Sound Cards

[ooo]

whats a the best sound card company?

ABIT USA

AOPEN

CHAINTECH-EXCEL, INC.

CREATIVE LABS

GUILLEMOT/ HERCULES

M-AUDIO

NEWQ

TURTLE BEACH/VOYETRA


outta those...

i only heard of hercules and creative labs/....

[Nobody1234]

Get a soundblaster from Creative Labs.

[3RA1N1AC]

creative, guillemot, and turtle beach are good. just make sure that you're getting a recent model, and not something leftover from 2000/2001. the built-in sound chips on recent motherboards (nforce2, for example) have also been getting better, and may be a decent alternative to a card.

[Afronaut]

...it depends on how much you want to pay it, what you want to get out of it and what other hardware you got.
I got a lil' studio thingie happening, using MOTU soundcard (Mark Of The Unicorn), it is actually so old that when i moved to WinXP i could not get proper drivers for it, and THAT sucks. Im thinking of moving back to 98 cause of reliability, got whacked up midi setup.
Anyway, there is a lot of different cards on the market, from SoundBlasters to more real studio cards like from Digitech/ProTools wich requires an uber-machine, most likely a mac or something.
But if i was to do "more simple kinda techno music", working with midi-files only, with not-so-high-end PC, soundblaster or that kinda card with FruityLoops program would probably do the work. When you start actually recording audiofiles latency comes into picture, you might need more powerfull card, and maybe uber-mac, and definately huuuge pile of money..... :)
And what company is the best out of those you listed? Thats a question indeed. :lol:

... i know im not helping much here, put i just HAD to add my spoon to the soup. Lets mix it some more.
:)

[CornerPocket]

My choices in order - Creative Labs, Guillemot/Hercules, Turtle Beach/Voyetra

[Lamsey]

Creative Labs have been the industry standard for a long time.

The SoundBlaster Audigy kicks ass for speed and quality, but it's very expensive.
The SoundBlaster Live! 1024 'Value' is very good value for money at only £30ish, with Surround capability and EAX acceleration.

I'd definitely go with a SoundBlaster.

[poli]

CREATIVE LABS

[ooo]

umm creative labs it is :P how bout speakers? is logitech good?

[poli]

Yes Logitech is amazing...hmm get the Logitech 400watt system...cant remember what its called something like z-640 maybe... the 400watt system is amazing for games, my friend has it and when we played Battlefield online it sounded sooo real!!! I suggest get the Logitech 400watts but im not sure what there called

[ooo]

heheh... okay... ummm my speaker of choice is... cheap and decent... :P 36 dollars... :P

Logitech Z-340 3 Piece Speaker System
Innovative subwoofer delivers twice the bass energy of similar subwoofers
Stylish satellites stand on desk or mount on wall
Convenient headphone jack and volume control
Dual chamber subwoofer plays louder and goes lower for unbelievable bass
Satellite speakers provide smooth mid and high frequencies
Internal power supply eliminates bulky wall adapters
Specifications:
Total power output: 33 watts RMS
Satellite speaker power output: 6.5 watts RMS per channel
Subwoofer power output: 20 watts RMS
System frequency response: 35 Hz-20 kHz

[poli]

spend the extra money and get atleast the z-540 speakers... come on ur spending some good money on your computer, if you truly want to experience gaming you'll want good speakers I would suggest getting atleast the z-540's...I have them and for the price I paid for em they are decent

[ooo]

lol itz not my money itz my parents money... anywayz i wanted this speaker at first...

well it cost $299

four set - well 5... and i circly object... wait never mind b4 i wanted klipsh...

Klipsch Promedia GMX D-5.1 Personal Audio System - RETAIL
Specifications:
Five two-way satellites
6.5" powered subwoofer
Digital control module
5.1 surround sound supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and five-channel stereo
Two digital inputs for PlayStation2, Xbox, PC, DVD or CD signals
One analog input for GameCube, CD, MP3, TV or VCR signals
35Hz-20kHz
108dB SPL Model#: GMX D-5.1

http://images2.newegg.com/productimage/36-119-104-01.JPG

[poli]

5 speakers, a sub, and that circly thing would be the volume controls.

