Amazon.com Product Description

Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ 5.1 makes it easy to create, customize, and listen to Internet audio files in full 5.1 surround sound. Powered by the EMU10K1 Digital Signal Processor, you can experience the highest-quality sound reproduction with real-time audio and effects. The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ 5.1 includes a full 320 Kbps encoder, up to 9x MP3 acceleration, and a complete software suite to create CD-quality audio files. And, with EAX advanced audio technology, you can customize your MP3 experience by adding orchestrated multi-dimensional sound environments to get just the sound you want. When in Creative Multi-Speaker Surround (CMSS) mode, you can experience 5.1 audio even from a stereo signal. You can also enjoy Dolby Digital 5.1 audio when watching movies in either digital 6-channel speakers or analog Dolby Digital-ready home stereo receivers. Spice up your Internet audio files with the power of the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ 5.1, the ultimate digital jukebox. ... Read more

Features

• 5.1 audio for playback of digital audio files, movies, and other audio entertainment
• Create studio quality sound in MP3 or WMA formats with a 320 kbps encoder and up to 9x encoding acceleration
• Customize your Internet audio with the power and surround sound of EAX advanced audio technologies
• 5.1 sound when connected to a 5.1 speaker system
• 64-voice hardware polyphony

Reviews (5)

Double check compatibility
Great card, but it has compatibility problems with the Abit KT7 (RAID) motherboard and Windows 2000. It works great in Windows 98/ME, and works great in Windows XP.

Don't Let Them Tell You...
This sound card is one amazing piece of hardware! Prior to making my purchase, I used Creative's Ensonic, a 128-voice card. I've read everywhere that all one needs to enjoy CD sound from mp3's is a 128-voice card (and the right bit rate recording). Turns out that was a bunch of horse doo. This SB card fills my room with sound, soft highs and smooth lows, and has breathed new life into my entire music collection. If you're using a cheesy old card like I was and you're looking to improve the quality of music coming from your PC (not necessarily video games), buy this card. You won't regret it!

Solid sound card.
I bought this card to replace my Diamond Monster MX300 which finally gave out on me. I was extremely happy with the MX300 and so I expected at least similar quality or better from a newer card. I am not (so far) disappointed.

I was a little leary about EAX effects after Aureal's 3d effects on the MX300, which were great. After installing the card and all the associated Creative software I put it through some tests. Everything sounded a little deeper... richer maybe. The EAX effects are quite bountiful to say the least, maybe with a little overkill. I have yet to try the digital out, or the 5.1 speaker setup, but I am quite sure they will both be exceptional.

Overall I was quite pleased with the sound, the price is only a little higher than what I have traditionally spent on sound cards, but it's not a bad deal. I do have one exception with this card though. I would have preferred just a bare bones style install of drivers, etc. I have since gone back and pruned down most of the extra programs I installed originally, since I didn't find them to be of much long term use.

I would suggest this card to those who need to upgrade due to hardware failure, or to replace a seriously old sound card or if you just have the extra money and you are upgrading to a 5.1 speaker system this (or any of the SB Live! series) would be the card to go with.

Wow?
I upgraded my computer with the SB live and connected it to my Stereo system and it really rocks!!! but in the other hand my last sound card - has surround capabilites and 3d sound and it cost about 70$ and if you will put those two systems in comparison you will probably won't hear a diffrence. If you already have a sound card with 4 speaker output dont buy it!

Great Sound Card at an Even Better Price
You can't beat the sound quality of this card for the price that it sells for. In fact, you probably can't beat the quality of this sound card for double or triple the price. The onboard MP3 circuits work wonderfully, and save the CPU from the overwhelming job of decoding an MP3 while surfing the internet, running Photoshop, and messing around on Napster at the same time. Great product from an established company. ... Read more

Features

• For PC with Microsoft Windows 98SE1, 2000, Me or XP

Features

• 1024 x 768 video resolution
• Headset microphone included
• USB 1.1 interface
• Includes Ulead Photo Express MCE, PC-CAM Control Center, and Microsoft NetMeeting software
• Compatible with Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP

Reviews (12)

One of the better webcams out there...
With its CCD sensor, this webcam, at is price point is one of the better products out there. It also takes great snapshots (but needs to stay connected via USB Cable to do so).Manufactured by Creative (the sound blaster people). My past experience with Creative's customer support has always been good, so that is a big plus also.
Very easy to install. I had NO PROBLEMS using or installing it with Windows XP Professional.
My only gripe is the lightweight stand it comes on. It is designed to be inverted to clip-on a laptop...and I am sure it clips on a laptop very well and stays there...but getting it to stand and stay on top of my non-flat desktop computer monitor was a different story. You will need to weigh it down with something (I used a cd jewel case). If you don't want it to move.
Make sure you get the "ex" version.

my experience with this webcam
(...)Here are my comments:
The Good:
1. The color is very vivid compared to the 3-year old Creative webcam I had before.
2. Can be cliped on the laptop. The clipping mechnisim is very simple, and it worked for my laptop (a Dell Inspiron).

The bad:
1. Since the base of the camera also serves as the clip, it's very very light (just two piece of plastic), so sometimes it has trouble staying put.
2. On Windows XP, I had trouble with the control application that comes with the webcam (the application that let you take snap shots, take the video, etc). Upon exit of the application, the program crashes. However, I didn't experience any problem with the driver, so the cam works fine with Yahoo and MSN messenger on XP. I don't know if this has anything to do with an earlier version of the Creative application (for my old webcam). I ended up uninstall the old program but haven't had the chance to re-install the new one yet. So I don't know if this problem will go away. I checked Creative's website, there is no software patch available. I didn't have this problem with Win 2000.
3. Had a minor problem when used on my Win2000 machine which has a 4 port D-Link USB hub. When attached to one of the port, it complained serveral times about not enough bus bandwidth. I switched to a different port and the problem seemed go away.
4. Performance under low light condition is somewhat below my expectation.

In general, this is a so-so camera. Not as good as advertised, but then what do you expect from 59 or 79 dollars?

Creative Labs WebCam Pro eX
I recently purchased a WebCam Pro eX. It's the first web cam I've ever used or owned. I don't know of any others since I haven't used them. Some observations:

Pro: Good picture quality in adequatly lit conditions. CCD sensor. People on the other side of the ocean have told me that this web cam gives has good picture quality, but needs proper lighting source. Good Color quality. User can adjust brightness, saturation and contrast levels in accordance to the time of day. Software provided is easy to use. Comes with a microphone. Has a wide choice of resolutions - up to 1024 x 768. Works extremely well with Windows 2000. I don't use Windows XP, nor do I have any desire to upgrade to it, due to hardware compatibility problems this operating system has, and problems in general. If people have problems with this webcam using XP, it isn't because Creative produces poor drivers or a bad product, it's just that XP (Home or Pro) isn't a very good operating system. It's a poor O/S overall and I've had nothing but problems using it.

Cons: No digital zoom. It's difficult to save compressed Windows Media Player files with low frames rates without encountering problems with video and voice synchronization. Perhaps someone can tell me how to correct this problem. Picture quality degrades under poorly lit conditions. Camera requires a secondary light source. Micorphone is so-so. I use another headset instead.

