Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Sound Card (70SB073A00000) Reviews

• One of the best electronics purchases I've ever made--in a word, spectacular

  
  By A2WEF2MJ7MWNJT on 2007-08-01
  As an avid music fan (and Amazon reviewer), it seemed inevitable that I should at some point seek out a semi-professional quality sound card for my desktop computer. And when it comes to sound cards, Creative leads the way with its X-Fi line of dedicated consumer audio cards. So the only question, then, was "Which one?"
  
  After some consideration, I decided upon the XtremeGamer variant of the X-Fi card. This product contains all the essential parts that comprise the X-Fi experience, yet without all the padded extras that add to the cost of the more expensive cards in the line. My original inclination was toward the now discontinued XtremeMusic card, but since it is indeed out of production it was hard to find. The entry-level XtremeAudio was never a consideration because, contrary to its inclusion in the X-Fi lineup, the XA doesn't actually utilize the X-Fi chip.
  
  This is one powerful piece of electronics. I read somewhere (Tom's Hardware, I believe) that the X-Fi audio processor was more powerful than most desktop CPUs at the time of its release (2005), and it scores an astounding 10,000+ MIPs. Some might see this as overkill, but then, in this age of power-hungry games and high definition digital audio, the more juice the better. And this thing delivers just that. After all, how many times do you see an audio chip with its own heat sink?!
  
  Installation was easy enough. I had to do a little fishing to find the cable that leads to my front panel audio, but the convenience of being able to keep the front jacks working was worth it. Keep in mind that only the newer Intel HD front panels will work (not the older AC '97). The box contains installation discs for both Windows XP and Vista, making ordering the Vista disc (or downloading the applications and driver manually) unnecessary. The software installation was the usual annoying affair, with a million updates and prompts about new startup programs/services. It took over half an hour for it all to complete itself, and I would have hoped that Creative would have streamlined this a bit since the Audigy series. But no matter.
  
  Once I actually got to using the thing, I was very impressed. What follows is a breakdown of what this thing can do, along with my comments. From time to time, I will reference my Audigy 2 ZS Notebook card, which is at least somewhat representative of the Audigy 2 line in general, as far as my purposes go.
  
  -SOUND QUALITY-
  
  This card is, without a doubt, the best-sounding audio device I have ever heard. And, when you consider that it produces a perfectly flat frequency response across the entire audio spectrum, it's not hard to see why it sounds so good. In particular, I noticed that bass has much more definition--it's not just tighter, but some of the higher overtones that define the individual notes come out much better, thereby adding some clarity to the bass lines in songs. Also, there is a certain warmth to the midtones that the somewhat brittle Realtek integrated audio lacks--Mellotrons in particular sound otherworldly. The IA I had was pretty good, but the X-Fi is so much better. Finally, both the volume and the S/N ratio blow away anything IA can offer. You can turn the volume up to the max, and you will hear ZERO noise from the circuitry.
  
  -FUNCTIONALITY: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL-
  
  This card comes with a host of software, which differs to varying degrees from that offered with the Audigy cards. The Creative MediaSource media player (now in version five) is the same, as are the SoundFont Bank Manager and the Creative MediaSource Go! applications. However, the similarities end there. Missing (very unfortunately) are Creative Wave Studio and Vienna SoundFont Studio (or equivalents); these tools, while I didn't use them particularly often (see below), were nonetheless very important as part of the package. Not everybody has Sonic Foundry (now Sony) ACID Pro or Pro Tools, for example, and a basic audio editing program should be par for the course with the X-Fi lineup; in addition, without Vienna Studio, the ability to precisely edit soundfonts is missing. Both these applications are available for download from Creative's website, but they really should have been included with the installation discs in the first place. As it is, some of the functionality of a multi-channel mixer has been absorbed in the Audio Console, which now sports three different modes of operation: Entertainment, Audio Creation, and Gaming. A link to a download of CyberLink PowerDVD completes the software package.
  