[ooo]

yes i noe... itz sooo nice >> to expensive tho ryte now i have 40 bucks speakers... well tahtz the one im getting

gimme good companies under like 100 dollars :P

[poli]

well I could suggest 800watt speakers for under 100bucks, but the thing is they are cheap and will not sound good. If you don't have enough money right now, save up a little bit and get good speakers when you can afford them... trust me it is worth waiting for something rather than just jumpin to something that you can afford... Like if you want to get speakers get the Z-540's i only paid like 60cdn so they can't be more than 45bucks american and im sure your parents (im assuming from before there buying this beast) that they will be okay with it....

[ooo]

lol... their actually cheap but i said i was giong to construct a computer myself so their like ooohh its a learning experience okay since your computer is old anyways and you can learn by creating your own computer i will let you buy a new computer...

[poli]

just tell em... you want to build a pc because than when something goes wrong with it or time to upgrade you'll know how to do it, and it wont cost them as much if u build it urself

[ooo]

lolz their planning to get me the parts ... im going to buy it in april while i get school off so i will be home when the parts come :P and i will have time to put it together :P

[poli]

well it won't take long for you to build it... Even if your just starting out if you got a free Saturday afternoon you would probably have time to do it than, once you spread the parts out it seems to be just easier when they are like that

[ooo]

yes i know but i need time at home to recieve the parts... no one is at my house usually in the morning... parents work... :P

[poli]

have ya ever called of a service UPS/FEDex.... when a delivery person like Fedex/UPS comes to ur house and know one is home they leave a sticker on your door saying that you can come to a designation (usual a store in your town) and pick your stuff up.

[ooo]

yea every heard of a place called NEW YORK? >> BROOKLYN? >> lolz... ups is like 5miles or so away from me... itz very far.... the postal place is like far too but alot closer... postal is 2 miles.... and fedex is prob even further then ups since i never see it around my place and newegg.com ships by fedex

[poli]

the postal place is only 2 miles away from your house? Thats it... I walk that each day to goto school and back (goto school, come home for lunch, go back up after lunch and than come home)

[Supernatural]

Don't buy "cheap" speakers. They are never worth the money. Invest in a nice 200w or 400w setup and you won't regret it.

[johnnytightlips2]

i suggest getting the soundblaster but if ur a little short on money i suggest getting the hercules gamesurround forttisimo 3 7.1 sound card. this card is great and it supports all the eax versions and it supports midi so u can have little studio going on.

[ooo]

this is the one i was planning to get

Logitech Z-340 3 Piece Speaker System
Innovative subwoofer delivers twice the bass energy of similar subwoofers
Stylish satellites stand on desk or mount on wall
Convenient headphone jack and volume control
Dual chamber subwoofer plays louder and goes lower for unbelievable bass
Satellite speakers provide smooth mid and high frequencies
Internal power supply eliminates bulky wall adapters
Specifications:
Total power output: 33 watts RMS
Satellite speaker power output: 6.5 watts RMS per channel
Subwoofer power output: 20 watts RMS
System frequency response: 35 Hz-20 kHz
Mfg Part# 970058-0403 more info>
N82E16836121102 $36.00
$36.00

[davoo]

i just got some creative speakers that were 90 bucks and there amazing surround sound

[ooo]

heh... well that one is only like 38 so... lolz+

[Supernatural]

Originally posted by Soul814@16 March 2003 - 19:23
this is the one i was planning to get

Logitech Z-340 3 Piece Speaker System
Innovative subwoofer delivers twice the bass energy of similar subwoofers
Stylish satellites stand on desk or mount on wall
Convenient headphone jack and volume control
Dual chamber subwoofer plays louder and goes lower for unbelievable bass
Satellite speakers provide smooth mid and high frequencies
Internal power supply eliminates bulky wall adapters
Specifications:
Total power output: 33 watts RMS
Satellite speaker power output: 6.5 watts RMS per channel
Subwoofer power output: 20 watts RMS
System frequency response: 35 Hz-20 kHz
Mfg Part# 970058-0403 more info>
N82E16836121102 $36.00
$36.00
YUK! 33 watts. :x DO NOT BUY!!!