AipTek is more value for money
I use the Aiptek HyperVcam Mobile and Creative EX Pro. The price is about 30% difference with Aiptek the cheaper one.

Creative is better at still pictures. However, the software that comes with it will show you a different picture during preview from the one it actually captures. e.g. The preview is darker but the actual saved picture looks okay.

Aiptek captures a poorer still picture but it is WYSIWYG and it has auto-focus.

The video for these 2 cameras looks the same to me. But for the difference in price, I rate Aiptek as value for money.

Excellent Picture
This small baby is my fifth webcam.

Easy to install in Windows XP. I do not follow the instruction on the manual. Plugin the webcam first, XP reports there is a new device, insert CD-ROM. Do not follow the autoplay of CD-ROM, let XP search the driver, and it's done, 2 minutes is enough.
If u still want to install other software, insert cd-rom again, but unchecked the driver option, and u will install the left.

The picture is clear and sharp, color saturation is good, very stable to stay on my laptop LCDs. Creative has a good product.

It's far better than Logitech Quick Cam Express, and Intel cheapset one. For my point of view, picture quality is better than logitech Pro 4000, which is the comparable product of this one.

Here is some cons: no lens cover, the picture not as good as the Intel pccam Pro, which is the best one i ever use. ... Read more

Features

• Hot pluggable/swappable
• Plug-and-play compatible
• Voice mail and other phone features
• Full duplex speakerphone
• Supports V.90 (ITU 56K) and K56flex standards

Reviews (3)

WOW! This is the PERFECT modem
I had this modem out of the box and set up within 3 minutes. This modem was a replacement for my old modem. This modem connects faster than most modems that I have seen. This modem is fully v.90 and can be flashed for future updates. This modem has kept a connection for close to 2 weeks, stopped only then by a power failure. This modem has audio jacks on the sides for full phone\video phone function. This is the best Creative\Digicom modem that I have owned (I have owned 3). This modem is easy enough to install that even first time users could install it (with a little assistance from the manual). The manual is in plain english and almost anyone can understand it. This is a great product.

The Fast Friendly Multiple Operating System Modem
Need a Modem replacement for you Windows Only modem?

The DE5620 supports Linux and BEoS at full speed allowing for fast surfing with two of the best operating systems now available.

Installation was simple. Configurating Linux and Beos Dial up connections took about 2 minutes each and BAM I was on the net. Plug and Play that really works......

The price is basically a steal of a deal? I'd pay any day to connect at 115K!

Modem Blaster's are Faster! Life is Good!

A good modem. PLEASE NOTE: Cables included
I agree with the Editorial review of this product. The documentation that comes with it is awful. However, it was relatively easy to setup and works like a charm. I bought it for my linux system and the thing can hold a connection forever (staying connected for an extended period was a problem I had with the internal modem that came with my system). This is apparently one of the big pluses for external vs. internal modems: higher reliability. They can also supposedly be faster. PLEASE NOTE: this item comes with all the cables you need to get it up and running. This was annoying to me, as no cables appear in the photo of the item nor could I find any info on the detail page stating this. So I made the mistake of buying an extra cable when it wasn't needed. ... Read more

Features

• With the PC-DVD Ovation 16x kit, you can turn your PC into an advanced entertainment center in no time!
• This kit enables you to playback high-definition DVD video without dedicated decoding hardware
• Video & audio decoding, navigation & decryption are performed seamlessly through software
• When motherboard real estate is at a premium, this kit is the affordable choice for experiencing DVD
• This 16x DVD-ROM drive also supports 5.1-channel Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio and includes easy-to-use DVD navigation controls (Dolby Digital sound requires an optional Dolby Digital (AC-3) amplifier/decoder)

Amazon.com Review

Gamers have been waiting a long time for a 3-D video card that can run the latest games at a resolution of 1,024 x 768 in 32-bit color yet still deliver a high number of frames per second. With the introduction of cards like the Blaster Annihilator Pro, the wait is over. The heart of the card is nVidia's GeForce 256 processor, a 256-bit device with more power than most gamers need and more features than most games support. Until the next generation of cards appears, this is the hottest piece of gaming hardware you can add to your rig.

The Annihilator Pro has one more trick up its sleeve that distinguishes it from first-generation GeForce 256-based cards: its 32 MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory. DDR memory runs at 300 MHz, increasing memory bandwidth to 4.8 GB per second. In layman's terms, that means you can run games with more graphics options turned on, at higher resolutions, and in 32-bit color without impacting the game's performance, compared to a GeForce 256 with Single Data Rate (SDR) memory or an older card like the TNT2.

We were impressed with the thick stack of CD-ROMs that came with the card. Creative provides a full version of the racing game Need for Speed: High Stakes; a limited version of Evolva: Scout; a drivers CD; the WinDVD software DVD decoder; and a few CDs containing demos that show off the card's abilities. One of these is Dagoth Moor Zoological Gardens, a technology demo famous for bringing video cards to their knees. The Annihilator Pro handled it with aplomb, even on a 350 MHz Pentium II test machine.

The Annihilator Pro replaced a TNT2 video card in our test machine, and the improvement in performance was immediately evident. Without changing anything else--like the processor speed or the amount of system RAM--our games were running faster than ever. Quake 3: Arena showed off the card's outstanding OpenGL performance, running smoothly with all the details turned on. We had some initial problems with the 32-bit color Direct3D version of Unreal Tournament (because of the game, not the card) that, once fixed, let us run the game at higher resolutions, with all the bells and whistles enabled, than was possible with the TNT2 card.

In fact, every game we tried designed to work with a 3-D accelerator under Direct3D or OpenGL simply flew. Newer games should be even better, as they can take full advantage of the Annihilator Pro's advanced hardware features like its Transform and Lighting engine. Even DVD playback through the card was smooth and clear, though we recommend purchasing a dedicated hardware DVD decoder board if you're really into watching DVDs on you PC, as software DVD decoding tends to really tax your CPU.

It's not really surprising we achieved such universally satisfying results with the card, considering its specifications. The GeForce chip supports 32-bit color at resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,440. The refresh rate at that setting can go up to a flicker-free 85 Hz, thanks to the card's 350 MHz RAMDAC. Those of you with a newer 4X AGP port can finally buy a video card that takes full advantage of it, although the card also works well when connected to an older 2X AGP interface (beware: the card won't work with an AGP 1X port). At last we have a video card that runs today's games in full 32-bit color at high resolutions and offers the power to extract maximum performance from upcoming titles. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Ultrafast 3-D performance
• 32 MB of DDR memory
• Advanced hardware features
• Ready for next-generation games
• AGP 4x support

Cons:

• Much more expensive than similar model with SDR memory

Features

• Based on NVIDIA's GeForce 256 chip
• Delivers up to 3.84 gigatexels and up to 480 million pixels per second
• 32 MB of high-performance Double Data Rate (DDR) memory
• Extremely high refresh rates
• Compatible with PC systems using AGP 2.0 bus slot

Reviews (10)

One serious polygon-crunching monster...
This is the greatest video card on the market (unless you don't mind waiting a little while and dropping 600 bucks on a Voodoo 5 6000.) This card features a revolutionary GPU (Geometry processing unit). Nvidia's GeForce 256 chipset is a new 256 chip that incorporates transform and lighting on the board. These two elements were origianlly processed by the CPU. Now that they are on the card, your CPU will have some extra power to process other game elements.

