Been thinking about a new PC and was wondering how good the on board sound is. I’m looking at an MSI MB with built in 6 channel sound. I’m thinking of skipping the Audigy 2 and seeing how well the on board does.
Am I just wasting my time?
To be honest - and Loyd Case can probably back me up - no onboard solution can match the Audigy 2 at this time. Even the much vaunted new Intel audio standard may not match a dedicated soundcard like the Audigy for sound quality.
I have an Audigy 1 right now and I’m happy with it (never had a compatability issue and it sounds great) but I figured it has been 2-3 years so maybe the onboard has come some ways (I know they used to stink and chew through clock cycles). Gonna to try to keep two PCs going I think so I don’t want to move it out of my current box.
Thanks
Getting better, but a ways to go. If you run any game that uses a lot of voices (Battlefield 1942 is a good example), your performance sinks like a rock.
Also, driver stability is even worse than the original SB Live drivers. Today’s Audigy2 is pretty solid. You can find OEM ones on the net for as low as $60, though if you want the full software bundle, it’s more like $80.