X-Fi Support Syndicate & Owner's Clubhouse

[imperialreign]

Wow this thread is huge, whew I didn't read a whole lot of posts but I do know this, to be frank I think my xtreme gamer is overheating. No way am I replacing the card unless it dies which it hasn't sound cards are just not cheap...

but anyways um I need a good cooling solution for it, now I read that you can place a 40x40mm fan on top of the stock heatsink??? I'm also thinking of pulling mine off and just replacing not sure how to go about that though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119048 is this something I should look into????

not only that there is no mounting holes for the fan so should I just try duck taping it on there???

well - from your description, it sounds as if the card already has the stock cooler over the APU . . . if so, there's no way to remove it without destroying the APU itself. The HS is bonded with thermal epoxy, which is damn near bullet-proof (believe me, I've tried!).


The best bet to bump up the cooling efficiency is indeed to install a fan over the cooler - but a 40mm unit is a bit big; if you can figure out some way to jimmy-rig one on, though, it'll provide higher airflow than a smaller unit that would properly fit the cooler. IIRC, the stock HS on the X-Fi is a 30mm unit, meaning you'd need a fan like this: http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?sk=MC71419&productID=6706 - if you do purchase online, just make sure it's a 12v unit, and not 5v

The next best idea would be to make sure your case has good ventilation - if need be, clean the dust out of it (and off the card), and consider rearranging your expansion cards (if possible) . . . a good rule of thumb is to mount the X-Fi closest to the bottom of the motherboard, if possible.

 

[kysg]

This is true I have to give it some thought. Maybe tomorrow when I get up, right now I'm not sure. Duct taping seems like a possibility but could mess with are flow, could try supergluing it but that may not work...darn its just there is no mounting holes anywhere...wonder if there is some type of metal bracket that can be placed over the fan...

Think a thermal pad would work if I stuck it directly on top of the heatsink even though the fins could possibly mess it up?

 

[imperialreign]

are you talking a means for attaching a fan?

well, if you can get one small enough, the screws will simply wedge in between the fins.

a larger unit, though, would pose a bit more on an issue Even using a thermal pad, that will effectively block the fans ability to pull air across the fins of the HS.

does your case have a fan on the side panel? If you have a PCI slot available across from the side-fan, you could move it there.



Curious - what specifically has led you to believe the card might be overheating?

 

[kysg]

Hmmm well I know the thing would get warm, its currently not in use will use it tomorrow I use to remember this thing getting warm, and I had my drivers updated and my onboard disabled, along with the ATI hdmi sound had that disabled too, and and it set to use the card in bios, hmmm Like I would play a game and all of a sudden I'd hear staticy sounds, then after a while I remember the thing would even play any more and I'd have to restart, I figured it was overheating, Mp3s where okay although occasionally when I played a sound I'd get static or a crackle sound... I'll give it a shot again tomorrow and see whats up,

and my case is this one, no fans on the sides, just 3 in the back, 1 in front.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133035

 

[FreedomEclipse]

just picked up a XFi Fatality Pro for $158.52 (hello European VAT)

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Problem now is i cant get the console to reconise the card even though the drivers installed correctly

 

[imperialreign]

Hmmm well I know the thing would get warm, its currently not in use will use it tomorrow I use to remember this thing getting warm, and I had my drivers updated and my onboard disabled, along with the ATI hdmi sound had that disabled too, and and it set to use the card in bios, hmmm Like I would play a game and all of a sudden I'd hear staticy sounds, then after a while I remember the thing would even play any more and I'd have to restart, I figured it was overheating, Mp3s where okay although occasionally when I played a sound I'd get static or a crackle sound... I'll give it a shot again tomorrow and see whats up,

and my case is this one, no fans on the sides, just 3 in the back, 1 in front.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133035

hmmm . . . when gaming, do you have the card set to game mode? Also, is hardware acceleration enabled within WIN?

The small crackle or static when playing mp3s, does that typically occur right at the very beginning of the sound?

Problem now is i cant get the console to reconise the card even though the drivers installed correctly

Part of the old drivers might still be installed. Did your card come with an installation disk?

Use the setup software found in C:\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Program\setup.exe and have it completely remove all drivers and software (if you have problems getting it to run, it should also be on the installation disk, or manually remove stuff through WIN add/remove programs applet). Then reboot the system, and run Driver Sweeper in safe mode.

If your card came with an installation disk, you have to use that disk for installation. For some odd reason, the disks are "keyed" to the hardware. I've tried 4 or 5 different installation disks before, and the only one that would install correctly, or function correctly after installation is the disk that specifically came with that card. :shadedshu

 

[FreedomEclipse]

update: everything is cool - Dolby Digital Live is like the best thing ever. pairs well with my 5500's

Part of the old drivers might still be installed. Did your card come with an installation disk?

Use the setup software found in C:\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Program\setup.exe and have it completely remove all drivers and software (if you have problems getting it to run, it should also be on the installation disk, or manually remove stuff through WIN add/remove programs applet). Then reboot the system, and run Driver Sweeper in safe mode.