The big feature on the Annihilator Pro is its 32 megs of DDR(Double Data Rate) RAM. This RAM can process 2 calculations per CPU cycle, making it twice as fast as any other card currently out there. Plus, it supports AGP 4x and FastWrites, so if you've got a motherboard with an AGP 4x slot, you can widen that graphics bottleneck even further.

At present only a limited amount of games support GeForce's onboard T&L capabilities, so your older games won't be able to take full advantage of the cards features, but as many software developers are beginning to support onboard T&L this will soon change. You could say the 3d Annihilator Pro is an investment towards the future of gaming.

Now there is some important consumer information I feel obligated to let you in on.

YOU MUST HAVE A MOTHER BOARD THAT SUPPORTS AT LEAST AGP 2X, IF YOU DO NOT, THE CARD WILL NOT GET ENOUGH JUICE FROM THE MOTHERBOARD AND WILL SIMPLY NOT WORK.

Any of the other reviews you might have read on this page about the poor folk who say their power source is inadequate are mistaken, so don't worry yourselves with those reviews. JUST MAKE SURE YOUR MOTHERBOARD SUPPORTS AT LEAST AGP 2X AND YOU'LL BE FINE.

YOU CAN FIND OUT IF YOUR MOTHERBOARD IS ADEQUATE BY LOOKING IN THE REFERENCE MANUAL PROVIDED WITH YOUR COMPUTER. IF YOU'VE LOST THIS MANUAL, YOU SHOULD CALL YOUR RETAILER AND FIND OUT. REMEMBER, AN INFORMED CONSUMER IS ALMOST NEVER DISAPPOINTED.

One word....Awesome!
This card is amazing! I have a Dell Pentium II 350 MHZ with 192 ram. My original card was a Rage Pro Expert 98 with 8 Meg of ram. I spent many hours researching articles on all the new graphics cards, and finally decided on the Anihilator Pro. Since I have installed it (now over a month ago), I have been enjoying truly amazing high speed graphics without a single glich. It installed in minutes, and I have never had a problem since. Even with my 350mhz, I blaze though games like Unreal Tournament, Soldier of Fortune and Quake III with ease. Nothing has caused this puppy to miss a beat. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. This card rocks and is well worth the money!

The Best Video card in the World
This card is awesome! But the only thing is you have to have a High end CPU to push it. It does great with 1024x768 32 bit setting and everything cranked to the maximum settings. If you are a hard core gamer like myself and have the newest hardware this is the card for YOU!

Be careful..
I bought this card right when it came out, excited at the newfeatures.

But be careful, it didn't work with my motherboard or mypower supply.

I have an Ibm Aptiva 450Mhz Pent III and 128mb of Ram. And I just couldn't get it to work without locking up the computer.

And it flat out doesn't like Athlon computers at all.

So do some research on your motherboard and power supply, or you will end up selling it on an auction site like I did. END

Buyer Beware!
Although this card has the highest recommendations, beware as to not get burnt. This card will not work with alot of motherboards...especially older LX boards. I suggest waiting awhile until games made for the card come out or the price comes down a bit. ... Read more

Features

• Uses Removable Compact Flash or Microdrive Memory Cards
• FM Tuner with 5-Band Equalizer
• Voice Recorder
• Drag-and-Drop File Transfer
• Remote Control for Easy Access and Control

Features

• Allows your NOMAD Jukebox to play digital music out loud and on the go
• Low profile, portable design
• 29-watt audio system
• Included rechargeable battery lasts up to 10 hours
• NOMAD Jukebox not included

Reviews (6)

Poor quality control!!
I recieved my Playdock 200 and couldn't wait to open it. I set everything up and made the connections. I couldn't believe the sound. I increased the volume and was amazed how clear it was. I then attempted to turn the volume down and nothing. I tried everything and the only thing that would reset the volume downward was turning the playdock off and then back on. That worked but what an annoyance. I was concerned about sending it back because alot of places don't sell it anymore and it looks like it might be discontinued. I figured I'd just live with it. Then I thought maybe just maybe there was something loose. So I carefully removed the side battery cover under the volume controls. I couldn't believe what I found. Two sets of wires completely disconnected and the wire color matched with the corresponding plugs. Lo and behold reconnecting the wires worked. The volume control up or down works flawlessly. I still can't figure what the other pair of wires were for cause everything else worked. One thing I did figure was that the wires were very short and difficult to connect since you had very little room. I think that some tech worker saw that the wires were too short and was having problems connecting them and was just to damn lazy to care. What an inconvenience it would have been to send it back when it only took 5 minutes of my time to fix the problem. I would have given this product a 5 but poor quality control is a major issue. For all you others that have things that don't work on your playdocks you might just wanna take a look!! I wasn't looking forward to sending this back since CL customer service has a very bad reputation and I would probably have to pay the shipping charges. I'm really not sure who to blame CL or Cambridge but it sure is one great piece of equipment that I will never part with. Good luck!!

Playdock makes Nomad Jukebox REALLY worth buying
After absolutely loving the Creative Nomad Jukebox, I decided to purchase the Playdock. On the upside, The Playdock's sound is absolutely superb. It's sleek compact design allows you to replace your huge boombox with a small, easy to transport unit. It heaviness is due to the internal battery, which also charges the jukeboxe's batteries for up to twice as long. Unfortunately, it does not come with a radio or any other accessories. When turned off and charging the batteries, it emits a high-pitched noise. OVERALL, THIS IS A MUST FOR JUKEBOX OWNERS!

The perfect compliment for your Nomad Jukebox.
Yes, it's a little too heavy to be classified as portable, but the sound is exquisite, the styling is classic, and the overall features are perfect for this unit. The glove is an absolute masterpiece. If it weren't for the weight (almost 14 pounds), I'd have given it a 5+.

Creative Playdock
I live in the Uk, but since the unit is not available here, have a 2 shipped to me. They are heavy, but it was worth the cost. They are simple to set up, and the sound is good enough for me. The controls mirror those on the player. It's great to be able to use the unit on battery without having to be near a power point. I use an extra transformer to convert from 240V to 120V to charge to unit. I don't think it would cost Creative much extra to use a switching power supply, which would negate the use of a step down transformer.

Overall, I would recommend the unit to other people, even if they live in the UK!

Good, but with minor drawbacks
I got this unit after I have the Nomad Jukebox. I found out to connect my jukebox with home stereo system, I limited my mobility of the unit.

The unit is great with outstanding battery performance. I run up to 8 hours. The sound quality is good, but with some minor distortion in the high frequency.

The speaker dock has some drawback,

1. Too heavy - Holding the dock with jukebox is just like working out your biceps muscle. Don't expect to have the unit as hiking pleasure....

3. Charging high pitch noise - When you are charging the system you can easily hear high pitch noise from the speaker.

4. No battery power indicator

5. The manual said the battery will last for 2 years. How about after two years? Who can guarantee Creative will still be there after two years?

Other than all of the above, this is a cool unit. ... Read more

Features

• 640 x 480 video resolution
• Microphone with 1/8-inch mini connector
• USB 1.1 interface
• Includes WebCam Control and Ulead PhotoExpress MCE software
• Compatible with Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP

Reviews (13)

Best value for the money
I bought this cam based on my needs and the reviews of others here and am glad I did. If you're looking for the best combination of value and features, this cam is for you.