  In practice, the software is fairly useful. I suppose Creative was trying to make things easier for beginning users, while allowing for advanced users to seek out the more vital functions. Everything seems to center around the Audio Console, and in each mode, different options become available. I usually stick with Audio Creation because it offers everything I require from the other two modes, plus it allows me to hook up my musical keyboard in a pinch. Which brings me to my next point: Some (probably older) keyboards don't work with the USB MIDI driver in Vista, which necessitates the presence of a working copy of XP. There might be a fix for this (barring visiting the keyboard manufacturer's website, which did not help for me), but I didn't have time to be bothered with it. I just booted into my XP partition and got on with it.
  
  -MUSIC CREATION IMPLICATIONS-
  
  This is where things really got interesting. The ability to load and play back soundfonts--not particularly touted in the XtremeGamer due to its intended market--is a powerful feature that all X-Fi cards carry. And this is where my trusty Audigy 2 ZS Notebook has utterly failed me--though it indeed has soundfont support, I was never able to get it to recognize my keyboard. I was stuck, then, with the lame ability to play a little over an octave of (single velocity) notes using my laptop's keys. Even so, I collected a bunch of soundfonts from all over the Internet, and when I fired up the SoundFont Bank Manager, it all payed off. The creative possibilities are virtually endless, even with the somewhat cheesy stock General MIDI sample set included with the card by default. Add a few foraged sounds (Mellotron samples, guitar samples, ...), and it's like a whole new world just opened up. You can even buy collections of soundfonts from Creative, or else sample your own. This card (or another X-Fi) is a must for amateur musicians just for this reason alone. Not only is direct-line recording (once you realize you have to use the Digital Out jack for Line-in--weird, right?) easy, it sounds very clean. Plus, you can lay down a basic mix just from a keyboard using a combination of internal sounds and soundfont files. Hook up a microphone and overdub some vocals, get out the guitar and strum a few chords, and you've got a reasonably high quality demo recording. Of course you need to supply your own connection cables, but all in all it sure beats using the old tape recorder.
  
  -GAMING-
  
  This will be a pretty short paragraph, mainly because--you guessed it--I don't actually game much. However, the main reason any hardcore gamer would want dedicated audio is because it frees up processor overhead usually devoted to the audio portion of games. As mentioned earlier, gaming sound is becoming more and more immersing, and as such it can be very demanding on the CPU. Offloading this on a dedicated component has been reported (by Creative, of course) to result in up to a 15% increase in frame rates as compared to motherboard audio. Also, dedicated components almost always perform better overall than their integrated counterparts, so it's worth it just to get the whole experience. Plus, some games don't even offer the highest audio settings unless they detect an X-Fi audio card in the system, so it pays to get one.
  
  -CONSIDERATIONS-
  
  Generally, there are a few things to consider when making this purchase. One of those is if your power supply can handle it. This is an extremely powerful piece of hardware, and as such it draws a considerable amount of wattage. Make sure you have wiggle room with your PSU. Also, you might want to make sure your motherboard has an open PCI 2.1 slot before you purchase--it saves on the hell and frustration should you discover otherwise. Also, though it's shorter than most of the X-Fi boards, you might still have a little trouble fitting this card in some smaller, more cramped cases. You might have to rearrange some power connectors and other cables in order to fit the card in its place. Finally, if you're a really serious gamer with a limitless budget, remember that there are even better cards than the XtremeGamer. The Fatal1ty line is a special subset of the X-Fi family, and is designed for the hardcore gamer who wants the absolute best gaming performance along with the best audio performance. These cards have additional enhancements as per the standard X-Fi line, and you might be more interested in these if you fit into the above category.
  
  -COMPARISON TO AUDIGY-
  
  One of the main gripes with the Audigy line was that it was hardware-coded to 48,000 Hz/16-bit resolution, and thus any other resolution source needed to be internally resampled before it could be digitally processed. This wasn't handled very well by the hardware, and artifacts could be heard in the sound. I observed this in real time when I played my keyboard through my A2 ZS Notebook: A persistent hissing would start up whenever a note was sounded, yet it would disappear when the note ceased. This only happened when I was using effects processing; when the patch was played dry, there was no noise. This annoying effect (which led many to use software rendering to manually resample before processing through the card) was finally eliminated with the X-Fi, which uses an entirely new architecture which allows near transparent resampling to and from all resolutions.
  
