integrated sound vs discrette

[Nellah]

Yes but hardware from over 12 years ago is hardly relevant. I doubt someone is going to be reading this thread with a Voodoo3 3000 and is about to go out and buy a GeForce 4 series, hence why I did not feel it relevant to mention. A lot of things might be relevant "back in the day" but to mention them in every thread would be a waste of time and may confuse some people who perhaps might not know, in this example, what a Voodoo3 3000 card is.

Well, if you're going to nitpick "integrated graphics card" vs. "integrated graphics processor" be ready to have other people nitpick your stuff too :P.

On topic though, as has been mentioned, onboard sound is just fine. When I ran off an Athlon 64 X2 chip for WoW, my X-Fi Xtreme Gamer card was far beyond onboard sound... but when I moved to more modern hardware the difference vanished. I imagine even in the high end a majority of the difference is a placebo effect or even distortion when it comes down to it, but I'm sure if I actually heard a high end setup I could tell the difference. As it is, I don't work with audio high-quality enough for it to matter, and I imagine most people are in the same boat as I am.

[Deleted]

It is definitely noticeable having a ~£100 sound card as opposed to on board. I tried to convince myself that onboard was fine after having massive driver issues with my Audigy 2(although to be fair it was massively dated). Recently got an Asus Xonar and there is a clear difference in sound quality without changing speakers.

That said, if it is worth the price is purely subjective. Start looking into PC audio kit reviews and you will notice that it is much harder to benchmark than say graphics cards. You will also notice how audiophiles frequently disagree with what the average PC hardware review site says because of this.

---------- Post added 2011-10-18 at 08:30 PM ----------

I imagine even in the high end a majority of the difference is a placebo effect or even distortion when it comes down to it, but I'm sure if I actually heard a high end setup I could tell the difference.

This really does not make sense.

[Nellah]

You're right, it didn't. My posting lately has become more and more erratic with a direct correlation to the number of job applications I've filled out. I think my mind is coming undone or something.

[Deleted]

I'll put it this way;

If you can't tell the sound difference between 480p and 1080p (on YT for example), then your sound card and/or headphones/speakers are not good enough to create that quality of sound.

When you have a good speaker and soundcard set-up, you can really hear the difference and that just increases when you get into a game with real surround sound and your dedicated soundcard is controlling every sound in the game with high quality.

Most onboards just don't do it as well, and there IS a difference.

[haxartus]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829132006
It's 79$... How often do you upgrade a sound card ? You can last a good 5-7 years or more with the same card. It's just plain stupid not to get one.

[Sephiracle]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829132006
It's 79$... How often do you upgrade a sound card ? You can last a good 5-7 years or more with the same card. It's just plain stupid not to get one.

It's $79 dollars that is a tough sell to begin with.

[BicycleMafioso]

It's $79 dollars that is a tough sell to begin with.

I'm sorry; My English is probably failing me here. But what are you saying? I can't decipher it.
Are you saying it's a good or a poor buy?

[Sephiracle]

I'm sorry; My English is probably failing me here. But what are you saying? I can't decipher it.
Are you saying it's a good or a poor buy?

Tough sell is essentially meaning it's difficult to convince someone that is not familiar with it to purchase it.

[DeltrusDisc]

I'll put it this way;

If you can't tell the sound difference between 480p and 1080p (on YT for example), then your sound card and/or headphones/speakers are not good enough to create that quality of sound.

When you have a good speaker and soundcard set-up, you can really hear the difference and that just increases when you get into a game with real surround sound and your dedicated soundcard is controlling every sound in the game with high quality.

Most onboards just don't do it as well, and there IS a difference.

Last I checked, 480p, 720p, and 1080p all had the same audio, the poorer audio was down at 360p... or have they updated things since? O.o

[Deleted]

Last I checked, 480p, 720p, and 1080p all had the same audio, the poorer audio was down at 360p... or have they updated things since? O.o

Audio is different Can't confirm which and how many quality levels, but its definitely higher with a higher video quality.

EDIT: The quality could change only between 360 and 480, but I know it changes. But anyway, the number doesn't matter too much was more of the idea.

If you play 2 different quality sound files, both with the same song, and you don't hear a difference it is most likely your hardware (speakers or card) that is letting it down.
Or you need to get your ears checked!

[Warrax]

Onboard sound is still cheap even if it says "HD sound" with Blue-ray sound quality or something. I bought an X-Fi Titanium and sound was much better, it sounds a lot more clear and you even hear new sounds (specially the high frequency ones). I definitely recommend getting a sound card from either Sound Blaster or Asus.

Also as a fan of "Whats U hear", getting a SB X-Fi was a very good decision to me.

[anb]

EDIT: The quality could change only between 360 and 480, but I know it changes.

i don't think your whole point is very valid since i can notice the difference of 360p and 480p even on my laptop integrated speakers.

I definitely recommend getting a sound card from either Sound Blaster or Asus.

last time i checked audiophile's opinions on the matter all agree that creative sucks compared even to asus. And i think it is easily understadable since they were a monopoly for a long time, pushing their marketing towards eax and other gaming crap more than actually music quality.

[Deleted]

Last I checked, 480p, 720p, and 1080p all had the same audio, the poorer audio was down at 360p... or have they updated things since? O.o

I believe it's 192Kbps on 720p and 1080p, and much lower on 480p and 360p. I also recall that it can differ from video to video (depending mainly on the source file, but I have seen 480p videos with 192Kbps audio). In either case, Youtube (or 192Kbps) isn't an optimal source to compare a setup with and without a soundcard (or high quality sound equipment). I would honestly recommend getting a high quality .flac file for that, which are closer to 1000Kbps (more importantly; loss-less).

I have nowhere near high-end audiophile headphones nor soundcard, but I can hear differences between 320Kbps (.mp3) and ~1000Kbps/loss-less (.flac) audio (using Asus Xonar DX and AKG K242 HD).

Edit: As for OP,
It really boils down to preference. If you have mediocre sound equipment, you should upgrade that first before thinking about a soundcard. That said, a discrete card can offer a much better audio experience given that you have proper speakers. I notice a huge difference between my integrated Realtek HD ALC892 chip and my ASUS Xonar DX - everything becomes more clear, the sound is a lot crisper and the bass more precise.