USB device may upgrade sound without hassle

(Credit: Creative Technology)

Being obsessed with gadgets doesn't equate to hardware handiness. In fact, some of us at Crave are loath to remove the back of a computer for fear of the havoc we might wreak--a sorry state for upgrades.

Creative Technology has a solution in at least one category, sound cards. It has just released its "Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1," which allows dolts like us to upgrade audio quality by just plugging the device into a USB port. The small box, which goes for $60, could be a good solution for casual gamers and music lovers who don't want to mess with the innards of their desktop or laptop.

[Ex-01]

Creative has had some unfriendly customer support as of late, not sure if it would still affect this product, especially with Vista compatibility.

read more:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/05/08/creative_frees_alchemy/

[crad13]

Well, this might be a solution for more advanced gamers too; I had to forgo a Creative sound card on my self-built computer in order to make room for other peripherals (You know, gigabit ethernet, Agiea (sp?) PhysX card, things like those). A USB solution that works well would allow me to have all the goodies inside, and have excellent sound pouring out. $60 isn't a bad price tag, either. I'll wait for the official review, however.