Jump to content

Looking for the best solution for talking to people during online gaming sessions...

GuruMeditationError
By GuruMeditationError
in Audio
 Share
Go to solution Solved by GuruMeditationError,

Okay, so I've been doing a bit of a deep dive on sound cards and it looks like my Xonar Essence STX has what I need for online gaming, so I'm going to be using that.

But to try and answer my own question: from the research I've done, if you don't want a Xonar, it seems the two best dedicated gaming sound cards (with features included specifically for online gaming/chatting) are, at time of writing:
 

Creative SoundBlasterX ZxR (has a few more features for in-game voice chat than the Asus cards)

 

&

 

Asus Strix RAID
 

The Asus Strix RAID comes in two versions:

Asus Strix RAID DLX 
 

Asus Strix RAID PRO

 

A comparison of the two can be found here: https://www.asus.com/Product-Compare/?products=uJAG0BOPBAknyZiz,ANCztIaGl0DqlCYy&b=0

 

There's also a budget-friendly version of Asus' Strix Sound Card, the Asus Strix Soar, which has the same spec as the Asus Strix RAID PRO, but which doesn't include the external volume controller:

A comparison of all three Asus Sound Cards can be found here: https://www.asus.com/Product-Compare/?products=94e5tUe6zGJF5ZAW,ANCztIaGl0DqlCYy,uJAG0BOPBAknyZiz&b=0

 

I'm going to stick with my Xonar Essence, but if I had to choose one of the above it would be the Creative SoundBlasterX ZxR, simply because it mas more options for microphone voice control.

Posted
1 hour ago, GuruMeditationError said:

Okay, sure thing. Maybe I should just post when I'm ready to purchase?

here is a really good website/forum for headphone reccomendations the forum is full of very experienced audiophiles who love to help. but the buying guide is constantly updated and is well made and clicking on them will take you to numerous reviews and use cases just pick your budget and situation and have a go. https://hifiguides.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
8 minutes ago, rice guru said:

here is a really good website/forum for headphone reccomendations the forum is full of very experienced audiophiles who love to help. but the buying guide is constantly updated and is well made and clicking on them will take you to numerous reviews and use cases just pick your budget and situation and have a go. https://hifiguides.com/

Wow, cool, thanks so much, that's brilliant. Thanks for sharing that :) 

 

I was really into the idea of purchasing the Creative Labs sound card because it had the additional volume module, but I've just realised the GameCom headset has a volume dial in line; so yeah: definitely sticking with the Xonar.

Also, I think the Xonar I was thinking of was the PCI version (I upgraded to the STX). I remembered having to download the drivers from a third party site because for some reason it'd become legacy and Asus weren't supporting it any more? I"m not sure if that's still the case for the PCI version but I just fitted the PCI-E STX and had no problems installing it and finding drivers at Asus. 

...I should probably paste that into the initial post.

"I try to put good out into the world...that way I can believe it's out there." --CKN                  “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” --Wayne Dyer            

[Needs Updating] My PC: i5-10600K @TBD / 32GB DDR4 @4000MHz / Z490 AORUS Elite AC / Titan RTX / Samsung 1TB 960 Evo / EVGA SuperNova 850 T2

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, GuruMeditationError said:

Wow, cool, thanks so much, that's brilliant. Thanks for sharing that :) 

 

I was really into the idea of purchasing the Creative Labs sound card because it had the additional volume module, but I've just realised the GameCom headset has a volume dial in line.

Also, I think the Xonar I was thinking of was the PCI version (I upgraded to the STX). I remembered having to download the drivers from a third party site because for some reason it'd become legacy and Asus weren't supporting it any more? I"m not sure if that's still the case for the PCI version but I just fitted the PCI-E STX and had no problems installing it and finding drivers at Asus. 

...I should probably paste that into the initial post.

im personally in the camp of price to performance audio and opt to use external hardware So to be honest I don't know much about soundcards. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
3 minutes ago, rice guru said:

im personally in the camp of price to performance audio and opt to use external hardware So to be honest I don't know much about soundcards. 

That's okay, don't worry, I didn't really know anything about it until I started searching yesterday...

...but found out the Xonar I have should work okay, and I've got in-line volume control in my headset (that totally slipped my mind) so I'm pretty much good to go and don't have to spend any extra cash, which is a relief; I've just go to get it all working.

"I try to put good out into the world...that way I can believe it's out there." --CKN                  “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” --Wayne Dyer            

[Needs Updating] My PC: i5-10600K @TBD / 32GB DDR4 @4000MHz / Z490 AORUS Elite AC / Titan RTX / Samsung 1TB 960 Evo / EVGA SuperNova 850 T2

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Audio

×