If you're looking for a cam to chat with others online with, then this cam has all the features you need. You can pay twice as much (or more) for other cams with more features, and if money is no object to you then I'd spend more. But if you want solid, reliable features, then you're not going to beat the [$$$] or so you spend on this webcam.

I chose this over a Logitech model for 2 reasons. First, other reviewers complained about all but the more expensive models. Second, this was so much cheaper and offers the same features. Works with Yahoo, AOL, and MSN, and has great pics and supersize ability. Not as smooth as the more expensive models, but if you want the basics, this is for you.

Installation was easy--if you can read directions, you shouldn't have problems. I'm not going to accuse other reviewers of not being able to read, but I have Windows XP and had no problems installing at all. However, once the setup is complete, there are no other instructions...a more detailed troubleshooter would be nice. However, this is available online.

The 2 biggest features are making your own movies or using it as a live webcam. However, you can't do both simultaneously. So if you're using the camera to look at something, you won't be able to log onto yahoo webcam or any of the others...you'll have to shut it off first. Keep that in mind...took me 20 minutes to figure it out.

Enjoy this product!

one great little camera for computer scaredy cats
For the low price I just knew I would get a pitiful little camera but I was wrong. I installed it on my HP 510 with Windows XP and had no trouble at all.The very first picture was just as clear as it could be.It's a nice little camera and I'm pleased with it.

Works great for me
Unlike a couple of the reviewers below, I had no problems installing the camera's software on Windows XP. This camera works great for me so far, and on top of that, it's relatively inexpensive.

Decent initial buy...
Box suckered me in... (1024x768 images, 640x480 video, etc)...
Dunno if it's age now or what (1yr old?), but the quality sucks and it seems to be getting worse! Always did poor in low light, now it's really grainy and the colors are faded. I suggest staying away and, if you want a budget buy, the Logitech QuickCam is better.

XP Home vs XP Pro
The problems that andyfano stated were ONLY for Windows XP *PRO.* He said it worked for Windows XP Home. So, could future reviewers please specify if it's Home or Pro? It is NOT the same thing.

As for my own, I found the picture clear and could make it work fairly well in low light settings. Could be smoother, but it's all I need for video messaging. Install was fine on an XP Home computer, but I would be interested to know if anyone else has problems on Pro as another member of my family with Pro is looking to get one.

All in all, cost vs. benefit is great. ... Read more

Features

• Turns your PC into a digital MP3 jukebox
• 5x MP3 acceleration
• 320 Kbps encoder
• Listen to MP3 music downloaded from the Internet with full digital sound quality
• Copies songs from CDs into compact MP3 files for easy storage and access

Reviews (13)

Generous bundled software
Sblive MP3 comes with some excellent software for listening and recording music including Cakewalk. It also has a Karaoke program and a voice assist program with an animated Parrot! It's worth it just for the Creative Playcenter and effects. The sound card itself performs very well. It was easy to install and I'm happy I got it.

Decent consumer sound card
I bought this card in a bundle that included the FPS1000 and I've been fairly pleased with the card. (The speakers are a different story. Please see my rant under the Soundworks FPS1000 if you are interested.)

I realized from the get-go that this was just a Soundblaster Live with extra software. However, I'm a sucker for bundled software, and so I took the bait.

As to be expected, the software has run hot and cold in its usefullness. I will say that once I FINALLY get Cakewake to interface with my MIDI keyboard, I will be quite pleased with my purchase. (However, the last time I tried to get it to work, Cakewake was strangely silent. Something must have been wrong in my setup somewhere.)

Some of the software is quite lame. Creative's LAVA and "Keytar" come to mind. (The former is a bad rip off of some of Winamp's finer visual effects and the latter is a poor, poor excuse for guitar effects on the keyboard. Get a real guitar.)

In the end, however, I'm pleased with the performance of my card, and I still maintain that this was the bundle for me. (I certainly shouldn't have bought the "X-Gamer," and I'm still not certain how useful the "LiveDrive" that comes with the Platinum edition is.)

I give it 4 stars because the chipset is a GOOD chipset for a consumer sound card. If you are serious about sound and computers, definitely look elsewhere. Myself, I'm only semi-serious, and, for better or worse, this is where I landed.

Good sound card, bad drivers
The drivers for the SBLive have never been great. With Windows 2000 the drivers were horrible. With Windows XP, you can have basic functionality, but instally Liveware (required to get all the features from the card) will cause system instability, etc. Don't buy this for XP!

Great!
First I thought about buying the Santa Cruz by Turtle Beach but the software bundle wasn't as good as Creatives. So for the great audio and MP3 tools I went with this card. It was very easy to install. I had no problems with it running on Win2k. Another good reason it has Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding and with the DeskTop Theater™ 5.1 DTT2200 the sound is just stunning! I had a little money left so I bought the PC-DVD Encore 12X with Dxr3 technology. That makes it the best thing in the world. Creative has the best products!

Great card and a great price.
The sound on this card is great. Installation was simple with no problems whatsoever. Lots of included software that lets you customize the sound you want. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Most 3-D accelerators are merely rendering engines that rely on the CPU to perform transform and lighting (TL) operations. Because computers vary in CPU processing speed, game developers have been limited to simple environments and square-joint figures with blockheads. With second-generation TL engines, the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 processes the entire 3-D pipeline onboard to process up to 25 million triangles per second, freeing the developer and the CPU to produce realistic worlds with curved surfaces and lifelike characters with fluid and engaging motions.

As multitexture effects and scene complexity increase, pipeline processing and texture fill rate becomes critical. Other 3-D accelerators lack the power and bandwidth to deliver advanced effects at higher resolutions. Featuring four independent pixel pipelines with NSR, the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 can process up to 8 texture-mapped, filtered and lit texels per clock cycle with fill rates up to 1.6 gigatexels per second. Configured with 32 MB of DDR memory, the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 provides 5.3 GB/sec of dedicated graphics bandwidth--enough to produce full motion frame rates at resolutions beyond 1600 x 1200 with visual realism.

Increasing 3-D features without sacrificing performance is the hallmark of a true next-generation accelerator. Many 3-D accelerators only try to improve performance and ignore increasing 3-D capabilities. Featuring the new NSR, the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 can perform per-pixel shading and complex pixel operations in a single pass to produces rich, realistic materials and cinematic effects. With capabilities like per-pixel bump mapping, hardware anti-aliasing and cube environment mapping, the 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 delivers the next generation in stunning effects, in real-time. ... Read more

Features

• Powered by the world's first Gigatexel Shading GPU--the GeForce 2 GTS from NVIDIA
• 4 independent pixel pipelines and new NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer (NSR) delivers fill rates of up to 1.6 gigatexel per second
• Second-generation transform and lighting (TL) engines processes up to 25 million triangles per second
• 256-bit graphics architecture and 32 MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory effectively operating at 333 MHz
• AGP 4X with advanced 2-D, 3-D, and video features and performance

Reviews (10)

Very Nice Card
This is a really nice card, the price is right since they removed useless features like ram heatsinks and video out. The memory is 6ns Infineon DDR ram. Card ships in a attractive box with drivers and some really cool Nvidia demos. It has a small HS/FAN that is exactly the same that came on most GeForce's. The newer 18 micron fab really helps cut down on heat. Running at 200/333 its already pretty fast, I found that I could do 220/390 without any problems. Furthermore the card is stable at 133FSB (89AGP) on BX boards for those of you that overclock. I give it 5 stars, its a basic board that does what it was designed for and does it well. 32MB ram isn't a problem, I found that it benched within a few frames of my Herc 64MB Prophet II; at this time I find that 32MB is just as effective and is much more affordable than the 64MB cards.