[ShareDaddy]

I have that set and they sound way better than they should and I have seen them for cheaper than 39 bucks, shop around and if you can afford it get the next step up Logitechs 5 speaker system, 2 front 2 rear and a sub rocks. But for the money the system you are looking at is perfectly fine, its not the numbers you listen to it is the sound and they sound just fabulous. Save some dough and buy those, they have impressed all of my friends, even those with 1000 dollar speakers systems, they get upset that I only paid 45 bucks for them (more than a year ago at Office Depot), I have seen them as low as 29 dollars on sale just this week, I think at Microcenter (not sure though).

I am not saying I cannot tell the difference between mine and my friends systems, however not enough of a difference to warrant spending 950 more dollars I can tell you that. 950 dollars is half way to a new WideScreen HDTV or about a Terabyte worth of hard drives. There are better things to spend one's money on, those speakers sound good, they do not need to say BOSE or Crutchfield on them to enjoy them.

[Supernatural]

I'm not telling anyone to spend $1,000 on speakers. That is rediculous! I'm just saying to get a nice 200w or 400w system. They go for about $150-$200, and that is VERY resonable, IMO.

[ooo]

umm anything under 40 dollars is nice ... lolz

[Supernatural]

I'm speaking from experience here, bargain speakers are no bargain at all. But you have the right to do what you want. :)

[south-paw]

Originally posted by Supernatural@21 March 2003 - 23:38
I'm speaking from experience here, bargain speakers are no bargain at all.
Hercules Muse 5.1 soundcard,AND Cyberacoustics 6-speaker set for £70.
I'd call that a bargain in my book. Sweet enough stuff.

[Supernatural]

Originally posted by south-paw+21 March 2003 - 20:58--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (south-paw @ 21 March 2003 - 20:58)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Supernatural@21 March 2003 - 23:38
I&#39;m speaking from experience here, bargain speakers are no bargain at all.
Hercules Muse 5.1 soundcard,AND Cyberacoustics 6-speaker set for £70.
I&#39;d call that a bargain in my book. Sweet enough stuff. [/b][/quote]
It&#39;s decent, but does not even come CLOSE to Soundblaster Audigy and Klipsch Promedia 4.1. I would gladly spend the cash, but that&#39;s just me.

[ooo]

yes i know those are good stuff... but im limited on like 900 dollars... lolz...

this is the com im planning to make


Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
BLACK CHIEFTEC Server Chasis Workstation Tower DX-01BD with Plastic Front Cover and ACRYLIC WINDOW **Now with 2 x Front USB2.0 and 1 x Firewire IEEE1394 ports*****NO Power Supply*** Front Accessible: 4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5", Internal: 4 x 3.5". Compare to Antec PLUS1080 and Save more info>
N82E16811125312 &#036;50.00
&#036;50.00

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
►On Sale&#33; Lite On 52x24x52 CDRW Model LTR-52246S Retail Buffer underrun error free & automatically adjust writing strategy plus running OPC to meet various burning condition.
Specifications:
Speed : Recording 52Xmax CAV Re-writing 24X High-Speed CLV Reading 52Xmax CAV
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE, support up to Ultra-DMA Mode2 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 80ms
Buffer Memory Size: 2MB
Operating System : Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000/ME
Retail box, See pic for details more info>
N82E16827106184 &#036;50.00
&#036;50.00

CD/DVD ROM Drives
Samsung SC152AEB 52X CD-ROM OEM Superhigh speed CD-ROM Drive&#33; Average access time is just 80 mm/sec.
Specifications:
Interface EIDE / ATAPI
Drive Type Internal Type
Disc Diameter 80 mm / 120 mm
Buffer Memory 128 KB
Loading Type Motorized Tray Type
Drive Mounting Horizontal / Vertical
MTBF 125,000 POH(25%)
Supported Disc formats: CD-R/RW,CD-DA,CD-ROM/XA,Video-CD,CD-I, Multisession Photo CD,CD-EXTRA more info>
N82E16827151017 &#036;19.00
&#036;19.00