  
  All in all, though there are certainly a few things that could have been improved, this is a wonderful sound card. It sounds great, it's powerful, and the creative potential it facilitates--something not as widely advertised as its gaming and entertainment merits--all combine to make the XtremeGamer card a must have in the arsenal of any serious audio enthusiast, amateur musician, or (yes) gamer. I can wholeheartedly recommend this card to anybody who fits the above list; it really is everything you've heard and more.
  
  

• excellent soundcard

  
  By A1UR4DKJPHNFER on 2007-03-09
  There is some misinformation posted here. First, "buyers beware" is incorrect. The card he is referring to is the XtremeAudio. This card - the XtremeGamer - is the genuine article "budget" x-fi card. That means it has all the x-fi guts without additional bells & whistles found on other more expensive versions.
  
  Second, the motherboard issues reported by many users refer to the older versions of the x-fi. This is a new revision that has corrected the static and popping. I am using this card on an nf4 motherboard (DFI Ultra-D) with no problems at all.
  
  I'd wager that neither of those reviews were written by people who actually own the card. This is an excellent sound card that provides a noticeable upgrade over onboard sound, even with just a 2.1 speaker system. The latest XP drivers appear to be very stable. I bought this card because it is compatible with Intel HD front audio ports that come standard on many cases (so you can plug your headphones in the front of your case).
  
  I also bought it because I'm a gamer. The improvement in sound and 3D effects is startling at times when EAX is enabled. Switching to "entertainment" mode also brings superior quality music and DVD audio. The installation CD also installs a link in the start menu for a free download of Cyberlink PowerDVD, which is a nice bonus.
  
  

• Good hardware spoiled by bad drivers

  
  By A17N5FRV817OY9 on 2007-04-10
  The Creative drivers are dreadful. Even the signed Creative Inc drivers crashed my brand new clean Vista x64 installation. Do a web search on "ha20x2k.sys BSOD" and you'll see all the users who had the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death" from these drivers. I've had to disable much of the functionality and use just the generic Microsoft WHQL drivers. I won't ever buy another Creative product again. As enticing as their hardware features are, their poor driver quality just ruins everything.
  
  
  
  

• Great Sound, but limited and poor Creative QC

  
  By A2BUXQ05X8GB58 on 2007-05-25
  The first card I received didn't work. Apparently there is a rash of cards from Creative that give the following error when you try to install the drivers, "Setup is unable to detect a supported product on your system etc. Setup will exit now." There is no recourse for this bug except to RMA the card. Gratefully Amazon is amazing at doing this, and they had a new card to me in 3 days, and they even paid the return shipping on the defective card.
  
  The second card worked flawlessly, and the sound is truly remarkable. I've been doing pro audio for churches and youth groups for 13 years, and this card even impressed me a bit.
  
  That said, there was a feature I was looking forward to, which isn't supported with this card. Sadly it is only this card in the whole X-fi lineup which doesn't support this feature. The feature I speak of, is Hardware Dolby Digital/DTS decoding. This feature allows you to set your software DVD player to SPDIF output, and have the X-fi take the signal internally (instead of outputting it on the Optical out), and decode it to your speakers directly. The only recourse for playing DVDs with 5.1 (or better) sound is to get a software DVD player that can decode the signals in Software. Not ideal, and a real let down.
  
  The way Creative gets around this in their marketing of the card is to include a free download of PowerDVD that has Dobly Digital/DTS software decoding. However, I was never able to get mine to download, and Creative tech support (in India I might add) was unable to resolve the problem. So I end up having to go buy a copy of PowerDVD to watch my movies in surround.
  
  In summary, this card is great for games and MP3s, it sucks for movies (unless you can get PowerDVD to download), and it sucks worse if you get one of the many bad cards that Creative is putting out. If you do get a bad one, Amazon is amazing at RMAs, so get a replacement. If I had to do it all over again, I'd get this following card instead, and leave this X-fi wannabe alone.
  
  Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series Sound Card ( 70SB046A00000 )
  
  

• This card sucks. Don't Buy

  
  By A2X56TSR8H7KXK on 2007-01-04
  This card has a known issue with many motherboards. When i purchased this product I had an msi k7n2 motherboard. this card installed fine but upon restart "found new hardware" icon popped up. I thought somehthing was wrong with my motherboard. So i went out and bought a new motherboard and processor. this time an msi k8n neo2 but to no avail. This card still does the same thing.
  
  If you doubt me go and check creative support site. There are hundereds of people out there with the same problem.
  
  DO NOT BUY.
  
  
  
• Well...it worked with my motherboard.
  By A31O7XIOD2CSYL on 2007-01-23
  FANTASTIC sound for the money! (seems to work well with Asus P5W DH, anyway) Nice crisp highs, decent mid-range and unmuddied lows make this an excellent pick, IMO. The only down-side I could find is some of the nonsense-software included is, well, nonsense.
  Creative scores, again.
  
  
• Great Hardware - Just use the online drivers to avoid junk
  By AC8RCBKYQDOV0 on 2007-09-11
  After reading the other reviews, I was nervous about installation / driver issues. After I installed my card, however, I went to Creative's website and chose to download only the driver (and not any of the applications). The install went smoothly, and it didn't install any junk programs on my computer.
  
  But as for the sound card itself, the improvement in sound quality was well worth the money. The x-fi processor does really seem to make a difference. I use only a 2.0 speaker system (two JBL bookshelf speakers with a Sony receiver), and the new sound quality is about as good as you can get without getting extra speakers or a subwoofer. Music now sounds "clearer." It also includes an optical output (you need a TOSLINK cable or adapter--it is not the "square-looking" optical connection, it is a narrow plug that looks like a headphone jack).
  
  
• Worthwhile Upgrade
  By A1RTMSNYG96RRI on 2007-08-29
  My original sound blaster audigy had served me well over the years but after a recent upgrade of my computer speakers, I decided to upgrade my sound card. I'm not an audiophile, so I did not expect to hear a big upgrade in sound quality but I was pleasantly surprised. Music, movies, etc, sounded much clearer. I understand this is in part due to my upgraded speaker system ( logitech Z-5500s ) but I tested the card with my original speakers and I could hear a difference rite away. Be sure to avoid the cheaper xtreme audio variant as that does not have the true x-fi hardware. I did have some initial random rebooting with the vista 32 bit drivers but everything is working fine now after I cleared all remnants of the old audigy software. This card is a worthwhile upgrade for those who are using older sound cards or onboard audio. I purchased this OEM ; drivers were available for free download from creative labs.
  
  
• Has "What U Hear" (Stereo Mix or Wave Out) for Vista!
  By A39RSXRNR4B00Z on 2008-04-21
  This review is intended to help those who, like myself, have been pulling out their hair, looking for a sound card that provides a means to record what is heard through the speakers, directly from the system, in addition to the mic and line-in jacks. Among other names, this feature is called "What U Hear," "Stereo Mix," and "Wave Out."
  
  I love my Gateway GM5632e (with Vista-32 Home Premium) in every respect, except for the on-board Sigmatel audio. Other than sounding good, it lacks the tweaky features of a decent sound card that I not only like to play with, but NEED. The feature I missed most was the ability to record streaming audio. There is much written elsewhere online on this subject, so I'll simply sum up by saying that acquiring this ability has been no small matter for many. Everything has been tried, from installing older sound card drivers, to Virtual Audio Cable(s) (and similar), to patching together the headphone and mic jacks. Well, you folks will be happy to know that your search can end here.
  
  Over the past three days, I tried Sound Blaster's Audigy SE, XtremeAudio, and their Live! 24-bit External. None of them provided the ability to record "What U Hear." Then, I bought the XtremeGamer. After installation, and a search for online updates, that formerly elusive wave recording feature finally appeared. I installed it, and am now a very happy camper. It now works just like it did under XP.
  
