Soundblaster X-FI with or without XRaM?

[Ultimator]

what do you think guys, is the extra 100$ worth the expence?

Its either a choice between the extreme music version or the fatal1ty sound card.

One of the only games who takes advantage of the xram feature is bf2 and i play that a lot, but then again i remember what a waste SB platinum live was so..

[Flufball]

I'm sure his lordship Hovis put somthing about this elsewhere in the forums, I'll have a look.

Edit: Yea, try Here (http://forums.renegade-legion.org/showthread.php?t=3500&highlight=X-Fi) wonderful review by Bread, and has advice on if you should go for the ram or not :p

[Ultimator]

Indeed put it quite simply there, ty fluff.

Btw where you guys hide the search button :rolleyes:

[Hovis]

Fluffs link for the win. I've got the middle of the range one. Has no RAM but it has the front plate. Call me a sucker but I was just nervous about getting the cheapest one despite all the evidence to the contrary. The front plate to be honest does absolutely fuck all apart from advertising that my PC is shit-hot. :D

If you want to play completely safe don't get the cheapest one, but the RAM on the high end ones is a total gimmick IMHO. BF2 with X-Fi sound doesn't slow down if you don't have RAM. I figure any RAM it needs goes out of the main system RAM if you don't have it onboard the card and that won't bother you if you're running a system with a sizeable wodge of memory.

Word to the wise though, if you install it and your PC stops starting up you may need a new BIOS. Apparently older BIOSs can see an X-Fi card appear on the IRQ thingie and just shit the bed. Mine did. :mad:

[Ultimator]

I'll make upp my mind when im standing in the check out counter i guess. Being a man and all, it's like my genetics whispering to me *get the most expensive gadgets asshat*

Trying to defy nature here. :eek:

[Ultimator]

X-fi sux donkey balls!

[Hovis]

Eh?

[Ultimator]

Cant connect the damn thing to my hi-fi without spending mundo cash on coxials.

Not to mention no sound on my headphones. No idea what to do, and im a bit annoyed. Last problem is prolly a case of me sucking, but non the less.. heh

[Nyana]

Disable the headphone detection option in the creative control center?

[Ultimator]

I did all the right things cept flash a new bios, guess thats the only thing that remains. Bit apprehencive about it, since i've never done it my self.

Uppdated, didnt work .. bah

Typpical, me and creative dont get along to well. My first gpx card was a generation 1 ge-force with didnt work. Then i bought a DTS decoder card witch didnt work eiter. Nore did the creative dvd rom. My platinum live card front panel was busted aswell.. and now i cant get my x-fi to work.

Thats bad history right there, but still i keep coming back for more.

Think theres a word for somone like that.. heh :P

[Flufball]

I belive the phrase you're looking for is "Glutton for punishment" correct? :p

[Ultimator]

Was thinking about idiot, but yours sounds better. ;)

Anyways got the thing to work now, well work is kida a overstatement. The card refuses to work with bf2, the sole reason for me buying it. Major fps drop when using eax or the CMSS-3D. Im basically talking slideshow, and it's not only me either. Bottom line, card is worthless and i would seriously discourage people from buying it untill they fixed the problem.

Creative forums are packed with disgrunteled x-fi users with the same cock upp. BF2 and X-fi dont mix. Kinda ironic since BF2 is one of two games who spesificly takes advantage of the x-fi features. Creatives solution ... silence ... why? the have no idea whats going on.

*Extra, extra read all about it : X-fi user ---> Rifle ---> Rooftop ---> CE Ceo's *

[Nyana]

No problems here whatsover with max detail, max sound settings with BF2 and a X-Fi Fatal1ty :confused:

[Ultimator]

your one of the lucky ones nyana, from what i've seen so far this is a really common and major problem. Hell i put my video settings on minumum and still got a major cpu overload with the X-FI.

The problem occures all over the X-FI series aswell, not just the extreme music witch i bought.

People's been reformating, uppdating bios back and fourth and new nforce drivers from here to kindome come. Playing around with settings untill fingers bleed. Somones been making sweet love to the card aswell .. cause you never know.

Im crossing my fingers and hoping for a fix soon cause besides the cockupps the card rocks! And im sure there will be, atmosphere over on CE's forums is flaming atm.

On a posetive note: I've been forced to actually learn a thing or two about computers in the day's i've spendt struggeling with this card.

[Hovis]

You need a recent BIOS to use them because of something to do with IRQs. You also need to be running the thing in Game Mode or whatever it is called to use Ultra sound in BF2.

[Ultimator]

You need a recent BIOS to use them because of something to do with IRQs. You also need to be running the thing in Game Mode or whatever it is called to use Ultra sound in BF2.

Wish it was that easy m8.

I've litteraly ready gazillion pages upp and down looking for sollutions, but nada. Noticed one interesting fact tho, bf2 single player works like a charm. Actually runs way smoother then without the X-FI

I pwn AI's all day long now, so fear me when i come back to multiplayer .. uhh :o

[Wolf_Lord_Andy58th]

AIs dont bunny hop, dolphin, know how to fly choppers, or use the noob tube :P

(and dont have flashbangs + other spec forces weapons!)

[Ultimator]

Got my money back, this shit's been really grinding my gears.

Will hold out for the new revision card's as they eliminate the preformance issue with bf2.

PS: If your gonna buy the x-fi, make sure you get the new ones with the heatsink. Since CE gives you no way of telling what revision you are buying you have to physicaly open the retail box and check it for your selves. New card's with the sink have the firmware uppdate.

Extra, extra read all about it!: Finally found a D revision card with the heat sink. This time i got the fatal1ty version, while i where at it i bought the sennheiser PC 160. Im telling you it sounds so bad ass i get a hightower everytime i play bf2. Im a happy camper now :D