I updated the driver to my Creative X-Fi soundcard a few weeks ago and the card just stopped working. I messed around with it for an hour and decided I’d just yank the card, return it to NewEgg and try out the onboard sound processor on my Asus mobo. The sound wasn’t all that bad especially when hooked up to Logitech Z-2300 speakers. But when I put on my Grado headphones, the sound quality vs. the X-fi was noticeable.
I send Creative an email before sending the card back. A CSR suggested I uninstall my old drivers that came on the CD with the card and use the latest drivers found on their website. I installed the X-Fi in a different PCI slot than I had before and installed the new drivers and turned on the computer. It works!
Onboard sound is probably fine had I never tested out the X-Fi but if you’re into games and music, the X-Fi is a worthy upgrade.
Nordquist Blog 