BleepingComputer.com: Creative Sound Blaster 5.1VX

hello my old computers onboard sound card is dying or some thing it seems to have probloms like not working some times
and i got other sound cards but all drivers are made for win 98 and have errors and make games slow with windows me
yes i know i shouldent put any money into this computer but i still use it for browsing and other interent stuff and some gaming so still use it a lot
but this is the cheapest sound card i can find
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/produc...oducts_id=31515

but look here
http://www.soundblaster.com/products/produ...17510&nav=2

Intel® Pentium® 4 1.6 GHz, AMD® Athlon XP 2000+ processor or equivalent
Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard chipset
Microsoft® Windows Vista, Windows XP (SP2 or x64 Edition) or Windows 2000 (SP4)
512MB RAM and 600MB of free hard disk space
Available PCI slot
Amplified speakers (available separately)

what the hell why would a sound card need that much power
gee i havent got 512mb of ram and 1.6 cpu

so does it need that ? is that for audio things like eax and things

You can always find more...if you look in places like www.pricewatch.com. Example follows: http://www.txmicro.com/Creative-Labs-Sound...780-p-3580.html

Louis

Those are actually pretty reasonable requirements. A PC from about ten years ago should run it fine. Not all sound cards have minimum specs, but when they do, they should be followed for optimal performance. I wouldn't use Creative products due to horrible drivers, I use Xonar instead. You may have no choice other than to use a Creative product given the pricing for lower-end models.

hamluis
i cant buy off line so thats bad for me
my computer is about 10 years old
wih 256mb of sd pc133 ram
933mhz cpu

soo why does it need that much power if i turn all its features off in options of its control panel will it not take so much power
and will this work with windows me like will the drivers???
will it slow games down?????

Keep in mind that the cards also need electrical power too. Given the age of your PC, it may not be able to provide the needed wattage to the card. A sound card reduces the processing burden on the CPU for audio, which is low, to the card itself. There is still some CPU processing due to OS and driver audio functions running. That cards requirements aren't excessive, my eight year old Presario could run it with 1GB of RAM and a 1.7GHz. processor, but the audio playback software and games might make it a slow and stuttering experience. I'm not sure if newer games will even start on that PC. You would need to do some serious upgrading to get it to work. Your initial thoughts were accurate, you shouldn't bother with this. Instead, you should be saving up for a new PC, in my opinion.

all i play is star craft lol so games not starting is not a issue
my psu is 200 watts
so this sound card will work fine?
djbpace07::
but the audio playback software and games might make it a slow and stuttering experience.

does that mean games will go slow or theres just gonna be a shutter so music or game music will be playing and it sound like its going off and on
gee if thats so then i cant buy it lol


Edit: Edited to remove unnecessary quote. ~tg

it appears they the shop may have theses
Ritmo Stereo Sound card
is Ritmo a good brand??
and it looks like it has win me drivers i dont think the creative one had that

starcraftmaster, on Mar 19 2009, 07:46 AM, said:

It is not so much the brand, but the actual chip doing the output. No telling how many differnt cards and chip combos Ritmo makes.

I wonder if that Ritmo card uses a Creative or C-Media chip. I've never heard of Ritmo. Finding a sound card that runs on the old and unsupported Windows Me will be difficult.

i think the Ritmo Stereo Sound card does have win me drivers
and this is the only sound card ritmo has got
http://ritmotech.com.au/onlineshop/product...products_id=171
so i guess thats the sound card the shop is talking about

i just need one more thing and i leave yas alone
does the creative need that much power and will it slow games down a lot or just work like any sound card
and what kind of a effects does this card got
and what kind of a effects the ritmo card got?


Edit: Edited to remove unnecessary quote. ~tg

If the Creative card doesn't have drivers for Windows Me, then it will not work. That Creative card is basic, so it is lacking many of the post-processing effects and features. The Ritmo card uses a C-Media chip, just like the Xonar I've got though I doubt it is a recent one. That Ritmo card is also basic and is designed for low profile PC's. When I say basic, that means it can produce, usually, higher quality sound than on-board but it often lacks bundles, post-processing effects, and multiple features. Both cards will do fine, assuming you can get them to work. The cards themselves aren't what slows the PC down, instead, it is the driver package. Creative is known for their heavyweight drivers, so it's good you're getting a card with C-Media in it.

ok is theres a site that tells the pros and cons of the creative and pros and cons of the ritmo
thats is all thanks for all the help

My 2 cents,

For a computer old enough to have ME on it,with a 200 Watt PSU, I'd pick up a old used sound card , something actually desigened for the older units.
I would get a old Creative Sound Blaster & let it ride.

yea i would buy one of those if any place in my area had it


Edit: Edited to remove unnecessary quote. ~tg

Do you live in the US ?