Very fast and worth every penny!
This video card is really the best on the market I believe right now. It is very fast especially in T&L conditions and also in very high resolution 3D applications. I could get about 25-30 FPS in halflife at 640x480 (with a RIVA TNT on a PII 450), but I usually run at 800x600 and get 72 FPS (GeForce 2 GTS 32MB on a 1.1 Ghz AMD T-Bird). I've tested the card at 1024x768 and I get 72 FPS. At 1600x1200 I can get about 30 FPS, exceptional for a card at that resolution. Also, the FSAA is great (full screen antialiasing). I'd get this card be cause the extra 32MB or RAM on the card is not worth the extra price and I don't think that the GeForce 2 Ultra is worth the high price. So you know, I'd leave the first PCI slot done from the AGP just because all the GeForces run a little warm and you want that heat to disipate. Great card, I'd recommend it to anyone!

good little card
Even though this card is out dated it still pushes all it can give. If you're not to keen on having 100fps on games, with this card you can still play all current games at decient levels and get a fresh 30fps. Movies are shown in 24fps, and I can't tell any differnce after 30. So this card is great if you wanna play games on a poor income.

Easy to setup. faster to burn out
A great card, a bit expensive here. Look at Tomshardware.com for comparable cards. I owned this card and ran it in a high end, well ventilated tower. This card runs HOT!!! I mean to the point that the heatsink couldn't be touched!!!! The heatsink is cheap and Creative Labs may as well let you put your own heatsink on. Mine burned out in under a year and that's without playing games on it!!!! If you buy it, get some fans to blow on it!!!

It get's great ratings, is a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. Good video quality. But Creative Labs did themselves wrong by placing the chip at the bottom of the card. Heat rises and the card heats up. A little redesign and a quality heatsink and this would get 4-5 stars.

A fine card
A fine card. Does great at what it's supposed to do: pump out great 3-D graphics, smooth and fast. It also does 2-D graphics well, giving you high refresh rates even on large monitors at high resolution.

3-D and 2-D graphics are about all the card does, though. If you're looking for extra features, this might not be the card for you. Some disadvantages of the card:

1) No TV output. This would have been nice to have, especially with the included DVD acceleration.

2) No bundled DVD software. Even though this card has DVD acceleration, you have to purchase extra software at additional cost before you can watch a DVD.

3) The drivers don't give you many extra features or controls besides what you already get in Windows. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your preference. I would have liked to see a built-in control to set the default brightness/gamma in 3-D games, as things otherwise appear too dark for me.

I don't overclock, and so can't vouch for this card's heat generation or overclocking tolerance. My CPU is the bottleneck in my system now, as this card is plenty fast by default. The drivers have no controls to adjust overclocking speed (there may be a code to make them appear, but I don't know it).

I bought the card for its 3-D graphics capability, and have been very pleased with it. It has a very good price for a GeForce 2, and is recommended if that's what you want and you don't care about DVD or other extra features. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

For the most intense, multidimensional gaming experience with a thunderous home-theater feel, get the Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer 5.1. It's powered by the superior EMU10K1 Digital Signal Processor, so you'll experience real-time audio and effects with staggering hardware acceleration that will keep your adrenaline pumping. With the ability to connect to Dolby Digital and multi- channel digital speaker systems or analog audio devices, you can experience true 5.1 surround sound on your games. Track your opponent's every move with the accurate and realistic 3D positional audio effects of EAX--hear enemies creeping up from behind and spaceships ripping through the sky with incredible realism.

Arm yourself with the power and quality of Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer 5.1 to stay on top of the game. ... Read more

Features

• Clear digital and analog 5.1 audio
• 3-D positional audio with the dynamic accuracy and realism of EAX
• Real-time audio and effects acceleration with the powerful EMU10K1 Digital Signal Processor
• Enjoy 5.1 sound when connected to the 5.1 speaker system
• PC compatible

Reviews (8)

Best Soundcard EVER!!
When I first used this soundcard under Win98, it was difficult to install at first, but after downloading the latest driver, it worked fine. I was really impressed with the sound quality of this card and the games packaged with it(especially Unreal Tournament). The sound from playing my DVD movies on my computer is outstanding! This card works great under WINDOWS XP Professional because you do not have to install any drivers for it since XP sets it up automatically and painlessly! Overall, I think this soundcard was a great purchase. Well worth the money spent.

Note: If you are trying to get the Soundblaster Live card to work with a VIA based motherboard or any other non Intel based board, you may need to download the latest driver at soundblaster.com or creative.com to get it to work.

Decent but better choices exist. Incompatibility problems!
The X-Gamer is a very decent card. Pretty good sound quality. DVD's play okay, games are okay, the only thing that's really great about the card is the sound quality in DOS but not a lot of people have applications in DOS. For the same price, there are many better choices out there currently which have much better sound quality in recording and playback.

Also, the SB Live! cards have problems working on motherboards with VIA southbridge chipsets and many AMD-based motherboards have a VIA southbridge. The IRQ settings get messed up and the only way to get the card working is to upgrade and install the 4-in-1 drivers.

Must have for games or DVD
Wire this baby into your stereo, and you'll definitely notice the difference between good sound cards and the bad ones. This card is excellent although it is a little expensive due to the market strength of sound blaster. The included games give this package a little more value. The digital output is great if you have the equipment for it. At maximum volume, I don't even notice distortions (of course you need your speakers to perform too).

Sound Blaster does it again!
There are many pretenders to the throne, but for quality sound cards that /everyone/ supports, there can be only one: Sound Blaster. The Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer 5.1 is an excellent sound card, optimized for 5.1 (6 speakers--4 surround, one center channel, one subwoofer) speaker systems (though I'm using a 2.1 (2 speakers + subwoofer) system myself). Sound quality is excellent, and the card itself comes with plugs for attaching microphones and other devices (such as MP3 recorders) to. Note that this is /not/ the Platinum card, which comes with the front panel port some of the other reviews talk about--hardware-wise, you just get the card (and appropriate cables).

Software-wise, it comes with an amazing bundle--aside from the usual utility programs, the X-Gamer comes with Unreal tournament, Duex Ex, Thief 2 (the Metal Age) and MDK2. Not demos, but full versions of the games. It's almost worth buying the card just to get the bundle, as so many magazine reviews have said!

Note: although I said everything is compatible with Sound Blaster, this isn't entirely true. Windows 2000 is, I believe, not compatible with it (though check the Creative website for further developments), and Windows ME may have some issues (since WinME doesn't use DOS anymore, and SB Live! still uses DOS emulators for some functions). As far as games go, however, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever!

