Chipset vs Audio?

[DrDerp]

Heyo!

First of all sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, wasn’t sure which place this should go.

So I have a 400ish dollar budget for my PC upgrade. I’m not sure what I should prioritize, or if I should go used again.

Basically I’m trying to decide whether I should upgrade my audio or my chipset, because I am currently running a 2nd Gen i5 2400 with a budget motherboard. However I don’t play games all of the time, and don’t need higher than 75 FPS. I also listen to music a lot. Like a good 20 hours a week or more on my desktop alone.

Should I invest 400 dollars in one or the other? I know I would get use out of either.

[Onboard87]

unless you have a high end stereo with 3d sound or 8 way channel i would do chipset, as the improved audio would be hard to hear without high end equipment. 

[Dujith]

What d u use for listening to sound? a good DAC might be a good investement. Wont be light and day but can be more free of distortions (low end MB's) and stronger to drive bigger headphones / speakers.

[Mira Yurizaki]

I would do the audio setup first. Especially if you have sources other than the PC you want to listen to music from.

 

But it really depends on what you're starting from.

[Onboard87]

1 minute ago, M.Yurizaki said:

I would do the audio setup first. Especially if you have sources other than the PC you want to listen to music from.

 

But it really depends on what you're starting from.

27 minutes ago, DrDerp said:

So I have a 400ish dollar budget

thing is adding better sound drivers with no stereo or theater set up is a waste of money. I would say if he has a good Onkyo, Yamaha, or other high end system then yes but if not i would invest in that first if you want better audio. Onkyo pre amps also have great EQ and can up the input quite a bit so you have that option.

 

 

[Guest]

youre not gonna notice much in the way of audio quality in the sub 1000$ range of money spent on PC audio accessories

no sound card is really going to be drastically noticeable over onboard on anything that new (relatively speaking). so youre gonna be looking at external dacs and higher quality headphones/speakers that also really arent going to be so drastic that it would be worth it in that price range

personally, i say (especially if you dont game much), upgrade to a new platform. Entry level even, a decent b450 motherboard + ryzen 3 2200g or something, ddr4, carry everything else over. total cost will be easily under 400$ and will leave you with a system to upgrade in the future

[Mira Yurizaki]

Just now, Onboard87 said:

thing is adding better sound drivers with no stereo or theater set up is a waste of money. I would say if he has a good Onkyo, Yamaha, or other high end system then yes but if not i would invest in that first if you want better audio. Onkyo pre amps also have great EQ and can up the input quite a bit so you have that option.

Then I would argue what's the point of getting better audio equipment that's not speakers if the speakers are potentially "meh"? OP didn't mention what their speaker/headphone setup is like either and a quick glance at what audio output the PC would have is in the "good enough for most people" range.

 

Honestly, both sides should be upgraded in this case if OP is looking at taking it to the next level. But if it has to be one or the other, I would go for the speakers first, then fix the PC, because whatever you spend on the PC will only be good for the PC.

[Onboard87]

2 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Then I would argue what's the point of getting better audio equipment that's not speakers if the speakers are potentially "meh"? OP didn't mention what their speaker/headphone setup is like either and a quick glance at what audio output the PC would have is in the "good enough for most people" range.

 

Honestly, both sides should be upgraded in this case if OP is looking at taking it to the next level. But if it has to be one or the other, I would go for the speakers first, then fix the PC, because whatever you spend on the PC will only be good for the PC.

i agree, but the chipset to me is more important unless the OP has the stereo. by just adding speakers wont improve sound quality you would need a pre-amp, EQ, and proper speakers. the lower the impedance the better the sound but a PCIE pre-amp to me is not worth it because a lot of them are pre set and can't be played with unless you spend a lot of money. as a stereo is highly playable and can be added to or subtracted from. and if you like bass you can also add a high powered amp and really kick it up.

[LinusOnLine]

2 hours ago, Onboard87 said:

thing is adding better sound drivers with no stereo or theater set up is a waste of money. I would say if he has a good Onkyo, Yamaha, or other high end system then yes but if not i would invest in that first if you want better audio. Onkyo pre amps also have great EQ and can up the input quite a bit so you have that option.

 

 

I have that and I still se no need to go anything other than the stuff on your motherboard. You will send a digital channel to your amp anyway so what is on the other side of it does not matter.

[Onboard87]

32 minutes ago, LinusOnLine said:

I have that and I still se no need to go anything other than the stuff on your motherboard. You will send a digital channel to your amp anyway so what is on the other side of it does not matter.

the only thing i would do is add a DAC to run directly to the stereo for what i would consider a better sound for me

[DrDerp]

Sorry for the late response guys, but basically I am running a budget headphone setup and that's literally it. My headphones are the Cougar Phontum headphones (that is the name its weird). I was debating on investing in the HD6XX and a Schiit Fulla 2 or possibly a Modi Magni combo. My current motherboard audio isn't great, there's noticeable crackling on higher frequencies and mids. I have heard that the 6XX is worth the price.

