can i fit sound blaster sound card to ACER - Aspire XC-895 Desktop PC

oztraxed

Hi, I have an Aspire XC-895 desktop, Windows 10, with Realtek 5.1 card. It is ok sound, but would I be able to fit Sound Blaster 5.1 card in please?

I presume if I could, then the front mic in/headphone  audio ports will still work, with the 3 speaker output to the back? Has anyone done this before and get the full Blaster sounds out?

Many thanks

billsey

There a bunch of different cards under the Sound Blaster 5.1 model name. Some of them use the PCIe x1 slot that you have available, some use older PCI or PCIe x4 which you don't have. If the card you are asking about looks like this, then it won't work:

oztraxed

Thanks billsey. would it be just a simple matter of plugging it into the slot and all my inputs and outputs will use that card? speaking, as you can guwess, as a complete novice. I know what a PCI slot is and you can plug cards in, jusaat need to know if it is more than that maybe I need to go to a professional shop?

thanks

billsey

Let's first figure out what card you have so we can determine if it will even fit. It should be a model of Sound Blaster that has a PCIe x1 edge connector. That's going to look more like this:

See the much smaller connector on the edge? If the one you are looking at looks like that it should work. In most cases it will be used by default, in other you will have to tell the app to use it instead of the onboard sound.

It's also worth noting you might not end up with better sound, since a lot of the Sound Blaster models don't have as good of performance as the audio built into the modern chipsets. What are you trying to solve with the SB card?

oztraxed

I used to have Creative SB0090 Audigy Platinum Sound Card  on my old XP for many a year. Lovely sound, and front and back audio connections. I could get 5.1 sounds from any source, even old mono stuff off the internet from youtube etc, and it gave me full surround sound, even if all 6 speakers made the same noise lol! 

But now I only get 5.1 sound off my realplayer. also the sound quality is not as full and bassy as my old card. So hoping to recreate the sound.

I also do quite a lot of recording on the computer, used to use Cakewalk Home Studio on the XP, but now looking for DAW software that's at least as good and suitable for Windows 10.

Thanks billsey

oztraxed

I want it to use with my existing 5.1 speaker setup, hence I need the back panel for the 3 speaker ouptuts, and also front panel for headphones and mic in. did that make sense?

billsey

OK, try this:

Plug things in to your XC-895 as described for the 5.1CH column. You might have to use some phono jack splitter cables to get RCA jacks to give separate signals for each speaker but you should hear much better sound by driving each speaker pair separately. Front panel jacks will still work as normal, you choose whether you are going to send the sounds to the headphones or to the 5.1 speakers, you won't get sounds on all at once.

oztraxed

Ah I've done that thanks, and set speaker fill on, have got 5.1 sound coming out, sometimes. Just the sound quality nowhere near as good as when on my XP, and playing for example youtube vids only get stereo out, where as my old card will give me 5.1 sound with anything I play, even old recordings. Guess it just digitally filled all the speakers. Also my front panel on the PC, with the pink and green ports, gave me mic in (record) and headphone (playback). Needed when I am recording overlaying tracks on the Home Studio, so I can hear what my pre recorded tracks are playing, as well as my new instrument/vocal track is playing, whilst I am recording my new track.

oztraxed

Really, just trying to get my sound system as good as it was on my old XP box, so I can listen and do my recordings

billsey

So maybe the next step is to look into external sound cards that come off the USB port, or even the newer ones that are Ethernet... Although the builtin sound is newer, it might not be as clean as an external card.

oztraxed

I've looked at external cards, only usb, didn't know about ethernet but I will now. Though I didn't see any speakers or input sockets on them for the speakers or mic and headphones. Do I just plug it in and it'll use the existing ports on my desktop? Sorry to be such a pain but I don't know anything My old XP box was set up by others and it worked beautifully, that was nearly 20 years ago though!

Have you any recommendations please on external cards? It seems the easiest way to go for me, even I can plug one into ethernet (I presume that will be better than usb?) if it will then just use the existing input/output ports I already have.

Thanks again mate! Cheers!

billsey

The latest and greatest (and also most expensive) are the Ethernet ones. USBs are older (and cheaper), but you want to make sure they'll be fast enough so either USB 3.0 or USB-C is likely the way to go. Other than that, look at the features and imagine how you would use them. You are likely doing all your effects after recording so you may not need the higher end stuff and can get by with something that just a sound card. Your speakers and headphones will plug into the external sound card, not in to the computer directly. So maybe something like this.

oztraxed

Hi billsey, thanks for that.

Yes all effects are done by my  DAW software after recording, so I am not too bothered, as long as there's input for mic.

What I am really after is good output quality (subjective I know) 5.1 sound out, which my onboard Realtek card does not. Well it is ok, but compared with my older soundblaster lacks depth and warmth. (and bass)

But I feel more confident now, I think I will go for external rather than PCIe cards.

Thanks you so much for your patience and advice billsey. I've looked at your suggestions, retails at £120 here, which is a lot I feel. Been looking, just for starters, at these two, but will do a full on investigating search this weekend. Will look for ethernet ones then.

Thanks again!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L5GHS96/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07L5GHS96p13NParams&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVThTQzRQRk9XNDdaJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDI4NzMzR0tHSkhPMFEzSFYmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDIyMTA3MDM4VVhCTEozVlo1VDImd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwyJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CSL-8-channel-simultaneous-recording-equipment/dp/B01HM5KP5A/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=Creative+70SB181000000+Sound+Blaster+X3+Digital+Audio+Converter&qid=1620340343&sr=8-6

billsey

Let us know what you decide on, and how well it meets expectation!

oztraxed

I will. At the moment the Realtek sound card keeps dropping out when I am trying to record another track whilst playing pre recorded track, ok when just recording a single track.

Making me nervous about buying an external sound card. I know I keep saying it, but I had no problems with my old soundblaster on XP playing up to 7 wav files and recording a new one on at the same time. yip I have to move on I know lol!!

trying to find out what I need to look for to make sure the new sound card can play my existing tracks and record a new one in thru the mic.

Keep you posted!

Cheers

Ed

billsey

Try some music/video creation forums to see if they have suggestions as to what works best. Then look at what is running in the background. Antivirus packages are notorious for glitching real time playback or recording.

NoelMP4

billsey said:

Try some music/video creation forums to see if they have suggestions as to what works best. Then look at what is running in the background. Antivirus packages are notorious for glitching real time playback or recording.

it would be best if you had mentioned some of the links to those forums, billsey

@oztraxed: maybe look at AVS Forum and see if the folks there can help you out

billsey

Unfortunately I don't hang out in any of them, though I know they exist...