X-FI Card Difference

[Not Bman]

Wait there is a Titanium version of the X-FI cards? Are they not all PCI-e?

 

[ElementalDragon]

rotjong: it's not like there's THAT much of a difference between PCI and PCI-Express when it comes to sound cards. The only real benefit i can figure out to getting a PCI-Express sound card is to be able to use those cruddy little 1x slots on your motherboard that can't be used by much else.

 

[LordOfLA]

really if you are dead set against the best sounding domestic card on the planet (Xonar D2) your other viable choice is the Prelude from auzentech.

 

[Not Bman]

At first I was not worried, just wanted to know about the difference between the Fatal1ty and non-Fatal1ty, but now you gave me these 2 other kinds, and all the different things with them, whats good and bad, I don't know what 2 do.

As long as it sounds good (not hard to do with me), can record sound, and not to many driver issues then I am fine with the card. I was hoping not to pay more then $100 for one so, looks like Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer (normal one). I have never heard of the prelude before, and never heard of that company, checking it out now.

 

[rotjong]

rotjong: it's not like there's THAT much of a difference between PCI and PCI-Express when it comes to sound cards. The only real benefit i can figure out to getting a PCI-Express sound card is to be able to use those cruddy little 1x slots on your motherboard that can't be used by much else.

I have an ASUS Rampage Formula motherboard. I have a Bytecc PCI-e SATA/eSATA/IDE addin card which is necessary when using an IDE ODD due to IRQ conflicts. I can't use the onboard IDE controller for my IDE ODD. The design of that card has the IDE cable coming out the bottom of the card and makes placing a card in the PCI slot below it not possible. I switched from a single-slot 8800 GT video card to an ATI 4870 dual-slot video card. This resulted in my losing some space and access to some slots. I got rid of the ASUS SupremeFX II onboard sound and related soundcard as soon as possible because it is utter garbage as are the SoundMAX drivers. The SupremeFX II had been placed in the uppermost PCI-e slot on the board. That is where my PCI-e X-Fi Titanium now resides.

My decision to go with a PCI-e card was more involved than just wanting to go PCI-e. It was about logistics. I have other uses for the PCI slots that I have with the motherboard. This is about effectively making use of the space I have in the best manner possible. I even got a Dvico FusionHDTV7 USB tuner card to save using a PCI slot and it also lessens heat generated inside the case.

I just swapped out one of my IDE ODDs that died for an SATA drive so I'm down to only one IDE device left and it's an ODD. I may be picking up a Pioneer DVR-216D (SATA) soon. I'll still require that Bytecc card, however, because I currently have 4 SATA HDDs (4 x 750 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11) and 2 SATA ODDs (LG GGC-H20L and Samsung SH-S223F) so I've used up the 6 onboard SATA ports.

 

[rotjong]

At first I was not worried, just wanted to know about the difference between the Fatal1ty and non-Fatal1ty, but now you gave me these 2 other kinds, and all the different things with them, whats good and bad, I don't know what 2 do.

As long as it sounds good (not hard to do with me), can record sound, and not to many driver issues then I am fine with the card. I was hoping not to pay more then $100 for one so, looks like Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer (normal one). I have never heard of the prelude before, and never heard of that company, checking it out now.

Auzentech is a respected company. The Prelude is an X-Fi-based card but it is better quality, IMHO. I have a number of friends who own them and swear by them.

The XtremeGamer does have music creation abilities:

Advanced audio and music creation features
A dedicated audio creation mode supports near transparent conversion between any resolutions, digital-matched recording, low-latency ASIO support and more.

If cost is an issue and I can understand if it is then go with the XtremeGamer.

 

[Not Bman]

I can't seem to find the Prelude's in any local stores around here. Are they common, where can I find them for a good price?

 

[rotjong]

I can't seem to find the Prelude's in any local stores around here. Are they common, where can I find them for a good price?

I've never seen an Auzentech card in a store and their price is definitely higher than any normal X-Fi card.

The Prelude generally runs between 150 USD and close to 200 USD depending on when you look due to sales and such.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156005

199.99 USD with an automatic 25 USD savings plus a 20 USD mail-in rebate. So it's 154.99 USD right now.

You might find it cheaper elsewhere. I just did a quick lookup and I prefer to order from NewEgg when they have what I'm looking for. Their customer service has been amazing for me and I've had to RMA a number of things due to no fault of NewEgg.

I paid 149.99 USD when I purchased my X-Fi Titanium because it was on sale and I got free shipping. It's dropped in price and is going for 139.99 USD now.

 

[Not Bman]

Yea see, that is a problem. I need a decent card now, and anything more then $120 is way to much at the moment. I am buying many other comp parts as well. Darn.

 

[ElementalDragon]

yeah.... i've never seen the Prelude in a retail store (then again.... the only remotely computer-oriented store anywhere remotely close to me is Best Buy... and we all KNOW they don't have a very wide selection of expansion cards).... but i swear by Newegg.

 

[Not Bman]

I wish I could swear by Newegg, but they don't ship to Canada, at least not when I check.

 

[rotjong]

Yea see, that is a problem. I need a decent card now, and anything more then $120 is way to much at the moment. I am buying many other comp parts as well. Darn.

Then I'd go with your original idea and get the XtremeGamer for now. You can always upgrade later when you need to and have the necessary money. NewEgg has the non-Fatal1ty XtremeGamer for 90.99 USD with free 3 day UPS shipping.

