If you purchase an X-Fi sound card...

[Vertigo Zer0]

You need to download and install driver v2.7.3 from the Creative site because it corrects some problems with older games not detecting EAX with the v2.7.1 driver which comes on the CD. Now all of my games which support EAX detect it.

If you've already installed the drivers from the CD, you need to manually uninstall them (go into the Windows Control Panel and go to Add/Remove Programs) because the new driver installer won't do it for you.

Now that I'm past that little hiccup, this is a fantastic soundcard.

If you're in the market to replace an old sound card, or if you're building a new PC, I think the X-Fi is the way to go.

[Neo]

arrrright

[Top Wop]

...but the price for it is insane and IMO not worth it in the end.

Instead I took the opportunity for the price drop and snagged an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum for $60, and I am not dissapointment with the improvement after having a SB Live.

[Mobius]

Nought wrong with the budget Turtle Beach Santa Cruz 5.1 card. Prolly only $30 these days.

[Vertigo Zer0]

Hey guys, whatever floats your boats.

IMO, my X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS sounds great and is worth what I paid.

If someone reading this is thinking about the X-Fi and doesn't mind paying a premium over the Audigy 2 ZS sound cards, then I say go for it, it's a great card.

[JMEaT]

I'll stick to the onboard whateverihave on my motherboard.

[Genghis]

Vert, can you confirm the rumors that X-Fi will let you use full EAX in games like BF2 without hurting framerate at all?

[WarAdvocat]

That would be quite a feather in their cap!

[Testiculese]

Fatal1ty

Did you add the one, or is that the actual product name?

[Pun]

Nought wrong with the budget Turtle Beach Santa Cruz 5.1 card. Prolly only $30 these days.

I'm still running one in my second box. VersaJack rules!

[Top Wop]

Fatal1ty

Did you add the one, or is that the actual product name?

Its actual, its based on that (famous? I think not) gaming guy of that name who now liscence his name in this and on a P4 based motherboard.

[Vertigo Zer0]

I don't have BF2, but I do have Doom 3. I set Doom 3 for 1280x1024 at Ultra Quality, vsinc on, all graphics options set at their highest settings and antialiasing at 8x.

I played through the game from the beginning up through where you go back to where that guy working in a crawlspace starts screaming and a demon crawls out and attacks you. I played through once with EAX 4.0 off and the sound set on stereo, and once with EAX 4.0 on and the sound set on surround (which EAX 4.0 lets you do even if you're only using headphones, as I was), and I had the framerate counter enabled for both runs.

I saw no discernable difference in framerate. The framerate at the same points in both runs looked the same. Basically, the framerate was between 30 and 60 FPS; I'd say at 60 FPS 95% of the time.

The biggest difference was in sound. Without EAX 4.0 it was flat. With EAX 4.0 it was immersive.

Mind you, I'm under no delusions that my test was in any way definitive or scientific, but it clearly demonstrated to me that EAX 4.0 & surround sound doesn't cost me any obvious FPS.

So I'm very happy with the card, and it's definitely worth the money IMO.

[BUBBALOU]

Fatal1ty

Did you add the one, or is that the actual product name?

Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Product Line
Elite Pro X-Fi is going in my next system

Doom3 does not use the Soundcard for DSP effects, it is all CPU dependant through the game with it's own 5.1 engine. Using the OpenAL patch, you get to channel it thru your SB EAX up to 7.1 with the same framrate as a 2 speaker system