17 hours ago, Onboard87 said:

i agree, but the chipset to me is more important unless the OP has the stereo. by just adding speakers wont improve sound quality you would need a pre-amp, EQ, and proper speakers. the lower the impedance the better the sound but a PCIE pre-amp to me is not worth it because a lot of them are pre set and can't be played with unless you spend a lot of money. as a stereo is highly playable and can be added to or subtracted from. and if you like bass you can also add a high powered amp and really kick it up.

I do not have a stereo setup, however I am planning on either getting the modi/magni setup or the Fulla 2 with a set of studio monitors.

18 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Then I would argue what's the point of getting better audio equipment that's not speakers if the speakers are potentially "meh"? OP didn't mention what their speaker/headphone setup is like either and a quick glance at what audio output the PC would have is in the "good enough for most people" range.

 

Honestly, both sides should be upgraded in this case if OP is looking at taking it to the next level. But if it has to be one or the other, I would go for the speakers first, then fix the PC, because whatever you spend on the PC will only be good for the PC.

I am planning on upgrading both, but the thing is that I can't afford both at the moment. High School Senior year is sorta completely taking up all my time this first semester, and then I also have a good amount of time taken up by robotics second semester. Basically it's gonna be hard to work for a while, so I have to choose between one or the other. One question I have is should I go used again? I built my PC for roughly $350 originally out of used parts, and I've slowly been upgrading it. I may be able to get most of this stuff if I go used.

[Onboard87]

7 hours ago, DrDerp said:

I am planning on upgrading both, but the thing is that I can't afford both at the moment. High School Senior year is sorta completely taking up all my time this first semester, and then I also have a good amount of time taken up by robotics second semester. Basically it's gonna be hard to work for a while, so I have to choose between one or the other. One question I have is should I go used again? I built my PC for roughly $350 originally out of used parts, and I've slowly been upgrading it. I may be able to get most of this stuff if I go used

TBH whatever you pick should be what you use more of. and if you choose audio get new used is way to risky. 

[DrDerp]

5 hours ago, Onboard87 said:

TBH whatever you pick should be what you use more of. and if you choose audio get new used is way to risky. 

Understood, thanks!

[kevinisbeast707]

Honestly you might as well go with the hd58x and save yourself $50. I own both and the hifiman he4xx and the difference between the 58x and the 6xx is existant, but not incredibly vast. Switching between the two it's pretty much a tossup on which one I prefer at that moment. With that being said, the 58x don't necessarily need an amp and the 6xx do definitely sound better with one. The he4xx are also a good pick and literally a middle ground between the two in price and that choice comes down to your taste in sound signature. The 4xx has smoother lows and quicker all around sound while the sennheisers have a more relaxed sound with the 58x sounding ever so slightly more lively than the 6xx. If you coupled that with something like a Schiit Fulla 2 or something a little more high end like Aune T1 SE MK3 if you like tubes or Massdrop O2 + SDAC then you'd have a good setup. The latter two would leave you with about $100 left if you did the 58x and if you paired those with the fulla 2 then you'd  have $150 left to put into something like maybe a better gpu or fancy peripherals or monitors(both visual and audial).

[DrDerp]

8 hours ago, kevinisbeast707 said:

Honestly you might as well go with the hd58x and save yourself $50. I own both and the hifiman he4xx and the difference between the 58x and the 6xx is existant, but not incredibly vast. Switching between the two it's pretty much a tossup on which one I prefer at that moment. With that being said, the 58x don't necessarily need an amp and the 6xx do definitely sound better with one. The he4xx are also a good pick and literally a middle ground between the two in price and that choice comes down to your taste in sound signature. The 4xx has smoother lows and quicker all around sound while the sennheisers have a more relaxed sound with the 58x sounding ever so slightly more lively than the 6xx. If you coupled that with something like a Schiit Fulla 2 or something a little more high end like Aune T1 SE MK3 if you like tubes or Massdrop O2 + SDAC then you'd have a good setup. The latter two would leave you with about $100 left if you did the 58x and if you paired those with the fulla 2 then you'd  have $150 left to put into something like maybe a better gpu or fancy peripherals or monitors(both visual and audial).

Yeah I saw that while I was researching, likely I will pair the Fulla with the 58X due to how low impedance, and I am likely going to sell my GPU (just upgraded!) and be able to upgrade my CPU and Motherboard.

[kevinisbeast707]

On 10/19/2018 at 6:45 AM, DrDerp said:

Yeah I saw that while I was researching, likely I will pair the Fulla with the 58X due to how low impedance, and I am likely going to sell my GPU (just upgraded!) and be able to upgrade my CPU and Motherboard.

Ooooo what gpu did you get?

[DrDerp]

1 hour ago, kevinisbeast707 said:

Ooooo what gpu did you get?

RX 570. I actually got it used for 117; didn’t work but Gigabyte covered the card and send me a new one. While I don’t have a warranty anymore, it was well worth it.