Conclusion

As I wrap up this review, I want to touch on the key points. At a little over a hundred dollars, this isn’t a cheap upgrade for some. However the numbers clearly show an improvement over the average every day sound card that many of us still use. On a pure benchmark standpoint the X-Fi is a worthwhile upgrade for us gamers. Besides the overall performance increases, the audio quality itself is a must-hear. If any of you use your PC for for music, movies, and games on a regular basis, this would be a valuable asset for your system.

Where it really stands out however is the positional audio. I cannot rave enough about the quality of the XtremeMusic on this front. While I won’t ever consider myself a “pro” CS player, I spent some time in CAL-M in 1.6, and spent numerous seasons playing at various levels in CAL and UGS back in the day. At no point with any other hardware, from my SBLive! and DSP 500’s to cheap headphones and onboard sound have I had such clarity and ability to hear in-game character details from such a great distance. Often times in scrims I find myself calling out rushes and enemy locations well ahead of teammates whom are near me because I pick up subtle sounds and from further ranges. This in itself has made this a valuable purchase for me.

The positional audio and incredible fidelity with movies and music make the Creative X-Fi one of the best pieces of hardware I have ever used. We spend so much money on graphics, memory, and processors that we often neglect the sound portions of our systems. The X-Fi is reason enough to change all that give our ears a taste of greatness. If you have been on the fence about upgrading and making the switch, it’s time to make that jump.