but it doesn't mean that the X-Meridian can be used for games and the X-Fi can't be used for musics. X-Fi is also better for musics than some other cards and the X-Meridian is also better for games than other cards. Having both cards, I know their advantage and their weakness, and the good thing is I can connect both cards together to get the best of both cards.
 
lol well right now for me the meridian is a little expensive... lol yeah I'm buying almost a 200$$ card as is, but I get rebate, which is always fun to get... Helpful when in a bind... When I do build my HTPC, dedicated HTPC, I will more than likely purchase the meridian, but right now I'm just a poor college kid working his xmas money and job to get a little enjoyment :p...

Once I'm making the big bucks... LOL... I'll be set :p... Again thank you for your help...

I'm praying that the card will work out, if not owell... Just resell... Not like a few days of use will destroy the value of the card ;)...

Again thanks :)...
 
The card is still new, you know computer stuffs, they are always expensive when they are new, but the price on Newegg has dropped to $160 once for a couple of days in the first week of its launch but went up again, who bought it at that time is a lucky bastard lol.
 
Anyone know where I can get proper drivers and the other console things for x64 ?? Mine seem to be having problems... That and my mic seems to be geeking out whats up with that......
 
Just a side note: One plus for any of the full featured X-Fi models is the ability to do bit accurate ripping in creation mode. I'm not sure if the other brand cards do this.
 
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