[Evshrug]

Oh, and another thing, does one new to windows require Windows 7 Pro for XP Emulation or going whole-hog with an XP virtual machine to get the most out of the PC gaming library? I ask because I only have the Win 8 consumer preview, cuz I so far only dally in PC gaming, but I may get around to an OEM copy of Win 7 pro one of these days XD

Eidos' thief collection pack is real cheap on amazon, so is the new Deus Ex for pc

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

GX is Asus's "version" of Creative EAX 5.0,
GX get's mixed reviews.

 
A crude emulation, from what I've heard, though it also apparently doubles as a DirectSound3D-to-OpenAL wrapper like ALchemy. What it actually does in practice is something I won't be able to figure out until someone lends me a Xonar card.
 
Since EAX 3/4/5 were never licensed out or made part of DS3D like the first two versions, the only sure bet I know of to have those versions actually work properly is to get actual Creative hardware.
 

Oh, and another thing, does one new to windows require Windows 7 Pro for XP Emulation or going whole-hog with an XP virtual machine to get the most out of the PC gaming library? I ask because I only have the Win 8 consumer preview, cuz I so far only dally in PC gaming, but I may get around to an OEM copy of Win 7 pro one of these days XD
Eidos' thief collection pack is real cheap on amazon, so is the new Deus Ex for pc

 

Windows 7 Professional includes an "XP Mode" license, which Home Premium doesn't include. That's not to say that you can't run an XP virtual machine in Win7 Home Premium, but you'll have to supply the XP license yourself.
 
Not that virtual machines work out very well for gaming anyway, at least not in my experience. Win98SE is poorly supported, Direct3D7 and older versions have issues under VMs, and just forget about DirectSound3D support (read: no EAX, no A3D, no 3D sound whatsoever). It's a shame the VM developers don't have their priorities straight when it comes to getting games working in them, and for that, I'll still need to keep two other gaming desktops around (one for XP, one for 98SE).
 
Fortunately, you can get all the Thief games running nicely in Win7 64-bit, even the first two. It'll take a bit of work (patching with DDfix, Tafferpatcher for Thief 2, and so on), but it's doable, and the cutscenes will still work despite using some strange Indeo codec (as long as you run them in administrator mode).

 

[Evshrug]

Windows 7 Professional includes an "XP Mode" license, which Home Premium doesn't include. That's not to say that you can't run an XP virtual machine in Win7 Home Premium, but you'll have to supply the XP license yourself.

Not that virtual machines work out very well for gaming anyway, at least not in my experience. Win98SE is poorly supported, Direct3D7 and older versions have issues under VMs, and just forget about DirectSound3D support (read: no EAX, no A3D, no 3D sound whatsoever). It's a shame the VM developers don't have their priorities straight when it comes to getting games working in them, and for that, I'll still need to keep two other gaming desktops around (one for XP, one for 98SE).

Fortunately, you can get all the Thief games running nicely in Win7 64-bit, even the first two. It'll take a bit of work (patching with DDfix, Tafferpatcher for Thief 2, and so on), but it's doable, and the cutscenes will still work despite using some strange Indeo codec (as long as you run them in administrator mode).

Ok, so since I don't have a spare legal copy of XP (and have never been "into" pirating software), would I be better off buying a copy of XP for the gaming side of my PC, or Win 7 pro? Am I understanding you correctly that "XP Mode" is a VM after all, in which case I would hardly see a difference between using a modern version of Windows and just running the latest version of Parallels on my Mac OS side of my computer? These things haven't been particularly clear from MS literature (of course they don't want consumers thinking only as many programs run natively on their latest efforts as on OS X, seeing as how gamers and small-time custom work programs are the main advantages Windows has had over OS X during the XP years...).

Eh, sorry about the MS rant. Many feel just as frustrated or intimidated by OS X or Linux, I'm sure. It's just that I'm not clear on how backwards compatible Win7 is, the difference Pro makes in a clean install vs Home, and how many versions of $100+ software I'd need to be both forward and backwards compatible so I can enjoy the Seminal PC games I can't experience (at all or as completely) on the Xbox 360.

So with the first windows PC that I have personally owned and intend to equip for mid-core gaming, I would need: Win 7 pro, CSB X-Fi soundcard instead of external solution (better 3D than Dolby Headphone from, say, Asus Xonar U3 USB dongle), a bunch of sound drivers/patches from 3rd parties (thanks for finding the link!!!), and a bunch of 3rd party patches for games released before Win 7 (since plenty didn't bother supporting Vista). It does feel like a bit of work for the few PC exclusive experiences I feel like I've missed from consoles, but then I do like to expand my horizons and tinker with non-critical systems from time to time. So unless you think I don't need Pro to get up and running for gaming, I will probably sludge my way through the installation process this week.

Was that eBay link to a decent card?

 

[Evshrug]

So amazon has refurb X-Fi Titanium PCI-e cards for sale @$50 (free shipping), but I read that since enabling the soundcard requires disabling the on board sound in BIOS, I don't think I'll make the jump. I mostly use the computer while running OS X for work and general operation, and three or four games on PC aren't worth it to me to have to change BIOS settings every time I switch between Mac and Windows. Maybe Mac will get more upgrade friendly now that Steve Jobs has passed away, but right now I have to stick with the on board Realtek sound.

