[upperguy]

Man I've been so busy this has just been on the backburner. Was about to order the Fatal1ty model and I saw it jumped from 69 to 99 for the refurb. What is the benefit of RAM in a sound card? My setup is pretty beefy right now(I7-930, 6gb ram, gtx470), will I see any real improvement? I'm just questioning if the extra $50 is really worth it for some extra ram.
 
Also how does something like the external compare? Something like the X-fi HD usb sound card  I linked below. 114SNR and says it's got a headphone amp plus I get a real volume control to fiddle around with which is a plus. Thoughts?

 

[Roller]

Quote:

Man I've been so busy this has just been on the backburner. Was about to order the Fatal1ty model and I saw it jumped from 69 to 99 for the refurb. What is the benefit of RAM in a sound card? My setup is pretty beefy right now(I7-930, 6gb ram, gtx470), will I see any real improvement? I'm just questioning if the extra $50 is really worth it for some extra ram.
 
Also how does something like the external compare? Something like the X-fi HD usb sound card  I linked below. 114SNR and says it's got a headphone amp plus I get a real volume control to fiddle around with which is a plus. Thoughts?

If you plan on gaming, the internal ones are the best options. Hardware acceleration in games doesn't mean only performance, but better and increased SFX.
 
The regular X-Fi Titanium model works as well, and it also has onboard RAM (16MB), only less than the Fatal1ty (64MB). If you can get a good deal on the regular Titanium, then go for it.

 

[upperguy]

The refurbs are half price (50  compared to 100) right now, would I even notice the extra ram? I occasionally use it for music but even then... it's mostly games and background music.

 
 
 

 

[Roller]

Which ones are at which prices?
 
And while not significant, if you can get one with the extra RAM for little more than the regular version, you should go for it. It's no longer as relevant as it was before, but still in use. But if it's a 50% price difference, then just get the regular Titanium.

 

[upperguy]

The Fatal1ty is double the price, I was literally about to order the refurb'd Titanium at $50 but I noticed it doesn't have a built in headphone amp. Honest opinion... is my E3 going to be as effective as a built in amp or should I try to track one down that has it. Also are there any reasonably priced cards with amps?

 

 

[Roller]

You're always going to get a better sound experience with dedicated DAC and amp, at least around that price range. You should get a proper gaming card (read, anything with a X-Fi chip that isn't the XtremeAudio, a rebranded card that's not a true X-Fi), and add an amp of your choice.
 
Honestly the price you can get for the Titanium is well worth it. You can use your E3 in the meantime, but you should try your headphones without the E3 to get a feel on how much you need (or not) an amp. Perhaps the new E11 could be of interest, in the event the E3 doesn't keep up.

 

[Keeper40]

Xonar FTW...

 

[Roller]

Quote:

Xonar FTW...

Given that you didn't support your brief statement, which isn't how recommendations are based, I'm going off with a "whatever".

 

[upperguy]

Quote:

You're always going to get a better sound experience with dedicated DAC and amp, at least around that price range. You should get a proper gaming card (read, anything with a X-Fi chip that isn't the XtremeAudio, a rebranded card that's not a true X-Fi), and add an amp of your choice.
 
Honestly the price you can get for the Titanium is well worth it. You can use your E3 in the meantime, but you should try your headphones without the E3 to get a feel on how much you need (or not) an amp. Perhaps the new E11 could be of interest, in the event the E3 doesn't keep up.

Since you brought it up, What's the difference between the E7 and E11? I looked for a review and all I could find was some guy talking about how one sounded "darker" and I immediately groaned. I wish people didn't feel the need to get so creative with the wording in their reviews. I mean come on, how does something sound darker?

 

[Roller]

Quote:

Since you brought it up, What's the difference between the E7 and E11?
 

E7 is a DAC+Amp combo, meaning it can be used as a soundcard when plugged to a computer, as well as an amp when on the go. Keep in mind that E7's high point is the DAC section. E11 is a standalone portable amp, with a much stronger amp than E7.