Very Good Sound Card For DVD Play back
have being using this sound card with my pentium 4 the sound is very good you have to have a ALTEC LANSING SPEAKERS TO ENJOY THE GREAT 5.1 PLAYBACK. WHEN YOU PUT THE SPEAKERS ALL THE WAY LOUD YOU COULD HEAR STRANGE SOUNDS BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME IF YOU HAVE A GOOD COMPUTER AND A GOOD VIDEO CARD THIS SOUND CARD WILL BE GREAT AND THIS SOUND CARD IS ONE OF THE BEST I WAS WATCHING XMEN THE OTHER DAY SOUND WAS VERY CLEAR AND THE EFFECTS WERE GREAT I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A THEATER... ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

It's hard to believe that so many features could be packed into such a tiny package, but the Creative Labs Nomad MP3 player is one little dynamo. With 64 MB combined memory (32 MB onboard and an included 32 MB SmartMedia card), an FM tuner, voice recording capabilities, and a bevy of extras, the Nomad is a terrific deal in a digital music player.

We loved how ultratiny the Nomad is--it truly deserves to be called pocket-sized. The case is made of a solid silver-colored plastic, and the buttons run down the sides of the player instead of being on the player's face. We appreciated this design, since it's easy to accidentally bump buttons on the front of a player. The Nomad also has a hold button, which stops buttons from activating if you accidentally bump them.

Setup of the Nomad is relatively straightforward. We installed the software, connected the docking cradle to our PC's parallel port, and we were ready to go. Be sure to check your BIOS settings to make sure your parallel port is configured to ECP mode, or the player won't work at all. If you're unfamiliar with how to do this, check your computer's manual and the Nomad's documentation, as this process can be tricky.

The software that comes with the player is somewhat unintuitive. Most MP3 players let you drag tracks directly from your software MP3 player to the hardware, but the Nomad adds an extra step. It ships with MusicMatch, a terrific MP3 utility. You can use either it or another program that you favor as your default player. You can record all your MP3s to MusicMatch from CDs or the Internet, but you can't move them directly to the Nomad from this interface. You must use the Creative Nomad Manager software that comes with the player to transfer files. This makes the process somewhat longer and more tedious. We hope that Creative Labs remedies this problem in the next incarnation of the Nomad.

The earbuds that ship with the Nomad are not the best quality, but music still sounds decent through them. We do recommend that you get a more expensive pair, as it will greatly improve the sound quality.

Skipping from track to track on the Nomad is simple, and you can use the equalizer to select one of four presets--normal, classic, jazz, or rock. The player has repeat, all, and shuffle functions; however, the shuffle function doesn't remember which tracks it's already played, and at one point we got stuck listening to the same track three times in a six-track stretch.

The circular display, while clever, is somewhat difficult to read. There is no backlight, so you can't see the display in low-light situations. Another complaint is that the display scrolls through the track name and artist at the beginning of each song, but stops after the first scroll-through and shows only the elapsed time until the next track starts. The display does show helpful information on mode, battery life, whether or not the memory card is in, and which track number you're currently listening to.

The voice recorder is a great feature that lets you record up to four hours on the player. We also appreciated the addition of an FM tuner. While it's not perfect--it uses the headphone cord as an antenna, which can cause stations to fade in and out--it's a great bonus for those times when you're tired of your current selection. We quickly programmed in 10 presets that are easily selectable in the FM tuner mode.

Despite the shortcomings with the software and display, we were thoroughly impressed with the Nomad. Its tiny size, 64 MB of included memory, FM tuner, and voice recording capabilities make it representative of everything fun and exciting about MP3 players and digital music. Be warned, though: the Nomad is not upgradable to support any future compression formats, so it's possible that the player may become outdated. --Ara Jane Olufson

Pros:

• 64 MB combined memory
• Nice quality FM tuner
• Voice recording capabilities
• Durable

Cons:

• Unintuitive software
• Difficult-to-read display
• Not upgradable

Features

• Record your favorite songs from your personal CD collection or the Internet
• Nonmechanical operation for skip-free, continuous playback
• Combined 64 MB RAM (32 MB onboard, 32 MB on removable media)
• Includes FM tuner and voice-recording capabilities
• LCD song title readout

Reviews (42)

Record companies promoting SDMI through reviews?
I love the Creative labs Nomad 64 even with its couple of flaws which are -

lack of USB support / Awful Nomad manager and MusicMatch software - although there is an update as of 2000 that improves it a lot and not enough memory

I don't care and won't care for SDMI as long as it does not interfere with the way I've gotten used to using my MP3 files - Right now as far as I understand - SDMI will be an option for the user to choose and not come preinstalled for example on the new Nomad II.

Creative Labs makes the best players as far as I am concerned because they have the cool look and feel plus they have an FM tuner which comes in handy when you are tired of listening to the same limited number of songs because of the lack of more memory

Limitations
I recently got a Creative Nomad MP3 player, and after installing the Nomad Manager Software, I get an error message ¨Docking Station not conected¨.
The parallel cable is properly connected.
I actually have Windows 2000 and the software that comes with the mp3 player, says that it is for Windows 95 98.
I have looked in Creative's Web page and there are no drivers for windows 2000, I also change the Bios settings as the setup instructions manual refers. With no results .

Great Deal
I have spent about 2 weeks researching all MP3 players on the market, and I have come to the conclusion that this one is the best for the price at this time. It is made by an extremely reliable company, and comes with a flury of features.

Total included memory: 64 MB Approximate playback time: 60 minutes Onboard memory: 32 MB Included memory cards: 1 32 MB SmartMedia Compatible memory type: SmartMedia Number of expansion slots: 1 MP3 playback: Yes WMA playback: Yes LCD Display FM tuner Voice recording Battery status display Random play Repeat: One track, all tracks Forward/reverse: Yes Hold: Yes Preset EQ curves: Normal, classic, jazz, and rock Bass boost: Yes AC adapter: Yes Car adapter: No Carrying case: Included Batteries: 2 AAA (rechargeable NiMH, included) Headphones: Yes Bundled software: Creative Nomad Manager, MusicMatch Interface: Parallel (supporting ECP mode) Battery life: 9 hours Weight: 2.26 ounces

At this price who can pass it up!

