Sound card advice: Creative or M-Audio?

[alman7272]

I'm pretty tired of my integrated sound which I've had to use since my old Soundblaster card crapped out, and want to get a new card.

I have a crappy pair of 2.1 Logitech speakers (don't even know the model number sadly, but they sound awful) and some PC140 headphones, which I primarily use.

Now while I'd love to get a hundred dollar card, I want to save some money because I'm also considering purchasing a new 500 or 750 gig hard drive. So I've found two choices, albeit there's a price difference.

M-Audio 5.1 Revolution, $60.99 -- good reviews, reputable company, 24-bit sound, 109 SNR, 192khz sample rate, DTS decoder..

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1, $27.99 -- cheap, 24-bit sound, a huge upgrade to my integrated crap..

I mainly nowadays listen to my music, but I still game a bit. Is it worth spending the extra 30 bucks to get the M-Audio or should I go frugal and get the cheaper Creative?

[AntiochusIII]

Alright, I hate to hijack this thread, but I'm having the exact same problem and dilemma as alman7272 here. Anyone? Help two fellow Orgahs in need here.



Also, how much does the Sound Card actually play a role in my computer's sound quality output?

*In short, bump =P

[Bijo]

Since you'll be using it for normal desktop activity you are looking in the proper directions. Obviously the M-Audio card my eye notices there is better than the SB card you show.

I would put it in a simple way: if you wish simple normal average sound use which is decent for the task, go for the cheaper card; if you require or want something better for more or less the same task, go for the more expensive M-Audio one.

[alman7272]

Gah, well just my luck the M-Audio card was "deactivated."

So I broke down and bought the Sondigo Inferno. For 80 bucks, it's a pretty good deal. Was considering a bluegears card as well, but this was 15 bucks cheaper. Hoping it'll sound good on my PC 140s. If not, then I could go for PC161 or PC166.