[joybz]

First of all, merry christmas But anyway. For years i have always used onboard sound and have never bothered with even thinking about a soundcard as i only use 2 speakers, my onboard sound is realtek AC97 and has been for the past year. However i recently purchased the Razer Barracuda headset which has yet to arrive, it is recommended that i use it in conjunction with razer's barracuda soundcard. however im not entirly sure how much benifit i will gain from using a soundcard as apposed to my current 7.1 audio. I am a big gamer and enjoy games such as Half life series counter strike dod etc etc where the competition is quite high in games. Could anyone please help me make up my mind wether i should keep my onboard or invest in a nice shiney soundcard to user with my new headset.

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See how the headset performs first

If you do need to install a soundcard, it is unlikely that it would have to be a razer card

[Retired Tech]

See how the headset performs first

If you do need to install a soundcard, it is unlikely that it would have to be a razer card

[joybz]

thanks for reply.. but basicaly what i was asking was wether i would see or rather hear a noticable difference if i invested in a sound card.. I have read plenty of reviews saying "x fi fatality cards are amazing" however i am not quite sure wether they can be much better than onboard.

[mpfeif101]

It depends how sensitive your ears are and if you can REALLY tell the difference between sound quality (or care). For me, I can hardly tell the difference between onboard sound/cheap sound card and an expensive sound card.

But if you can need great quality sound and are willing to pay $$ for it, a nice sound card will certainly sound better.

[Dan1887]

I will agree with the last post I have had both, there are times when a sound card will benefit you, and there are times when the sound quality are increased, but with the current quality of onboard sound on most new boards, I really don;t think the cost to quality ratio is anywhere worth the money for a soundcard.

[joybz]

Right that settled then. Thank you for helping make up my mind i have decided to not bother getting a sound card as my onboard... to me sounds fine. Thanks