Hot and Cold...
I received this mp3 player with high regard. I had read all the reviews and this player really looked like the best all other available models for the price. It comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger as well as 64 total MB of storage. These are both great features. However, the data is transferred from the computer to the mp3 player via a serial or printer port. I could never get the Nomad configured to work properly with my brand new system. After calling Tech Support (Long Distance) they still could not fix my problem. Luckily, I had a laptop which happened to work perfectly with the Nomad. Using this I was able to transfer songs and actually use the mp3 player, for which the sound quality was great and the features were exceptional. Yet, I noticed another 'problem.' The songs I had placed on the SmartMedia section of memory were not properly being erased. Everytime I tried to format it, it would still have the reminants of two older songs left on the card, in plain terms my SmartMedia card was corrupt. I had to send my Nomad back but I do miss my portable Mp3 ability. The player is lightweight, easily stored and sounds awesome. Sadly, the portable mp3 market is limited right now and I believe I'll wait a while before I invest in this technology again.

great value, poor reliability
On the surface, this looks like a great player at a great price---and it is. However, soon after I bought mine the flash card started causing me problems. Within a few days the flash card failed to work anymore, thus leaving me with only 32MB to work with. When I called Creative Labs they didn't seem to care at all about my difficulties, and actually tried to blame Amazon for the problem. To the contrary Amazon helped me greatly and I ended up exchanging the Nomad for a Rio player, which I'm very happy with. Also, if you plan on using your player while exercising/working out, be forewarned that this product DOES NOT have a belt clip, thus making it almost impossible to use while exercising. Of course, Creative labs does offer a leather carrying case/belt clip for $30---a rip off if you ask me. Overall, I would stay away from this product. If you do choose to buy it, remember to add $30, the cost of a belt clip, to the total price. The player is no good without it. I mainly give this product such a poor rating becuase of the terrible customer service I recieved from Creative Labs. However, I thank Amazon for helping to remedy the situation. ... Read more

Features

• Supports V.80 video conferencing
• Voice recording and playback
• Plug and play
• Fully compliant with V.90 and V.34
• Works with multiple operating systems

Amazon.com Product Description

If you're after the ultimate gaming rush, get Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer to take your PC games to the edge. Powered by the superior EMU10K1 audio processor, the Sound Blaster Live X-Gamer allows you to process high quality audio and effects in real time so there is never a slowdown during gameplay--even the most intense deathmatch.

The Environmental Audio standard has been implemented into today's hottest games for the best 3-D positional audio. With support for the latest audio standards, occlusion, obstruction, and up/down elevation, Environmental Audio adds realism and atmosphere to games, movies, and other audio applications. Experience the thrill of cars racing by, ships thundering overhead, and enemies creeping up from behind--sounds will literally come from all corners of the room.

The Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer includes three full game titles that provide astounding support for Environmental Audio: Interplay's Descent 3, Electronic Arts' Need for Speed 4: High Stakes, and Eido's Thief: The Dark Project.

Utilize the full potential of Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer when digitally connected to multichannel speakers for pure digital surround sound. With support for both analog and digital connection, the Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer surrounds you with a full 360-degree sound for the most realistic gaming experience. When connected to the Digital Out connector of the Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer, hear every movement of the enemy on multichannel speakers, such as FPS2000 digital speakers.

The Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer is Live!Ware upgradable so your sound card is always up to date with the latest audio features and standards. Just download software to your reprogrammable EMU10K1 processor and get the latest updates. ... Read more

Features

• Audio hardware quality and acceleration
• Supports analog and digital connection for 2 or 4 speaker configurations
• Digital surround sound; industry-standard Environmental Audio
• 32-bit, 48-KHz digital signal processing and patented 8-point interpolation
• Produces precise audio fidelity and 32 3-D hardware-accelerated channels, 64 hardware-accelerated channels, or 1,024 voices

Reviews (16)

Wow A great sound card!
I just purchased the Sound Blaster Live X-gamer and I must say I was impressed. The card had every thing I wanted and more! This card comes with more that enough software, a microphone, and with 3 full games! I put the SB X-gamer in and could here a giant leap in overall sound quality. I even noticed that my games were running faster than before and the sound experience was great. The enviromental audio makes the games come alive. You can hear that guard walking around the corner. You can hear the diffrence between walking in a stone halway and a carpeted floor in the game Thief: The Dark Project (One of the games that comes with the SB X-Gamer). Not only can you listen to great sounding music you can have you music sound like it's being played in a Concert Hall, Your Living Room, and even a Bathroom just to name a fuw of the over 100 enviromental setting to choose from. This sound card is the best for a great price. Now if you are more into watching DVD movies or a hardcore gamer I would suggest the speaker system made for the SB X-Gamer called the Creative Labs FPS200. This is a 4 speaker 1 subwoffer stero sourround sound experience that is hard to beat. I have a FPS2000 system and I must say it makes the sound ten times better. You can actualy hear when monster's sneek up behind you in Thief it is Awsome! I would recomend this sound card to anyone who wants a truly great audio experience!

Another excellent offering from Creative.
I've been using Creative Labs products since the Sound Blaster Pro I bought in 1993, and still they astound me. I purchased a new chip/MB, and it had all AGP and PCI slots, so my ISA SB AWE64 had to go; I replaced it with this, and after hearing the incredible quality and effects that this card had to offer, I'm certain I made the right choice. If you are into gaming or just high-quality audio in general, this card is the way to go - it's expandable to the nth degree, with both proprietary items (FPS2000 speakers, LiveDrive) from Creative and more standard things such as DVD drives, TV cards, and multiple speaker systems. And you HAVE to hear the immersive 3D sound this can generate in games like Thief and Unreal Tournament. You could always buy a 16-bit generic PCI sound card, but this is worth the money.

The dirty little secret about sound cards
Granted, Creative makes the de facto standard of sound cards. Anyone remotely familiar with computers knows that. What you may not know is it's almost impossible to tell the difference between this card and a $10 no-name sound card unless you use very expensive speakers (i.e. Klipsch ProMedia) or run a line to a high quality home theater system. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong and I challenge them to prove otherwise. If you don't have or plan to buy at least a 4 or 5 speaker system, there's no reason you should buy this card over a Soundblaster 16. Even the included games are selling at bargain prices now. Save your money.

I ran into difficulties installing this card due to limitations of not enough free IRQ spaces. I don't have a lot of extra peripherals, just a CD-ROM, a CDRW, a NIC card and an extra hard drive. (Wasn't Win95 supposed to eliminate this problem anyway?) I was finally able to get the card to work under Win98, however the software-based DOS emulation drivers still won't load correctly. Make sure you have free spaces as the installation software won't point this out to you beforehand and it became a real nightmare to install.

The main reason I knocked it down a couple stars is because of the card's unreliability. The old Soundblaster cards used to be rock solid. However, the first Live card I bought started losing one of its speaker channels within the first month. Fortunately I was able to return it for a replacement. The replacement I've owned less than a year, yet again I'm losing the right side. While there is a 1-year warranty, chances are it'll probably be more hassle than it's worth to return it to Creative and I'll probably have to throw it away. It's unfortunate quality control has pretty much gone out the window.

x-gamer is the best!
O MY GOD! this card is the best card i have used in a long, long time! You plug it in and it works. Its that simple. The software installs fine, and it is Live!Ware compatible, which means you can add new features to your card later. The software itself is worth the price. I bought this card elseware, which means that I paid $100, and I thought it was a great deal then. This card has 2 disks of software for the card itself, and 5 for the games! There are so many features to this card I haven't even found them all and I spent an entire weekend playing with it. And it has support for 5.1 surround sound, so you can FEEL the games when you play them. BUY THIS CARD NOW! IT IS THAT SIMPLE! You wont regret it.

Creative still rules the PC audio realm
Creative once again lives up to their name with the Live X-Gamer. The Live cards are all the same physically. The real difference is in the packaged software, save the Platinum version which includes the Live Dock(A very cool feature). I sort of miss the Gold plated RCA jacks from the SoundBlaster Gold days, but I'll deal.

The sound quality from this card is what most would expect from the leader in computer audio products. The included software is a great deal by giving you: Descent Three, Need For Speed:High Stakes(my fave), and Thief. The applications for the card sometimes seem a bit much, but they are a joy to audiophiles, and those who like to play around with digital audio.

