Do you think I need a sound card?

[Redwine]

[quote=danlisa]Apples & Oranges......

If your system is being taxed by a game like Modded SH3 and you are using MOBO sound then a 3rd Party Sound Card (with onboard processor) will help. It's between 5-10 FPS (in SH3) provided you remember to disable the MOBO sound in your BIOS. [quote]

It is true if you have a top end processor, and you use a low demand game, you will have lot of CPU resources free. Then the diference in FPS may be not too much.

But every day, games and simulators demand more CPU. And you never know when you can need your CPU>

In my old computer, a NothWood 3.4, with an ATI 800 XT PE, and 3Gb RAM, using the onboard sound card, in the most critical situations, explosions with particles at 100%, my FPS droops down at 3 FPS, when i normally have about 30 in external view on sea surface, and about 60 in control room.
After install an X-FI (with no dedicated RAM) in the most critical moment (bottle necks) the FPS nevers droops under 30, it is 10 times more in bottle necks, and having about 50/55 in external view overs sea surface, about 100 into control room if not remember bad.

Now i am using a Q6600, nVidia 8800 GT OC, and 2 GB RAM G-Skill 800, 4-4-4-12, i have no problems now even using the dense port trafic of UWAC 3.0, i can sail at port at good time compression.

But ...what in the future ? what with another games ?

Like X-Plane ?

Always is good to have not your CPU consumend if it is not necesary.

It is good to have the most quantity of resources of your CPU ready to use.

Originally Posted by danlisa

Important Points:
Many Sound Cards DO NOT have dedicated processing. This will not help you.

Correct, you need one with own hardware processor, and if you can one with its own memory.

Originally Posted by danlisa

Always disable the MOBO sound processing. If you don't your PC is still crunching the data even if you can't hear it.

Yes... always disable in the bios the things you dont use.