Question 1

Does this card work with window's 8? I looked through reviews and didn't see anyone mention it.

Accepted Answer

Yes it does.

Question 2

will this work with windows 7  32 bit as well as windows 7 64 bit ??

Thank you

Accepted Answer

Definitely! In years past with XP Pro x64 and later Vista x64 the concern was "is there 64bit drivers available?" when buying anything new. 32bit has been the standard since the Windows ME, 2000 days with the 64bit Windows coming along later. No worry on finding 32bit drivers unless looking a new laptop or desktop which may still offer Windows 7 as an option in the 64bit when looking over the support information.

Creative has been far more progressive having had drivers for all products available in both 32bit and 64bit before the initial public beta release for Windows 7 was even available in December 2008 for developers use. Microsoft had stressed OEMs to have all drivers for their hardwares availble for the then next version of Windows to be seen. 7 can also use most Vista drivers with some exceptions as well due to backward compatibility with the older version there.

Question 3

I need a card to play most of my games in surround sound 5.1. Will this card output 5.1 surround on S/PDIF connection?

Accepted Answer

I don't game, I just play music, and dj some.  It it a great card for the money, and puts out pristine sounds.  I would definitely try it.  You can make it do about what you want it to.

Question 4

My old Creative card has a 7 band graphic equalizer. Does this card have that?

Accepted Answer

You can get third party free software for that

Question 5

Sound cards I have researched don't tell you the high quality output (24/96) is not supported in the input side (16/44).  Is it the same for this card?  I want to record from vinyl and tapes, and I want at least 24/96 there.

Accepted Answer

The maximum potential packet baud rate for a sound card is approximately half the sound card's maximum sampling rate. Since most sound cards have a sampling rate of 44100 Hz, the maximum packet baud rate they could support would be 22,050. This is closest to the 19,200 baud packet standard.

That's how theory works! A look at the manufacturer's specifications, features, etc. is the usual option however. Now for direct input into pc there's another lessen to be taught about recording from old vinyl and tape through the line in on any sound card. The output from any component non amplified turntable will not have a high enough level to then be first recorded on pc as Windows wav files not MP3s. The sound recorded is then later converted over from wav to MP3 for general playback as well as burning to removable media.

A dual cassette component playback/recording deck was used here with a blank tape and recorder left in pause to feed vinyl through the tape deck into the line in with a signal boost otherwise hear no sound at all. Cassette tapes only needed to be played on the deck into the Creative(Ironic isn't it) XtremeAudio card in use at the time before electing for the XtremeGamer. Both are great cards not only just for recording signal input but for pc gaming and media applications while some may favor other cards. This is the experience here with the exception the present version is PCIe 1x over the old PCI type card(s) used years back for analog input to record and convert.

Question 6

I am a new online DJ for an online only radio station and would like to know if this card will help boost my voice quality without having to have my mic sliders at max and the 20db boost turned on? I am running Windows XP.

Accepted Answer

While it may be able to boost your voice quality slightly, I will advise you against using this as a DJ, due to the fact that the drivers for it provide no way to disable the loudness normalization that is present by default in Vista and 7. I do not believe that XP has it by default, however this is still something worth knowing.

Question 7

Does this card support Dolby Digital Live???

Accepted Answer

"Dolby® Digital Live is a real-time audio encoding technology that delivers interactive 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio from games played on PlayStation® 3, Xbox®, and Xbox 360™ consoles." 
Straight from the Dolby website. 
No, it doesn't since it's a desktop card, not a console.

Question 8

I am a sim racer and this card sounds great for me. Currently have Realtec HD on board sound. The question is; how do I quickly switch from speakers to headphones? Currently my headphone and mic inputs are right in front of the case and I don't have to get up or park to switch. I assume I have to disable these. Gateway FX series with i7.

Accepted Answer

Before I even installed this card, I went into my BIOS and disabled my onboard sound. This was to completely eliminate any possible issues. This sound card has a connection for the inputs/outputs on the front of your computer case.
Unless I'm missing something, any time you want to go from the rear speaker outputs to the front output, you'll have to open the GUI and select "FP Headphones" or "FP Speakers". This may sound like a hassle, but I have found that although it may take some getting use to, it can be a good thing.
You'll still be able to use those front jacks, but you're still gonna have to take a second to make the switch.

Questions & Answers