Install was trouble free and with the easy update features I was able to get on-line and update the card without a hassle.

The reasonable price and gratuitous software bundle make this a definate consideration for those looking to build a system or upgrade an older sound card. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great mp3 player
I got the Nomad 2 32 MB mp3 player about 5 months ago. This version is probably the same but you have to buy your own memory. It is a great player and can take a lot of abuse. I drop it a lot more than I should, and it is fine. The backlight is great for playing in the dark, and the player has a flash bios system to upgrade to new technologies. The sound is loud enough almost all the time unless I am downtown in the city. It only takes one battery which really does last a while. The best part is that it has an FM tuner to listen to the radio when you get tired of your MP3s. Also, the remote on the headphones is a great idea. Great player, I would easily reccomend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This Creative Labs eight-piece PC speaker system delivers 7.1-channel audio to a computer system with a sound card or surround sound support, continuing the evolution of PCs into full-featured home entertainment centers. The T7700 enhances everything from 3D games to DVD movies to music from the comfort of a computer desktop. The system's 125 watts of total system power and superior positional audio from the seven acoustically tuned satellite speakers offer the listener an excellent acoustic performance.

The system comes with a separate audio control pad, which features a power button, volume and bass controls, a stereo line-in, a headphone jack, and a unique M-Port feature that lets users stream music directly into compatible MP3 players. In addition, the system is equipped with Creative Multi-Speaker System (CMSS) technology, which dramatically enhances the playback of stereo files and 5.1 and 6.1 audio soundtracks across the entire 7.1 speaker configuration.

The two front satellite speakers and single center speaker feature a tweeter and a midrange driver for consistent high-frequency response, while the two side and two rear satellite speakers feature a single midrange driver. A wooden subwoofer with a 6.5-inch long-throw driver complements the satellite speakers to deliver a rich, full bass. To aid in placement, the speakers store on convenient speaker stands, though the stands remove easily for mounting on a wall. The T7700 is protected by a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box Center speaker, two front satellite speakers, two side satellite speakers, two rear satellite speakers, subwoofer, audio control pad, seven speaker stands, requisite speaker cables, power adapter, and user's manual. ... Read more

Features

• 2 front and single center speaker equipped with tweeter and midrange driver; side and rear satellites feature single midrange driver
• 92 watts total RMS power (8 watts x 6, plus 20-watt center and 24-watt subwoofer)
• Includes audio control pad with power, volume and bass controls, and MP3 streaming capability
• Creative Multi-Speaker System enhances playback of 5.1 and 6.1 audio soundtracks

Reviews (4)

Excellent valued speakers ...
I just started using these and I will admit they aren't the higest power rated speakers but for a directional 7.1 gaming rig and personal surround system the price is impossible to beat... I bought this with an Audigy 2 Gamer and the best game out there (FarCry) and the price is excellent... The bundle of games with the Audigy 2 Gamer is also a great deal for those that don't have them(...)P>Use the gift certificate for Unreal 2004, Doom 3 or Half Life 2...

Keep in mind to get maximum value out of this you need to add a solid video card to your rig. Picked up a Geforce 6800GT OC and am sitting pretty...

Happy gaming...

Midrange for games and treble + base for music
The subwoofer is virtually identical to the 6600 set(6.1) with 2 extra RMS for the 7th speaker layout. The midrange is much like the 6.1's but the front end has tweeters as well as center tweeter/mid for V/O talant in games(which is sadly drown out in most games by sound progammers fault, not the speakers). The games that really thrive are the FPS as everyone says, but some sims also take good advantage even IND War II spreads it out quite well and seems to be universally compatible with all systems-9.1 anyone? Most kinds of games(RPG, Adventure, tactical) do not get fully apprieciated becasue of the subtle sounds that do not get heard well unless you turn up the volumn. insects, birds, distant waterfalls, peasant chatter, and other ambience is better heard on the Gigaworks set or Logitech's 5.1. Which cost two arms and three legs to purchase.
On the music side, Classic Rock music(like Rush, Yes, Kansas, Head East, Heart, Spooky Toothe ect.) sound excellent because you don't want too much bass in that stuff. Most other music(classical and easy) nead more midrange and less hissy treble to truely appreciate. If you listen to Beat music or other bass required tunes you need a better set than this. Creative's acompanying sound card does quite well at dividing instruments descretely in all 7 channels however on this set.
If you don't have the money for the fancy set, go for it, but if you play games and want to appreciate the sound quality save up for the big one. Otherwise you are probably better off with a 2.1 with tweeters, midrange and a thumpy bass.

Great for the price
There isn't a better system for PC gaming (for the price) than these Inspire T7700's. To begin with, 7.1 DOES make a difference with games - the transitions are much smoother. The two-way satellites add to the high end, and the sub puts out a lot of bass. The wired controller lets you adjust everything, and even has a line in (for plugging in my MP3 jukebox). I also like the way they look with the grill off :)

good for the price
I recently upgraded from FPS1800, expecting a lot from two way speakers and 7 point. Those speakers do produce high frequency sound, but the mid range somehow got weaker, so it lacks in warmth which FPS1800 had. The bass is pretty good, though it's not as puchy as home audio sytem. Overall, the sound is very powerful (who needs more than 100watts for computer speakers?), and 7 point sourcing in gmaes works very good especially considering its price. For movie, I don't see any difference even when I turn on 7 speakers setting for powerdvd.
Little tweak: if you want to get a good music experience, change the front two speakers to bookshelf speakers. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Poor support, poor MPEG2 quality
No support and distortion problems

Not working .. Not compatible :(
Not compatible with WindowsXP.
Not really compatible with Windows 2000.

No documentation
No online information

For Home Videos and Streams only
This unit was not made for recording high quality movies or tv shows. If you're looking for something to capture home videos or something for your web, this is probably the best option. Installation is pretty easy, and I recommend you download the latest software from the soundblaster site, rather than use the one they give you.

It's pros are it's USB and portability. I bought one for work, but I've used it on several machines, running W2k and WinXP and everything worked fine. However, the software (and possibly hardware) only allow you to get a max resolution of 320x240. It encodes into .mpeg1 or mpeg2, each of which resulting in a file about 1 GB for a bout an hour of moving. I used it to make a bunch of streamed lectures and it works great for that. As well as adding lightsaber effects to a home movie.

But when trying to record full length movies, it's terrible. The quality just isn't good enough. Also, this unit (unlike others sold on the market) has no out feed. It can only get incoming video and audio feeds. Thus, if you need something that can feed back onto VHS, you're out of luck here.

Overall, it works well if you're buying it for web streams or home videos.

It is Win2k compliant
Just a quick reply to the review saying that this does not work on win2k. The product runs under win2k, which is the OS I have been running it on since I bought it. Just don't want false info out there.

not ready for prime time
this thing caused me mnore grief than almost all my ex girlfriends put together (almost). it is unbelievably sensitive during installation, and awkward in the extreme to use for capturing full length movies to disk. i guess you could use for capturing home movies to disk, but there are much better products available for that. also, you can't return it without talking to tech support first, but of course they don't answer email or phone calls. in the end i cancelled payment for the (...). good one creative, keep it up and you will be joining osbourne and kaypro in computer valhalla. ... Read more