nice , also bit off subject in here but is the 24bit audigy better than my Nvidia Nforce 2 onboard? i don't really want to spend any more than £30 ($70) on a sound card, but would like one better than my nforce2. *Edit just to add, this news was posted in the "Doom3 gone Gold" topic
I splitted this thread. Not because it was a little off topic, but because it was extremely off topic. If you want something better than soundstorm you will have to get an audigy 2. I recommend the Audigy 2 ZS since it should be in your price range and I personally like it very much.
Personally, I love soundstorm. I had an original Audigy 1 and I liked the Hercules Fortissimo II better. Now, I hear that the Audigy 1 wasn't all that great and the Audigy 2 ZS is awesome, particularly for gaming. However, if music is the big thing for you, look at something with a Via Envy chip in it, like the M-Audio Revolution, or Philips Ultimate Edge.
If you plan on doing a lot of gaming with your computer I would suggest sticking with a new Creative Labs board. They have their own built in processing unit which will lighten your main CPU's workload. Which of course will give you better gaming performance. I am certain the Maudio board does not have its own processing unit. I coiuld be wrong.
P.S. - The Audigy 2 is reportedly not a true 24-bit card, but a 16-bit card which outputs scaled 24-bit sound with the help of an onboard Phillips chip... Also, no sound card actually lessens CPU utilization for sound, unless you are talking about EAX-enabled sound effects. In that case, the EMU10k series of audio processors are very powerful SPUs that will not dissapoint you.
i gotta say i love the onboard nforce2 audio on my mainboard... I wish i could make use of the optical out :S
