N
Not Bman
Guest
Wait there is a Titanium version of the X-FI cards? Are they not all PCI-e?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
I wish I could swear by Newegg, but they don't ship to Canada, at least not when I check.
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.
They have one open box, is there anything wrong with that normally? I have gotten a videocard like that before without issues.
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.
I know tigerdirect will ship to Canada.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=107
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.