Diamond Xtreme Sound 7.1 HD Sound Card Review

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Hardware Asylum checked out the Diamond Xtreme Sound 7.1 HD Sound Card

A quote from the article:
Sound card, what is that?

There once was a time when a discrete sound card was a required component for any computer build and as technologies changed so did those requirements. These days any motherboard you buy will come with a sound system onboard and much like onboard video the sound card isn't all that great. There are a few notable exceptions like the new gamer style motherboards and yet despite higher-end audio chips, digital connections and custom hardware they will never have the same quality of a discrete sound card.

Many factors play into the quality of the audio. When speaking in terms of onboard solutions the motherboard mfgs will often look for the least expensive option or something compatible with previous product designs. This saves them development cost at the expense of improved driver and hardware support. Onboard solutions also have to deal with other components on the motherboard. For instance the CPU VRM or PCI Express PLX switch may introduce noise into the audio solution causing the audio quality to diminish. In response to this some mfgs have stated physically separating the audio components from the rest of the motherboard. While this may help alleviate some of the induced noise there is still a power connection and limited room for audio components.
 Diamond Xtreme Sound 7.1 HD Sound Card Review @ Hardware Asylum