  Hope this helps someone. (Incidentally, I love everything else about the card.)
  
  
• Buyers beware
  By AFOW9V2A1SB0S on 2007-03-06
  [...].
  "Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme are not based on any kind of X-Fi chip. These cards are in fact based on Audigy LS (low budget version of old and outdated Audigy "1" ). Check the markings on chips - CA0106 means it's old Audigy LS. Even the driver file is the same: P17.sys - you can download an Audigy LS driver from CL's website, unpack and compare it with "Xtreme Audio" one. The only difference is with Sensaura3d driver file - software implementation of Sensaura's 3D API."
  
  I am quoting here, but can confirm Blue Screen of Death issues as I own this product.[...].
  
  
• Works fine, good buy.
  By A5RHQSQPG4LZI on 2007-02-08
  I went from the first version of the Audigy2 to this. And it did increase my performace a tiny bit. My old card was going out on me. A lot of pops and clicks and games locking up with sound skipping. Haven't had any of that yet. :)
  
  I also didn't seem to have the MB problems that were stated in first review. I have a ASRock Dual-VSTA(new one made for Windows:Vista).
  
  With a good Stereo setup this card sounds really nice. I have a older but really nice 5.1 with 100watts for each speaker. Only 4 years old, but have seen some really nice ones lately.
  
  A lot of new games coming out have intense sound now. Vanguards sound has crappy options so you can't dumb it down and it can drag a system down, esp one using on board sound.
  
  I would give this a 4 or even 3 star rating if it included Amazons rating too. [...]
  
  
• very nice sound-substantially better channel separation
  By A3MH5M0FAJY3BV on 2007-02-16
  the crystalizer works great and is a nice additions especially for low bitrate files. Software works well just make sure you update your drivers right away as with any new hardware...great product recommended
  
  
• Works well but with some compatability issues
  By A2EZH9IJ1BYKAM on 2007-04-02
  Sounds and works well, just make sure you have the very newest drivers available. I still have some minor issues running Ventrillo and some older games but otherwise would recommend.
  
  
• Simply Amazing
  By AKJPEOIGNAQCY on 2007-06-10
  I bought this soundcard about 9 months ago. It deserves 5 stars, if not for the price. But, it was money well-spent.
  
  First off: Will this work in DX10 games? Yes, although I do not have a reference - I do believe that Creative Labs has stated they create a driver for the X-Fi cards (Notice I said X-Fi, not audigy!) to work in DX10/Vista.
  
  I am running this card on P7800 (7.1) speakers.
  
  In battlefield 2, the difference in sound quality is astounding. I had thought that the sounds were pretty good when I was running my integrated audio on 7.1, wrong! Sounds are clearer, sharper, cleaner, far more realistic. It's almost as if you just walked into a puddle of water. Or, you've just shot a rifle. On normal quality, these sounds get muffled. The sound quality has to be reduced in order to keep it from greatly affecting the frame rates.
  
  Yes, this sound card will increase your frame rates. Especially if you are like me and have more than 2 speakers. Now, I would not suggest to anyone with $20 walmart spealers: go out and buy this sound card.
  
  Should you get this sound card? Yes! That is, if you are using good speakers and you want a realistic gaming experience.
  My personal suggestion: P7800 or GigaWorks S750
  
  Would I buy this card again? Yes.
  
  
• known issue with many games, file name ha20x2k.sys
  By A3TIACCF9FM8PB on 2008-06-02
  after many crashes and calling dell and reading my error log and game web site's ,i found out it is the creative lab driver "ha20x3k.sys" was the problem. creative has not fixed the driver yet and the file is a known issue. june 1 2008
  
  
• Excelent product
  By A3MZZO21K413YE on 2007-02-09
  Is a wonderful sound.
  
  The sound of this card delivers THX certified surround and makes all games, music and movies sound richer with crisp, clear higths and deep booming lows. This card works excelent and bring studio resolution.
  