Update: Perhaps a USB option would provide the necessary flexibility? Besides avoiding internal EMI issues, it seems the Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Go! specifically mentions that it supports EAX 5.0, OpenAL, and ALchemy in the description. If it truly needs just to be plugged in for Windows to pass sound processing over, then this may be a viable solution...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044DEDC0

 

[NamelessPFG]

By no means are you required to disable the integrated sound codec or any other audio device with these sound cards, but it's generally advised to free up system resources and just simplify things. I could use my X-Fi cards with the Realtek codec on my mobo enabled if I wanted to, but since I don't use the Realtek codec at all, I just disable it.
 
On the other hand, I didn't even know you were primarily using Mac OS X until now (Hackintoshed, from the sound of it). Since I don't think there are any X-Fi drivers for OS X, it wouldn't be very usable in that environment.
 
I'm skeptical about the X-Fi Go! Pro since while it does claim to have those features, they're done entirely in software since no USB "X-Fi" device has the DSP that defines the internal sound cards. Maybe I should pick one up to review some day.
 
...Actually, now that I think about it, if you had to use a USB device, there's the Recon3D USB, which does claim to have OS X drivers. I can't speak for its DS3D/OAL capabilities, but it might be a cut above the USB X-Fi products, while still not being as good as the internal X-Fi cards due to lack of hardware acceleration.

 

[Evshrug]

Hackintoshed? ME? Well... yeah. And I just tried to update Lion to it's latest and lost sound anyway :/
I'll have more time to fiddle with that tomorrow, but I'll look in to the Recon3D. At first glance it looks like a more versatile Mixamp, hmmmm...

Up till now I've always had my mostly gameless computer, and my consoles. I kept 'em separate because I'm... Distractable. But like anyone else of our generation I'm pretty familiar with XP and mostly understand what's going on in Win7 and 8, I just never chose the windows platform for myself. Now, I'm dabbling in Windows gaming, to see what I've missed out on.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

[PurpleAngel]

It's not audio, but it is gaming related.
 

Valve: OpenGL is faster than DirectX — even on Windows

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/133824-valve-opengl-is-faster-than-directx-even-on-windows

 

[Evshrug]

Wish more games were OpenGL.
Side note I was going to fix my sound today, but then I played Starcraft arcade instead.

 

[Evshrug]

Sorry to come back with this, but Creative's Recon3D specs describe a device that could well serve all my needs, but amazon reviews aren't really enthusiastic. So... Any comments about the recon3D's performance, or point me to a trusted review of it? Or has anyone else in this thread have experience with it?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Sorry to come back with this, but Creative's Recon3D specs describe a device that could well serve all my needs, but amazon reviews aren't really enthusiastic. So... Any comments about the recon3D's performance, or point me to a trusted review of it? Or has anyone else in this thread have experience with it?

I have zero experience with the Recon3D, but for $70 it seems a good value.

 

[Evshrug]

Yes, it seems to be a competent replacement for my PC sound and the Astro Mixamp in one swoop. However, where do you see the USB version selling for $70? Cheapest I saw was $94 shipped from B&H photo, the google shopping price for Newegg was quoting the wrong price.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Yes, it seems to be a competent replacement for my PC sound and the Astro Mixamp in one swoop. However, where do you see the USB version selling for $70? Cheapest I saw was $94 shipped from B&H photo, the google shopping price for Newegg was quoting the wrong price.

USB version($100)?
I was talking about the internal sound card Recon3D ($70)
 
Does your motherboard's built in audio come with optical output with DDL (Dolby Digital live)?
With DDL, you can plug your Astro Mix-Amp. into the motherboard's optical output and have Dolby Headphone surround sound.

 

[Evshrug]

My MoBo does have optical out, but right now the Mac OS X side hasn't been able to find an audio device since I updated Lion. That is because it's a hackintosh, and my attempts to reinstall the driver frameworks have been unsuccessful so far. It has been recommended I do a clean re-install of the whole OS, which I haven't felt like attempting yet.

The other thing is that I don't have a Mixamp. I was thinking about getting this instead since the Yamaha Silent Cinema in my receiver gave me virtual surround pretty well for my Xbox, but my computer's built-in sound is just meh (and not working when I boot Mac right now). I could also use this Recon3D for those times when I want to game on XBox 360 away from the living room.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

My MoBo does have optical out, but right now the Mac OS X side hasn't been able to find an audio device since I updated Lion. That is because it's a hackintosh, and my attempts to reinstall the driver frameworks have been unsuccessful so far. It has been recommended I do a clean re-install of the whole OS, which I haven't felt like attempting yet.
The other thing is that I don't have a Mixamp. I was thinking about getting this instead since the Yamaha Silent Cinema in my receiver gave me virtual surround pretty well for my Xbox, but my computer's built-in sound is just meh (and not working when I boot Mac right now). I could also use this Recon3D for those times when I want to game on XBox 360 away from the living room.

Do fresh install of the Mac OS.
Do you have a MAC and separate PC computer or is this a single computer with dual Win/MAC OS dual boot?
 
Cheaper just to get everything to work with the Yamaha Silent Cinema.

 

[Evshrug]

Dual-boot. I would have to have my work computer in the living room with all my entertainment stuff if I want both PC tower & Xbox hooked up to the receiver, which has its pros and cons, but in any case it is not going to be an option till my living circumstances change... You didn't know this, but the other factor is until I can afford a monthly rent over the $250 I pay now to live with my mom, I'm not "allowed" to unpack my "junk" accumulated from my apartment life as a college senior.
Any day my circumstance might change, and everyday (almost) I work for change, but... well, going from part-time to full time and independence once again will be great! Meanwhile I think I might buy one of these if I can catch a deal, have something enjoyable for now and useful still later. Maybe I can get an eBay deal and/or coupon.