PCMCIA soundcard for HEL80 worth it?

would there be any reason to actually spend extra money on the soundblaster audigy pcmcia card for the HEL80? chances are i would rarely use external speakers...

 

Are you an audiophile or gamer? If the answer is yes, then yeah, get it.

 

The onboard audio that comes standard with the system is said to be top-notch.

From what I've heard (especially with earphones), I would have to agree that it's already very good. I would give it a try before deciding whether or not you need an external sound card.

 

Give it a try, certainly. If you find the integrated audio lacking, or have trouble with wolves in Oblivion... <_<

Then consider upgrading.

 

The integrated Realtek HD audio is far superior to most 3rd-party solutions. Realtek's drivers are more stable, and they're updated more frequently. Unless you're a superfreak for EAX or use professional audio software, an add-on sound card is a waste of money.

 

Another reason to upgrade is that the card as POOR Alsa performance under linux.

Otto.

 

Otto, we meet again about linux issues.

Are you going with an external card? I've currently got this same realtek card in my acer laptop and it works decently well under linux, the only major problem is getting audio from teamspeak as well as world of warcraft (or any other game) at the same time.

in windows though, this sound card rocks

 

The audio quality may be superb but you still have to take in account that many people are experiencing noisy line-outs. It's especially noticable when you're using earphones. I think the PCMCIA soundcard might not have such issue.

 

I only get that when my audio runs through my KVM switch and I have the speaker volume jacked way up. Putting everything to "normal" levels--no more than halfway up on the audio control panel, Winamp, and speakers produces no such artifacts.

 

It does sound like a level-matching issue. When mine gets here, I'll measure the line outs and make a guide on setting them properly- assuming they're consistant across all the production runs.

 

I've been considering a sound card because of VOIP in the HL2 games is terrible. Unusable in fact. And I can't find any solutions for it. I was hoping for a driver update..