  
  
  
• Great Card
  By A29KAWSTBD6M8I on 2007-08-18
  Overall an awesome card with so many cool features except for one thing, for some reason, when you play High Definition videos, there is no audio playback yet other, standard definition videos, you can hear just fine.
  
  The only way you can hear the playback on HD movie files is to preview them in a movie editor program like Pinnacle Studio. I've contacted customer support, they say you need a new codec downloaded, have not found it yet but I'm still looking.
  
  Other than that, I have no issues with this Card, it is AWE-Some!
  
  
• This Sound Card Works Great!
  By A3VNBL03CGL5V0 on 2007-08-26
  I use Windows Vista Ultimate, and works great with my New Logitech Speakers! The surround sound is wonderful!
  
  
• X-Fi Soundblaster Xtreme Gamer
  By A1450GGB0UZLZE on 2007-10-12
  The Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Gamer sound card is sick awesome. The first time I listened to it play an audio file I couldn't believe my ears. It has so much power and clarity behind it that it made my $10 Logitech replacement speakers sound like high-end surround sound...less the bass of course. The crystalizer function is also awesome. With the crystalizer enabled you can bring enhanced audio clarity to songs and games so that you can "finally here what your speakers are saying." It takes your breath away to hear this sound card in action. Plus it is required for most of the next-gen games coming out in the near future. I guess you could say you "have to have it." Well, that is about it.
  
  On the negative side. This sound card does not like to be on a system that is overclocked. If you overclock your processor, motherboard RAM, or graphics card, the Creative Labs X-Fi Extreme Gamer sound card may produce a slight amount of whine or static during some newer games like Bioshock, but these problems have not been apparent in Doom 3 or MOH Airborne as an example.
  
  
• Fine Product, mixed price
  By A1S7LST1G51C3 on 2007-12-02
  This is a fine product. However, Amazon has a very funny pricing policy. I came to them in hopes of getting a fair price. Two days after I ordered the card, they cut the price by 5 bucks. This week I found it at Best Buy for $10 less. So; shop around.
  
  
• Easy installation, excellent performance
  By AK3GKIV8DEY8B on 2007-12-12
  I got this sound card for my new desktop (desktop computers, for some reason, have been shipping without offboard sound cards lately) and it's clear to me that I made the right choice. Physical installation (opening the computer, sticking the card in the slot and then hooking up the right peripherals in the right plugs) was okay, and when I got everything up and running I was surprised by the sound quality.
  
  Although I don't do gaming, I got this card because I read it performs just as well for music -- and it does. Sound is clear, bass is great, software works fine and there are a lot of personalization options to get its sound output just the way you want it. My previous computer came with an older Creative sound card, and I have to say the ExtremeGamer I have now is immeasurably superior.
  
  
• Excellent Sound Quality, X-Fi Effects, Value
  By A3OOQH73VQ97VN on 2007-12-13
  I bought a Dell PC from Dell Singapore and requested X-Fi ExtremeGamer Sound Card for S$130 more. I heard about X-Fi and wanted to try it out. Indeed, it didn't disappoint at all. It runs smoothly under Windows Vista and it even can run concurrently with SRS Wow in Windows Media. It depends on your preference. I found most music become "alive" when X-Fi effects are on. A minority works better with SRS Wow on concurrently. Compared to other sound cards that offer 3D, high signal to noise ratio, enhancements, it has performance not worse than any other and yet cheaper. Excellent audio and value!
  
  
• Quite pleased
  By A1K5589IN9BS4N on 2007-03-12
  Great sound, easy installation. Only negative is Mic and audio in share the same port.
  
  
• recommend
  By A1052H7JMGKWN9 on 2007-03-20
  I got this card to replace the audigy 2 sound card that came with my computer and I do hear a difference. I would recommend this card to anyone.
  
  
• Great Card
  By A2F8QBXZC0S0OB on 2007-11-17
  I got this card to upgrade from my on board sound card. Mainly I did this to help reduce interference and increase my fps on my games. The card sounds great, installation was easy and the volume panel allows you to customize your sound between games and entertainment. The panel has lots of options including bass redirection and EAX: eFFECTS. Great card for a good price especially if you have 5.1 surround sound or better. Worth the money.
  
