Is SBLive! still alive?

[Braveheart77]

Hi everyone!!!

I've noted in many reviews that, unless you have a highend Abit, DFI o MSI boards (which came with special audio solutions), the onboard sound chips (ALI1980/ALC655/ALC850) consumes way to much CPU processing power while using 3D audio. Does anyone know if the good old SBLive! with updated drivers performs better than integrated audio in those situations?

 

[psteng19]

If my mb had onboard sound, and I had a spare Live! sound card lying around, I'd pop the Live! in without thinking twice.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Braveheart77
Hi everyone!!!

I've noted in many reviews that, unless you have a highend Abit, DFI o MSI boards (which came with special audio solutions), the onboard sound chips (ALI1980/ALC655/ALC850) consumes way to much CPU processing power while using 3D audio. Does anyone know if the good old SBLive! with updated drivers performs better than integrated audio in those situations?

i remember it uses either 1/2(15%), 1/3(10%), 1/6(5%) cpu performance in 3d audio compared to ac97 audio. i think it;s either the first or second number.

2D audio is even all around at 5-7% i am sure.

I would go audigy if i had 4.1-7.1 but i use headphones so i dont really care all that much.

 

[Braveheart77]

The point is I don't want to pay for a new card and I have that SBLive! Value not in use... So if it's better than my onboard audio I will try it. Do you know where can I get updated drivers for XP?

 

[mwmorph]

it is better than onboard. as for drivers, id think xp would have them without a download.

 

[erikistired]

xp has the latest drivers built in. i'm running an sblive in place of my onboard (which hissed in my speakers). works just fine for me, i imagine i'll get an audigy eventually but for now it's enough.

 

[Braveheart77]

mmm... I doubt if XP drivers have hardware acceleration enabled (same as native XP drivers for 3d cards).

 

[grimlykindo]

I still have a 24-bit SoundBlaster Audigy Live! that works great and blows my onboard sound out of the water. Not sure about the CPU consuption, but I enable EAX and High quality sounds in all the games I play and I can see no FPS impact.

Also at high volumes my onboard sound has a "hiss" sound that you can hear in the background (like on cassette tape). And with my oldschool audigy its as crisp and clean as ever!

 

[Braveheart77]

I will bring it live again and see how it performs...

 

[Texun]

I had the AC97 OB sound and thought it was okay until I dug up a 3 year old SB Live out of th ecloset. I installed it and it's not coming out.

 

[Bozono]

Originally posted by: Texun
I had the AC97 OB sound and thought it was okay until I dug up a 3 year old SB Live out of th ecloset. I installed it and it's not coming out.

:thumbsup: Me too, except I just found the SBLive. Quite surprised at the difference. Noticeable in every app.

 

[Braveheart77]

Please post which drivers are you using. Did you notice any improvement in FPS on games or 3Dmark03/05?

 

[orangat]

Onboard sound has made big improvements with good quality DSPs like the 20bit ALC655 but the implementation is frequently subpar or shoddy since its more of an afterthought or as a fallback solution if the soundcard craps out.

Any of that is of marginal consequences if the output is just a pair of very cheap speakers though.

Originally posted by: grimlykindo
I still have a 24-bit SoundBlaster Audigy Live! that works great and blows my onboard sound out of the water. Not sure about the CPU consuption, but I enable EAX and High quality sounds in all the games I play and I can see no FPS impact.
.......

The soundblaster 24-bit Live! is not an audigy and does not have an audigy family DSP, it doesn't even have the emu10k DSP despite its Live! label or any DSP for that matter.

I think you meant the Audigy 1 since its advertised as a 24-bit card.

 

[Braveheart77]

Mine is the old SoundBlaster Live! Value (with the emu10k1 chip). My onboard sound uses the ALI1980 6-channel chip. And in 3DMark05, the FPS on Sound tests drop at about 60% when sound enabled with on-board chip!!!! That's why I'm asking if I can bring those FPS up again with the old SBLive! (if it has such a powerful chip like the emu10k1 it should can). The point is that I saw so many post reporting drivers isues widh winXP and that's why I'm asking for drivers also...

 

[orangat]

You should have given more info on your m/b. I have no idea what the ALI1980 is like but it sounds pretty old.
Creative hasn't even bothered to squeeze out anywhere close of what the emu10k can do but any old Live should do much better than onboard to reduce CPU consumption and still sound pretty good for games.

 

[jdjuice]

fisher, you might want to look into audigy's now, the old audigy's are running at ridiculous prices thanks to the x-fi coming out soon. I think it was at buy.com they had a big sale. I found the info somewhere in the hot deals forum.

 

[Braveheart77]

My mobo is an Asus A7V8X-X (SocketA-KT400). I will be replacing mobo/cpu for Sempron64/AnySocket754moboBasedOnNF3250Gb. Will my old SBLive be able to keep up to new on-board audio either?

Drivers.... I need drivers for it....

 

[jose]

You can always call creative cust. service and get the latest CD for your card. cost $5

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

you can download the drivers from the creative website.. i just did a few weeks ago

 

[wanderer27]

I'm using an old SBLive! Value card in my Windows XP System now, and it sounds great.

I'm currently in the process of building a new System (ordering parts), and I have no intention of using Onboard sound.

This is going to be the fourth rig I've used the SBLive! on. As long long as you have good Speakers I think you'll be pleased, I know I'm
still amazed at what this ah heck can do using a Cambridge Soundworks sound System

 

[Texun]

Originally posted by: Braveheart77
Please post which drivers are you using. Did you notice any improvement in FPS on games or 3Dmark03/05?

I didn't even look for updated drivers. I still had some from about 2 years ago on on my file box and used them. I just wanted to see if the card still worked. Once I got it loaded and liked what I herd I left it alone. As far as FPS.... I haven't checked yet. To be perfectly honest I didn't care enough at the time to check. The games play fine and sound better so even if I lost a few FPS, which I doubt, I would still leave the card in there. I still want an Audigy but I'm not sure why. all I have is 2.1 or headphones so I doubt that I would hear the difference.
If you have one I would say run with it.

 

[Braveheart77]

Thanks guys. I will bring it back to Live! this night and test with 3dMark03.