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How much difference does a sound card make?

Joshua
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Hi All, I am looking to build a Mini-ITX gaming computer as I will have to move it around a lot. Obviously, I will have a Graphics Card populating the one PCI-e lane on the motherboard. I also would really want a sound card, but it is very impractical for me to be able to have an external one. So my question is, how much more of a difference will having a sound card make versus the on board sound of a motherboard? Is it worth stepping up to Micro-ATX to have the extra PCI lanes so I can have a sound card. This would then make the portableness of my computer less, a factor which is very important and that I would like, I have in mind a shuttle-type PC, in the Bitfenix Prodigy or Cooler Master Elite 120.

 

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Biiiiiiiiiig difference. :P I'd totally step up a bit so you can get a decent sound card. How much would you like to spend on a sound card?

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

"I didn't die! I performed a tactical reset!" - Apollolol

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It depends on the sound quality that you are use to. Some people (like me) can hear the sound quality difference. It also depends on the sound quality that your motherboard has, the higher quality, the less improvement you will be able to hear. 

 

Sound cards usually clears up the audio and make them sharper. You will hear a difference.

 

I recommend any Asus Xonar cards. 

 

 

 

 

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Sound Cards do make a very large diference, HOWEVER the same result can be netted from a good DAC. I also assume that since you are moving it around quite often that you will probably be using headphones correct?

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Biiiiiiiiiig difference. :P I'd totally step up a bit so you can get a decent sound card. How much would you like to spend on a sound card?

 

Not an issue.

 

It depends on the sound quality that you are use to. Some people (like me) can hear the sound quality difference. It also depends on the sound quality that your motherboard has, the higher quality, the less improvement you will be able to hear. 

 

Sound cards usually clears up the audio and make them sharper. You will hear a difference.

 

I recommend any Asus Xonar cards. 

 

Never used sound card before, always motherboard sound. Currently have GA-Z77-D3H

 

Sound Cards do make a very large diference, HOWEVER the same result can be netted from a good DAC. I also assume that since you are moving it around quite often that you will probably be using headphones correct?

 

I will have headphones, yes.

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Here's one of ASUS sound cards. Xonar Essence. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132019

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

"I didn't die! I performed a tactical reset!" - Apollolol

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just use onboard or do it right and go external.

Will work for electronic components and parts


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just use onboard or do it right and go external.

 

How is external doing it right? What's the advantage of using external over internal?

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For the money these options are great:

 

Astro Mixamp  129.99 Don't use their cans they are garbage. 

AudioEngine D1 169.99

FiiO E17 139.00

 

Prices are in USD

 

And you would get to keep your Mini ITX form factor not to mention having a physical knob for volume is king. 

Main Rig: i5 760 @ 4.0GHZ Asus p7p55d-e, 8GB Corsair Vengance @ 1600 Mhz. Samsung BX2231 X 3 (5760x1080)

                EVGA GTX 680 Superclocked +150/+500, 128GB Crucial M4, 1TB WD Black

                Xonar DX, AudioEngine A2, Astro Mixamp, AudioTechnica ath-m50 & ath-ad700

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How is external doing it right? What's the advantage of using external over internal?

 

Using an external DAC reduces circuit noise to almost nill, and most DAC's are also headphone amplifiers, I found that my Xonar DX wasnt quite powerful enough for my M50's

Main Rig: i5 760 @ 4.0GHZ Asus p7p55d-e, 8GB Corsair Vengance @ 1600 Mhz. Samsung BX2231 X 3 (5760x1080)

                EVGA GTX 680 Superclocked +150/+500, 128GB Crucial M4, 1TB WD Black

                Xonar DX, AudioEngine A2, Astro Mixamp, AudioTechnica ath-m50 & ath-ad700

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I didn't notice a difference when I installed my dedicated sound card, but, when I removed it to troubleshoot an issue I was having with some other hardware, I noticed a huge difference. I had the same reaction the first time I saw a Blu-ray: I didn't notice any difference until I saw some SD content afterward.

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How is external doing it right? What's the advantage of using external over internal?

 

I'm confused about a couple things. 

 

How are external sound cards not portable?  And, why do you even need a sound card?  Are you missing a jack you'd like?  Unless you have expensive headphones, your really just wasting your time trying to cram a sound card in your new shuttle.  A FiiO E10 is tiny and quite portable for headphones if you REALLY think you need one.

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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I'm confused about a couple things. 

 

How are external sound cards not portable?  And, why do you even need a sound card?  Are you missing a jack you'd like?  Unless you have expensive headphones, your really just wasting your time trying to cram a sound card in your new shuttle.  A FiiO E10 is tiny and quite portable for headphones if you REALLY think you need one.

 

It's just another extra thing i'd have to make sure I've got & You just asked me the same question I'm asking all of you!

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We can't tell if you need one or not until we find out what headphones you have. If you have HD800s you're not going to be using a Fiio E6 and if you have a pair of ATH M50s you're not going to be using a Woo Audio WA22. External normally/always sounds better and is a much more convenient(as long as you don't have headphones that are stupid hard to amp) to carry around, they're asking why do you need one as in, are you planning to use headphones that really need to be driven to get the best performance or are you using something that an iPod can drive to maximum performance, etc. 

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It's just another extra thing i'd have to make sure I've got & You just asked me the same question I'm asking all of you!

 

well, if your asking why you need a sound card, then your probably don't, is all I'm saying.

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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