[jamie2k8]

the onboard sound on my motherboard seems to be screwed so i was wondering is it worth forking out 100 quid for a top of the range sound card would i notice that much difference between a expensive one and a cheap 30 pound one

[mrdaveyk]

depends on its use really!

i paid £8 for my sound card, 5.1, works great lol

i use it for games and music in general

[redden137]

Agree with mrdaveyk really depends on what you want to use it for, have a cheap sound card in kids pc, they surf play music and play games and its ok for them its even a waste as its 5.1 but they only use 2.1
what happened to the on-board sound on your m/b m8?

[jamie2k8]

i have no idea wen i plug my speakers in the sound is just really really quiet like i have to hold them to my ears so i can hear but my speakers work on everyother computer ive tried them on so i am guessing its something to do with my motherboard ... so basically when im listening to music i wont notice much of a difference in a expensive sound card ?

[redden137]

Have you tried going into the volume control looking at the settings?

[jamie2k8]

yep tried that .. its screwed .... apperently using the wrong screws on your computer can screw the motherboard is this true ?

[mrdaveyk]

yeh, but i dont think this is the issue

have you tried reinstalling the drivers for it?

check the speaker icon on the bottom right, click it once and itll open a volume bar, make sure its full

then check every single option in the speaker settings in the control panel

make sure all connections are tight with the speakers

if you've tried all this, go for a cheap card mate, your speaker setup currently is either a 2.1 or 5.1, get a card that suits your current speaker set up, going expensive is pointless unless your a professional/fanatic and you are needing it

[jamie2k8]

cheap sound card it is :) thanks for your help guys

[Carbon]

There are two kinds of sound card - onboard and high-end. I disagree that a "cheap card" is worth it unless you have a serious problem with your onboard which should warrant a motherboard RMA. The high-end cards aren't just audiophile fodder - they genuinely make things sound amazing.

[Desertfish]

I do agree about the sound being better if you buy a high end sound card, but don't forget about the speakers. If you already have a good set, then you're OK, but if you got cheap £15 speakers, you might want to consider if you're willing to add the extra money. You'd easily end up spending £150 to £180 on the whole solution. Forking out £100 for your soundcard but plugging in a worthless set of speakers is just a waste of your £100...!

If you're not willing to do that, your £100 could get you a decent mid-range sound card and a mid-range set of speakers (you should even heve money left).

The only point I can personally see in getting a dirt cheap sound card is if you need to replace a dead onboard sound card so you can listen to Windows system sounds.

Cheers:
Chris

[mrdaveyk]

at the end of the day its all about usage against spendage if i can make that word up

i paid cheap because my uses were simple, gaming, music and work

in my position i wouldn't notice the difference between a high end and dirt cheap card mainly because i dont look for it, the same sounds are being played its just 'a little different' in my ears

but to be fair a dirt cheap card, like i have can do alot more than play windows sounds, i mean i paid £8 for it and it easily produces quality sound

[Desertfish]

The way you are pointing it out is not money vs usage, but rather money vs standards. I mean, if you're talking about using your soundcard for movies, games and music, you pretty much covered every single use you can have for a soundcard.

Don't get me wrong about my remark about cheap cards only being good for system sounds. I had a dirt checp card and an dirt cheap set of speakers for a long time (paid about £20 for the total package) and for the price I was amazed about the sound quality it produced. Having said that, once you started upgrading your soundcard and speakers you will only want to go higher in spec in the future.

It's like upgrading from a cheap graphics card to at least a mid-range on and then taking a step back again to a cheaper graphics card. No one does that. Same happens with sound.

As for the difference in sound, I do believe that practically anyone will hear the difference beteen a cheap soundcard/speakers and a more advanced on in a matter of seconds. But as you said yourself, if does depend on how much you want to spend and what you are willing to settle for. We're all different in that respect.

Cheers:
Chris

[jamie2k8]

So Would Anyone Be Willing To Recomend A Mid Range Card And Mid Range Speakers To Go With It .... I Dont Think I Can Afford Top Of The Range Speakers And Card Because Im Bloody Skint

[Desertfish]

When I got a predicament like that, I'd always like to go to ebuyer. Even if I'm not going to buy the product from them, at least you get the user reviews there along with a star rating.

Stretching your budget a bit to £11.71, I came up with this:

Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme 7.1 OEM card (£52.12)
Creative Labs Inspire T7900 7.1 speaker system OEM (£59.59).

It's mid-rage but leaning towards high range. If you hunt around a little, you might want to find these even cheaper somewhere else (ebuyer are not always the cheapest). Additionally, because we don't know if you want 7.1, 6.1 or 5.1 sound, maybe you should have a look yourself and read the user comments. If you're still not sure, please feel free to ask for suggestions here. You'll always find people who will be able to give you some solid advise.

Cheers:
Chris

[jamie2k8]

great suggestion on the sound card it has great reviews is exactly the price i would pay looks great (Y) what about the Logitech x-530 speakers does anyone know anything about these .... i really dont how to tell if there good speakers or not