  
• Great Card for the $
  By A3GWLXXSCW52ZD on 2007-11-30
  First and foremost do not follow the installation instructions!
  
  I installed this card into a custom built PC (Asus MB, 512MB Corsair RAM, PNY 7600GS AGP Intel 2.8Ghz), following the instructions to cancel the MS found new hardware installation process. I then loaded the CD with drivers, hit the continue anyway button on the not certified screen, then downloaded the latest drives from Creative.
  
  Everything looked good until the next day, when the PC would just lock up after about 30 seconds. I removed the card, and the PC worked fine. I put the X-Fi in a factory built Dell, and this time let XP finish the find and install process. The Dell ran fine for over a week. So, I put it back in the Asus, and no worries since. I use this in conjunction with a 52 inch Pansonic plasma and the optic audio out to 5.1 surround for games, dvd, and TV rewinds.
  
  
• Great Sound Card
  By AFS3YIONBAB29 on 2007-12-02
  This sound card is great, ive owned a couple of soundblaster gamer before and this one is the best.
  
  
• Great sound card, software mostly great
  By A2W4DPIIJ895RG on 2008-01-19
  The card rocks on Windows Vista. The new software really brings out sounds and makes GREAT use of the subwoofer for video games as well as for listening to music. Two gripes. First, the legacy Creative Media Source 5 Player does not work correctly with Windows Vista, it was designed for XP. There is a separate X-Fi volume control that does work with Vista. They should have one integrated panel that is fully functional with Vista. Second gripe, unless you buy an add-on, you can only burn/rip WMA format, you can't burn MP-3s or any other sound format to disk, portable player or to your computer. You are stuck with WMA unless you buy the $10 recording pack. Granted, not big bucks, but should be part of the package, not an add-on. Bottom line, great card, some software is great, other parts are either outdated or missing, worth the upgrade if you have Windows Vista.
  
  
• Problems wirh Windows XP SP3 and latest (June 2008) Drivers
  By A3LA4OB6DTNX04 on 2008-05-30
  If you are using an analog microphone with this soundcard and are using Windows XP with service pack 3 you will not be able to use your microphone plugged into the back of this card. However, the front panel microphone connection will work (if you have it hooked up to your case).
  
  The microphone connection on the back of this card is the white top-most connector (not the pink connector, which is usually the standard). This white jack is called a "flexijack" by Creative, and it is supposed to sense what type of device you have plugged into it and allow you to use it as a microphone jack. It doubles as a "Digital I/O" or "Mic in / Line in" jack.
  
  The current drivers for Windows XP from creative (as of June '08) do not work properly and you will not be able to configure the "flexijack" as a microphone connection.
  
  Aside from the microphone issue the soundcard works fine.
  
  
• Hit or Miss
  By A2OFXG4ZWXNYST on 2008-06-10
  I'm giving this item two stars since the majority of reviews have liked the product. However, I could not get the system to recognize the card in either of my two open PCI slots. Setup simply stated "no SB product detected" and immediately closed. Amazon only offers a refund on this type of product and not an exchange so there's no way to know it was a bad card or indicative of the line as a whole. Given the fair number of reviews citing compatibility issues I'd have to say this was most likely the cause.
  
  The main problem with the board, though, is it's almost total lack of documentation. The only instructions including on the package is a basic quick start guide. No troubleshooting information whatsoever is provided out of the box. If you do have a problem, there's almost no way to even begin to know where to check. If there had a been more documentation, I would have spent more time working on the issue.
  
  The setup program also could have offered additional options when it did not see the card. This is actually a rather silly oversight on Creative's behalf. Why would I put an SB disc into the machine and try to install drivers if I didn't actually have an SB product? The logical conclusion is that I did install the hardware but something is wrong. Rather than simply closing the setup program should provided suggestions or at least directed me to a troubleshooting guide.
  
  Bottom line: it's a generally well reviewed card when it installs correctly. But you are taking a chance it won't work in your system.
  
  

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