Buyer's Guide - Mid-Range, January 2005
by Jarred Walton on January 21, 2005 11:09 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Sound and Speaker Recommendations
Even in the mid-range segment, we don't feel that an add-in sound card is a requirement. For most people, you would be hard pressed to notice a difference between integrated and discrete audio solutions. This is especially true if you're going to use a typical speaker configuration that costs less than $200. What we list here are strictly alternatives, and you might want to try the integrated audio before insisting on an add-in sound card. Half-Life 2 performance on a moderate system was virtually unchanged after upgrading from integrated audio to an Audigy 2 ZS, and to our ears, there was no major difference in sound quality.
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Sound Card Alternatives:
Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZSPrice: $67 OEM, $75 Retail
M-Audio Revolution 7.1
Price: $98 Retail
The Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS and M-Audio Revolution continue to be the best options for discrete audio, and prices remain largely unchanged since the last time we looked. If anything, the price of the M-Audio has actually gone up a few dollars. If gaming is your primary concern, the Audigy 2 is more likely to have special support included in recent titles, while the Revolution has an overall better sound quality. The one area where integrated audio solutions due tend to fall a bit short is in recording quality. So, if you plan on doing any of that, you will probably want to invest in a sound card. The Revolution wins the recording quality comparisons. Note that the Revolution uses the VIA Envy chip, which is available on quite a few motherboards these days. Other than potential noise due to cheaper interconnects, there would be no difference in quality.
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Speaker Recommendation:
Logitech X-530 5.1Price: $56 Shipped (Retail)
For general computer use including periodic gaming and movie watching, a decent set of 5.1 speakers is the best option. The X-530 speakers have now replaced the Z-640 as a good all-around audio setup. There are better speakers out there, without a doubt, but they cost three times as much or more. Creative offers a comparable set of 5.1 speakers with their Inspire T5400 model, which some may prefer due to their less "futuristic" look. The Inspire P7800 are another possibility that adds 7.1 support, although you would need a proper environment to make use of such a configuration as well as one of the sound cards mentioned above.
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Speaker Alternative:
Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 THX CertifiedPrice: $160 Shipped (Retail)
If you want improved quality and power output, the Z-5300e is a great upgrade. This is definitely a case of diminishing returns as they cost about three times as much as the lesser X-530s, but some will want the improved sound, and we certainly prefer their look. They also have a separate control pod (a wired remote, basically), so you can position the speakers better around the room without putting the volume control out of easy reach.
You can spend as much money as you want on speakers, going all the way to home theater setups. For a Home Theater PC, connecting the PC to your existing sound system is relatively simple and would certainly beat any sub-$200 speakers that we might recommend. 2.0 and 2.1 speakers are also something to consider, if you're not concered with surround sound or lack desk space. A good set of headphones from Grado or Sennheiser is another possibility - and an especially good choice if you plan on attending LAN parties! If you don't already have good speakers and aren't looking to make a huge investment, however, the Z-5300e will get the job done.
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JarredWalton - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Rand - That doesn't surprise me too much, given our recent article showing that the NF4 Ultra and NF4 SLI are the same chip with a tweaked package. I would guess there's a reasonable chance the NF4 4X is the same as well, with other modifications to the package. As far as I know, what I put about their difference is the "official" NVIDIA stance. If the 4X is just the "validated" version... well, not a big deal, really. I'll modify the text a bit to reflect this.KristopherKubicki - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
N3cr0: The nForce4 board you mentioned is not shipping yet.Kristopher
Jep4444 - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
I think the Asus A8V Deluxe would of been a better motherboard recomendation than the MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum. The Asus board is pretty much the best 939 AGP board out and it costs less than the MSI aswell.Avalon - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
'Samsung calls the 997DF a "perfectly visually flat" tube. What they really mean is that the surface of the glass is perfectly flat, but the inside of the glass is very slightly curved. Most people will never notice it, but we feel that in the interest of full disclosure, it should be mentioned'Yes. Thank you for pointing that out, Jared. I purchased this monitor about a month ago, and noticed it right upon powering it up. No matter how much you adjust the geometry, there is always a slight curve. I was so angry at one point I was either going to hit it with a bat or return it. Now I've just learned to deal with it, and I'm no longer really bothered by it.
Rand - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Slight addendum to my above post-I just tried nVidia's hardware firewall.. it's working fine.Apparently that also runs on the basic nForce4.
Rand - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Slight addendum to my above post-I just tried nVidia's hardware firewall.. it's working fine.Apparently that also runs on the basic nForce4.
Rand - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
"The difference, if you recall, is that the Ultra has an unlocked HyperTransport multiplier and will generally offer more in the way of overclocking, while the 4X is locked at a 4X HyperTransport multiplier (800 MHz)."I believe that's since been proven false.
There are a couple threads in the Motherboards forum about overclocking on said board, and I haven't seen anyone comment on any difficulties adjusting the HTT.
My own board is running at 300x3 HTT (900MHz HTT) right now. (Adjustable from 2-5X), though it did need +0.2V to the chipset to run stable at 1000HTT.
The differences right now between the NF4 and NF4 Ultra would appear to be 3Gb/s SATA vs. 1.5Gb/s SATA, and official support for 1000HTT vs 800HTT.
As well as not supporting nVidia's firewall.
geogecko - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Where are all the nForce4 Ultra (non-SLI) boards? Really looking forward to ASUS A8N-E Premium, but no news, except that some have said this board will never exist?!Gage8 - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
I don't know, this guide just confirmed for me that now is not the time to buy if you want stability and upgradability (new word?).Nforce2 taught me not to buy revision 1.x...so lesson learned, bring on Nforce4 revision 2.x.
N3cr0 - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Just curious why the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI wasn't put in as an SLI board for the AMD choices. It seems to be lower price then the Asus board. I'm going to get one of the two boards and can't really figure out what the differences are aside from some networking items. (That and the HyperTransport which I dont get at all)