Okay, so I've got $350 to spend on a sound card and a surround sound system. I'm thinking about either the X-Fi Extreme Gamer (link), but would the X-Fi Extreme Gamer Fatal1ty (link) give me good enough quality to justify the added price? Then, I'm looking at a Creative Inspire P7800 sound system (link). It's 7.1, but not too powerful and a little cheap. Is there a better system out there (5.1 or 7.1) that costs under $200? I need something that has clear mids and highs and clear, but not overpowering, bass. Obviously, since I have a pretty slim budget, I'm not expecting a top-tier system, but I DO want to get my money's worth. Any suggestions?
Okay, per advice of another thread, I'm going with Z5500's. They're hella expensive, but the additional quality and power should make it worth it. I'll have to pass on the sound card until next paycheck, or maybe longer depending on how big it is. So the question on the X-Fi Extreme Gamer vs. X-Fi Fatal1ty still stands, but the speakers are taken care of.
It's entirely up to you/your budget. I personally have a 'Fatal1ty' edition of the card, and I'm very happy with it. But I know others who are running the standard Xtreme Gamer, and they're very happy with it. May I suggest, therefore... that you read a few reviews of each card... then decide which of the two is the one for you
Both of them cannot be used with a microphone when used with a 7.1 system. Main difference are the 64mb RAM the Fatality has and the Xtreme Gamer not, adding some performance in games, giving you a few more frames. But when my brother wanted to get one of those I have read a few reviews, and I think the audio quality has been measured equal. So the question is - is the performance boost worth it? I am not sure, if I would go for a creative, or rather with another card. I have never actually listened to it, but the AuzenTech HDA X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect might be worth a look too.
I have! I have one in an older rig They make great cards... no doubt about it, so... although the HDA X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect might be a bit long in the tooth these days, it's still worth considering The same goes for the [similarly long in the tooth] M-Audio 'Revolution' 5.1/7.1 cards