My purpose in mentioning the Titanium wasn't to cause problems in making up your mind or dissuade you from getting the XtremeGamer. Sorry.

I wish I could swear by Newegg, but they don't ship to Canada, at least not when I check.

Ouch. I just saw this. Unfortunate.

Alright. Check out http://www.ncix.com. They're Canadian-based and can have some nice deals.

Auzentech Prelude (159.99 CAD after rebate): http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23788&vpn=PRELUDE&manufacture=AuzenTech
X-Fi XtremeGamer (101.03 CAD): http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23249&vpn=70SB073A00003&manufacture=Creative%20Labs

 

[Not Bman]

Thanks everyone, yea for now I am going with the non-Fatal1ty XtremeGamer one from newegg, if they ship to Canada lol.

*edit, which they dont, so have to find it somewhere else.

 

[rotjong]

Thanks everyone, yea for now I am going with the non-Fatal1ty XtremeGamer one from newegg, if they ship to Canada lol.

*edit, which they dont, so have to find it somewhere else.

Re-read my edited post. Check out NCIX.

 

[Not Bman]

They have one open box, is there anything wrong with that normally? I have gotten a videocard like that before without issues.

 

[rotjong]

They have one open box, is there anything wrong with that normally? I have gotten a videocard like that before without issues.

I tend to avoid open box just because I like something that hasn't been opened but in some cases the price difference is definitely worth it. An open box item could be an item that was purchased and used within the RMA period and returned for a refund because the purchaser wasn't happy.

With NCIX they charge restocking which is the norm. I think they're restocking might be 15% and I believe then they resell the item at a discounted price that is directly related to the restocking fee so I would expect the price to be 15% cheaper than regular. They claim to not make any profit off an open box item.

One thing to note about NCIX and their open box items is that if a person returns an item that they think may be defective NCIX tests the item and if the item is deemed not to be defective then it is resold as an open box item and the original buyer pays the restocking. There's always a chance a problematic item may slip through their testing and be resold. I would expect this possibility to exist with any company that does it this way.

Make sure you test out the item as much as possible when you get it and definitely read all the fine print concerning warranty periods and RMA periods. They hide some important information in there sometimes that makes no sense. For instance, NCIX has a 30 day return policy on many items but you must submit an RMA within 25 days of purchase. That means 25 days from when you placed the order and not 25 days from receiving the item, of course.

In short, open box items should be alright but there is always a chance you may get a dud. Of course that possibility always exists with brand new items, as well. Just make sure you have enough time to examine it and use it before the RMA period expires.

 

[rotjong]

yeah.... i've never seen the Prelude in a retail store (then again.... the only remotely computer-oriented store anywhere remotely close to me is Best Buy... and we all KNOW they don't have a very wide selection of expansion cards).... but i swear by Newegg.

It seems everyone carries Creative sound cards. Since Auzentech is more high-end it doesn't surprise me that they wouldn't be in stores.

I swear by NewEgg due to my bad experiences and good experiences. With 3 day UPS shipping items they have always arrived within 3 days and in many cases some items arrive in under 24 hrs due to the location of the warehouse they ship from. Throw in free shipping on some items and it's great!

NewEgg's support has been amazing for me. I had to return the same item 2 times due to manufacturer defects. It was an extremely annoying ordeal but NewEgg definitely treated me well and actually extended the normal return period on the initial return. I received expedited shipping and dealt with some wonderful support people on the phone. I received my labels via email, printed them, slapped them on the box, and dropped my box off at a local UPS shipping location and it was a done deal. Annoying to have to return things but I've never had an easier time with returning an item or dealing with customer service with any company.

 

[chastity]

I know tigerdirect will ship to Canada.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=107

 

[rotjong]

I know tigerdirect will ship to Canada.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=107

Not TigerDirect!

TigerDirect is Systemax and CompUSA's online business if not all of CompUSA was bought by Systemax.

I know many many people who have had issues with TigerDirect dealing with rebates, returns, and warranty periods. I would never ever purchase from TigerDirect.

No offense intended, chastity. I know you were simply giving an option of a retailer who ships to Canada.

 

[Not Bman]

I tend to avoid open box just because I like something that hasn't been opened but in some cases the price difference is definitely worth it. An open box item could be an item that was purchased and used within the RMA period and returned for a refund because the purchaser wasn't happy.

With NCIX they charge restocking which is the norm. I think they're restocking might be 15% and I believe then they resell the item at a discounted price that is directly related to the restocking fee so I would expect the price to be 15% cheaper than regular. They claim to not make any profit off an open box item.

One thing to note about NCIX and their open box items is that if a person returns an item that they think may be defective NCIX tests the item and if the item is deemed not to be defective then it is resold as an open box item and the original buyer pays the restocking. There's always a chance a problematic item may slip through their testing and be resold. I would expect this possibility to exist with any company that does it this way.

Make sure you test out the item as much as possible when you get it and definitely read all the fine print concerning warranty periods and RMA periods. They hide some important information in there sometimes that makes no sense. For instance, NCIX has a 30 day return policy on many items but you must submit an RMA within 25 days of purchase. That means 25 days from when you placed the order and not 25 days from receiving the item, of course.

In short, open box items should be alright but there is always a chance you may get a dud. Of course that possibility always exists with brand new items, as well. Just make sure you have enough time to examine it and use it before the RMA period expires.

Thanks for the detail, I knew it was something like that. I think I will take the chance and by it from NCIX. I know people who have before and had no issues. Plus it's the cheapest I can get it for, with shipping it will come to about $100 exactly.