Floppy Drives
SAMSUNG 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE Model# SFD321B/LEB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Capacity: 1.44 MB
Works With All Standard 1.44MB & 72OKB 3.5 Floppy Diskettes are compatible with all industry standard 1.44MB and 72OKB 3.5 floppy diskettes.
Easy to Install&#33; Just Plug & Play&#33; * For IBM5 & 100% Compatible Computers .
1 Year Warranty more info>
N82E16821103202 &#036;7.00
&#036;7.00

Keyboards
Logitech Cordless Access Duo (Keyboard & Mouse) - RETAIL
Features:
Eliminate the clutter with cordless freedom
Get comfortable with the keyboard&#39;s ultra-flat Zero Degree Tilt design
Access favorite web sites, directories, and applications with one-touch function keys
Control audio and video directly from the keyboard
Customize keyboard features and mouse buttons with powerful software
Make scrolling easier with the mouse&#39;s convenient scroll wheel
Use the mouse in either hand thanks to a sleek, comfortable shap --* Works With PC & Mac *-- more info>
N82E16823126118 &#036;48.00
&#036;48.00

Memory (System Memory)
All Components. 512MB PC-2700 DDR333 Memory module. 16-chip, 184-pin, CL=2.5 -OEM
Specifications:
Type: 184-pin DDR RAM
Capacity: 512MB
Speed: PC2700 Lifetime warranty more info>
N82E16820159202 &#036;61.00
&#036;61.00

Motherboards - Intel
ASUS P4PE Motherboard for Intel P4 478 Retail w/ Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, SATA, Gigabit LAN, Firewire IEEE1394
***1st Intel chip that TRUELY supports DDR333 PC2700***
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket 478 for Intel?Pentium?4/ Celeron up to 3GHz
Chipset: Intel 845PE
FSB: 533 / 400 MHz
RAM: 3x 184-pin DDR333 PC2700/PC2100/PC1600Max 2GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 100/66/33
Serial ATA
Slots: 1x AGP 4X 6x PCI
Ports: 1x LPT, 2x COM, 2x PS2, 1x RJ45, 1x 1394,4xUSB2.0 and Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: SoundMAX AD1980 6-channel CODEC
Onboard Gigabit LAN: 100/1000 Mbs
Onboard Firewire: IEEE1394 interface more info>
N82E16813131427 &#036;151.99
&#036;151.99

Network - Interface Cards
Gigafast 10/100 PCI LAN Adapter, Model# EE100-AXP -RETAIL
Features:
Compliant with IEEE802.3u CSMA/CD, 100Base-TX/10Base-T Standard
Plug-and-Play installation automatically sets up IRQ and I/O address
Fully compliant with 32-bit PCI Local Bus specification
Specifications:
Connector: Single shielded RJ-45 connector
Transfer Rate: 10/100Mbps
LED Indicators: LNK/ACT(Link/Activity), FD(Full Duplex)
Protocol: CSMA/CD
Driver Support: Microsoft Windows 3.1/3.11/95/98/2000/ME/XP/NT3.51/NT4.0/NT5.0/NDIS, Microsoft LAN Manager, LANtastic, IBM LAN Server, ODI Netware 2.x/3.x/4.x/5.x, SCO UNIX, LINUX, DOS, TCP/IP more info>
N82E16833129205 &#036;5.00
&#036;5.00

Power Supplies
Allied TRUE 450W Power Supply AL-B450EATX w/ Two Fans ***AMD APPROVED good to 2200+ *** UL, CSA, FCC Approved
Power Supply Type : ATX
Dimensions : 5.5 x 6.0 x 3.4 Inches
Cooling : Dual 2 Ball Bearing Fans
MTBF : 50,000 HOURS
Hi-Pot/Burn-In : 100%
Protection : All Outputs
Warranty : One Year
Approval: UL, CSA, FCC
Description: *Ideal for P3, P4 and AMD Systems
*AMD Approved for Athlon XP
*8 large and 2 Small Leads
*2 double Ball Bearing Fans
*Color Retail Box
more info>
* (Includes FedEx Saver Shipping) N82E16817154010 &#036;41.00
&#036;41/5 pcs*
&#036;40/10 pcs*
&#036;38/40 pcs*
&#036;41.00

