Maximum PC

looking to upgrade from the realtek on the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 mobo i have. i was thinking of the creative xf-i titanium. or is there something better coming along? i will be using headphones. good ones. iwa nt something that works for bf3, ect.

I hear the ASUS Xonar DX is a better choice.

From a gaming perspective, you don't need a sound card. It won't help your framerates or performance. A soundcard will only help with audio quality, (or i/o options), and even then only with analog connections- not digital.
Asus supposedly uses higher quality components for higher quality audio, so I would go with them.

You have no idea what you are talking about if you think a soundcard doesn't matter for gaming. The Titanium HD is a decent card, the Xonar STX is the best you can get in terms of gaming card though. However depending on your headphones it might not make much of a difference. For all around portability though I would get this http://www.astrogaming.com/mixamp/mixamp-usb it works with PC, PS3, and the 360. A lot of people swear by it, the astro headphones though are overpriced.

thanks for the help but i found out for myself. i bought an asus xonar dx had it overnighted. just installed it. it's just ok. the realtek chip on my asus m/b is better. especially in bf3. the xonar just isnt as loud. and the sound quality is not as punchy as the onboard chip. i've bee playing with this thing for 2 hrs. i'm going back to thwee onboard chip and continue gaming. if you're a knob twiddler the asus card has plenty of things to play with. also i bought the corsair vengeance 1300 headphones. dont waste your money. my radioshack 49$ set blows it away. i'm giving that p.o.s. to my nephew for his xbox.

https://brainbit.wordpress.com/2010/07/ ... d-drivers/ Use those drivers... and the onboard definitely isn't better, even though the Xonar DX is entry level and not better than the X-fi titanium series it is definitely better than onbaord.

By the way, did you buy the Xonar DX because I said so, or did you actually go and find reviews on it?

Because if you didn't look at reviews... Take that to note next time. We're not here to tell you what to do in this section. We're here to provide you a suggestion.

i dont remember blaming you. just reporting my experience.

... I would disagree, we should be versed in reviews on anything we recommend. So there shouldn't be a need to look at reviews.

thanks for the driver info. but really, how can you know what my experience was , when you weren't here? that is illogical, and somewhat arrogant. i regret that i didnt agree with whatever findings you may have had.

i spent quite a bit of time going back and forth. as it turns out, my xonar has an rms output of .9v @1000hz , while the on board chip has an rms output of 1.1v @1000hz. maybe i got a bad xonar.

It is supposed to be 2v rms based on this manual http://www.manualowl.com/m/Asus/XONAR-DX/Manual/264740 My statement is based on what it should run at. And it should be better than any onboard.

yes it does. i used an oscope to measure. maybe i tunrned the vernier knob and didnt recal from the last time i used it. but it doesnt matter ,my perception is what it is. the card is definitly not as loud as the on board chip. thank you guys for helping me out. when i get some time i will try those drivers and re- asess. do you think they would make a difference in the loudness?

I actually thought that they did when I used them... they also cleaned up the sound quite a bit. I also changed the op-amp on the card but I don't remember if that was a big change.

hey this is getting good! now i want to keep the xonar, i'm not afraid of component change. i guess my main issue with the xonar is not enough volume, i have everything maxed that ican find and the onboard chip is still louder. where did you get the op amp and what was the part #. did you need to re-bias or change the other voltages?

http://www.head-fi.org/t/339127/asus-xonar-dx-mods

Check out this thread. There is a lot of things in there to check out. I don't remember which one I put on my card, it's been a while and I have since upgraded.

Professional reviews represent a perfect world unless noted. I'm also talking about user experiences with the part. That and you shouldn't be a tool and do what we say. You should take what we say, find out what others are using that are alternatives, and make an informed decision. Not because "Some guy on the Maximum PC forums told me to". Unless you want to take full responsibility for potentially burning someone's money.

[quote="Danthrax66"]http://www.head-fi.org/t/339127/asus-xonar-dx-mods

Check out this thread. There is a lot of things in there to check out. I don't remember which one I put on my card, it's been a while and I have since upgraded.[/quote

thanks for the link. that looks good. also, what did you upgrade to? one of my friends just got back to me ,and he likes the astro headphones, any love for those here?

Does the main board audio support EAX ?

I have an Asus P9X79 Deluxe (with Realtek audio), and from what I can tell,
it does not support EAX, which appears necessary in some games for full effect.

I got the Xonar DX card and I noticed an immediate improvement in sound effects
and volume in Mass Effect 1 (currently playing) with my 5.1 speakers.

Maybe those reporting disappointment with the Xonar DX need to look more closely at how they
have their card configured ?

Astro headphones are overpriced, really really overpriced... This is the best headset you can buy, without going way overboard http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-360 ... B003DA4D2U

thank you, everyone