Processors
Intel Pentium 4 / 2.66 GHz Northwood 512K Socket 478 Processor 533MHz Processor Bus Retail
Specifications:
CPU: 2.66 GHz
Type: Pentium 4 Northwood
Cache: 512K
BUS: 533 Mhz
Socket: 478 Retail (Box with Heatsink and fan)
3-year MFG. Warranty-(CPU ONLY NO RAMBUS RAM) more info>
N82E16819116145 &#036;235.00
&#036;235.00

Sound Card
►On Sale&#33; Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live&#33; Dolby Digital 5.1 - OEM
PCI 32-bit, 1024-voice Environmental Audio Sound Card, now with Dolby Digital 5.1 support
EMU10K1 Digital Signal Processor provides studio quality sound reproduction for digital processing and playback of MP3, WMA, WAV, Internet Audio, MIDI, and CD audio.
EAX Environmental Audio Effects allows gamers to hear sounds coming from all around them over multiple speaker configurations with full EAX support more info>
N82E16829102156 &#036;33.00
&#036;33.00

Speakers
Logitech Z-340 3 Piece Speaker System
Innovative subwoofer delivers twice the bass energy of similar subwoofers
Stylish satellites stand on desk or mount on wall
Convenient headphone jack and volume control
Dual chamber subwoofer plays louder and goes lower for unbelievable bass
Satellite speakers provide smooth mid and high frequencies
Internal power supply eliminates bulky wall adapters
Specifications:
Total power output: 33 watts RMS
Satellite speaker power output: 6.5 watts RMS per channel
Subwoofer power output: 20 watts RMS
System frequency response: 35 Hz-20 kHz
Mfg Part# 970058-0403 more info>
N82E16836121102 &#036;36.00
&#036;36.00

Video Cards
ATI OEM RADEON 9000 Atlantis 64MB DDR W/TV out NO DVI, BULKATI Radeon 9000 Atlantis Model # 1024-1197-00-SA (Video-Out NTSCL)
Features:
Graphics Controller: RADEON 9000 graphics processing unit (GPU) Memory Configuration
64MB DDR, 128-bit memory, max memory Interface: 9.6GB/s with 200MHZ DDR.
Ports:15-pin VGA connector, S-Video Out connector
Bus Interface: AGP2X/4X
Video-Out Powered by ATI Manufactured by Sapphire
Graphics Performance: includes TRUFORM, HYPER Z II, SMOOTHVISION technology and supports 32-bit 3D gaming up to 2048x1536 Please note there is a jumper to switch from NTSC to PAL onboard
Supported OS: Windows 98SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, XP more info>


YES I KNOW THERE IS NO HARD DRIVE BUT I WANT THE 80gb one... im waiting for there to be stock but does these parts work for now?


im still thinking about the speakers and keyboard / mouse... i still want a wireless keyboard and mouse but abuot the lag rate... you ppl think it will lag in games such as warcraft III, starcraft? (now none of these are gonna be online...they are just for singleplayer and lan i guess...

speakers im still looking at www.newegg.com but so far im sticking w/ the three set, yes i know it sucks... but 38 dollars is alot... in a way.... speakers range from like 8 dollars if you dont care for looks...

[ooo]

out of the below what is good / cheap... i know that klipsh is nice and logitech is nice too ... but limit the speaker price to be under 40 dollars n nice lookin :P

4Q TECHNOLOGIES

ALTEC LANSING

AOPEN

CREATIVE LABS

CYBER ACOUSTICS

GENERIC

HIMAGE

JBL / HARMAN KARDON

JUSTER

KEYBOARD-2000

KINYO

KLIPSCH

LABTEC

LOGITECH INC

M-AUDIO

MIDILAND

MONSOON

ROCK

TDK

TELEX

Yamaha

[Supernatural]

If you want a wireless mouse, Logitech MX700 is the only way to go.