If your card came with an installation disk, you have to use that disk for installation. For some odd reason, the disks are "keyed" to the hardware. I've tried 4 or 5 different installation disks before, and the only one that would install correctly, or function correctly after installation is the disk that specifically came with that card. :shadedshu

Yeah long story -

I uninstalled the original drivers & software - ran driver cleaner twice - restarted PC - Installed new drivers & software - restarted again - GUI wont detect my card - uninstalled everything & ran driver cleaner twice again - restarted pc & reinstalled again - still not working, then i checked out my hardware profiles & found out i had to install some M$ UAA Hi-Def Audio update for the PCI-E bus or something & for some reason it didnt auto update - anyhoo after the last comeplete uninstall & driver flush then reinstall & install with the new drivers which are dated august as the most recent one didnt pick it up & it started working perfectly...

so there you have it - my epic 1 hour battle to get my sound working complements of the bastards at creative.

honestly Creative are like a rampant rabbit - you have to grab it by the vibrating part then yank out the bottom part so its guts fall out

 

[imperialreign]

update: everything is cool - Dolby Digital Live is like the best thing ever. pairs well with my 5500's



Yeah long story -

I uninstalled the original drivers & software - ran driver cleaner twice - restarted PC - Installed new drivers & software - restarted again - GUI wont detect my card - uninstalled everything & ran driver cleaner twice again - restarted pc & reinstalled again - still not working, then i checked out my hardware profiles & found out i had to install some M$ UAA Hi-Def Audio update for the PCI-E bus or something & for some reason it didnt auto update - anyhoo after the last comeplete uninstall & driver flush then reinstall & install with the new drivers which are dated august as the most recent one didnt pick it up & it started working perfectly...

so there you have it - my epic 1 hour battle to get my sound working complements of the bastards at creative.

honestly Creative are like a rampant rabbit - you have to grab it by the vibrating part then yank out the bottom part so its guts fall out

yeah, their software can be a little bit of a PITA at times - but once you know the "intricacies" it's really not so bad

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I know people say that "Digital: it either works or it doesnt", but im curious -

right now i got a Digitial Optical Audio cable that plugs into my XFi straight to my 5500's - the cable itself works but I bought it years ago in some basement my questions are. Does the Optical signal deteriorate/degrade over time with prolonged use & also would buying a more expensive Digitial Op cable make any difference at all aside from being better shielded from interferance.

 

[imperialreign]

I know people say that "Digital: it either works or it doesnt", but im curious -

right now i got a Digitial Optical Audio cable that plugs into my XFi straight to my 5500's - the cable itself works but I bought it years ago in some basement my questions are. Does the Optical signal deteriorate/degrade over time with prolonged use & also would buying a more expensive Digitial Op cable make any difference at all aside from being better shielded from interferance.

well - digital coaxial cable is subject to the same degredation that standard cable is - the metal and fiberous material will degrade over time when subject to the elements. It takes a lot longer if in a controlled environment (like your home). Will this really hamper signal quality? Some, but not to an extent that it'd really be noticeable. But, being in the elements can cause the innards of the cable to become more brittle, and more prone to breaking internally if pinched, kinked, etc.

But, technologically, there could be a noticeable difference in quality. Cables have improved a lot over the years, with the addition of shielding, better insulation . . . even down to the specific alloy used for the cable itself. Older cable are more prone to environmental noise, and signal degredation over long distances, as compared to newer ones . . .


As to a difference versus optical - well, yes, there are some major differences . . . in 90% of cases, though, I doubt you'd hear them. Optical cable isn't affected by the same signal loss over distance that coaxial is, you could almost consider the cable "loss-less." It doesn't pick up interference as easily (actually, it's quite hard to introduce noise), either. But, digital coaxial cables are still fully acceptable with short distances, like running through the home. You won't have enough length to actually notice any signal loss, and if you're wise about where you route your cables, you won't pick up any interference, either. Optical can also transmit more channel signals over one link, whereas any coaxial setup takes a number of cables, typically one per two channels.

but if you want the satisfaction of having "the absolute best of the best," optical is the only way to go.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Im currently running optical with some cable i bought from some stall in a basement in Hong Kong years n years ago. since it was cheap im taking maybe its shittier quality then ones bought in an actual audio store

 

[imperialreign]

Im currently running optical with some cable i bought from some stall in a basement in Hong Kong years n years ago. since it was cheap im taking maybe its shittier quality then ones bought in an actual audio store

damn, dude - sorry it's taken me so long to get back to ya on this, I completely forgot about it

anyhow, if you bought some optical for dirt cheap . . . well, optical is optical cable. There's not too much of a variety in-so-far as what compromises it's build, at least, compared to coaxial cable . . . there are definitely differences in how well the cable can and will perform, but generally, even the most low-grade optical cables are considered to be superior to most mid-range coaxial.


now, if we're talking about coaxial, though, there are major differences in the dirt cheap variety compared to the upper-shelf counterparts.

 

[imperialreign]

Incase you haven't already heard, Creative have released an official driver source for Linux 32b/64b . . . it's no longer beta.


For those interested in more nitty-gritty stuffz, Creative seem to have posted up the technical specs of the CA20K2 APU on their business microsite: http://www.creative.com/oem/products/chips/CA20K2.asp

what really caught my attention - this APU can support up to 384kHz sample rates . . . not all too surprising, though, considering the CA201K was originally designed by Creative's E-Mu branch, for audio creation purposes . . .

 

[eidairaman1]

over the last few days ive been considering getting a X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro. - my Xtreme Music seems to be the cause of sudden random BSOD's & crashes during boot up as i found out earlier.

the question is - shall i get the Titanium or just another cheapo replacement Xtreme Music OEM??

I have the same card and it hasnt failed me yet, what are you Running as of OS?

 

[Deleted member 24505]

For my co-axial digital cable,i am using the thick av cable that came with my 4850,seems to be working fine,and its not overly long as my amp is close to my pc.

I am still on my onboard sound,it seems fine using the digital out to my amp.Plus i just dont really have a clue what to replace the x-fail with.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I have the same card and it hasnt failed me yet, what are you Running as of OS?

it doesnt matter anymore as im running a Fata1ity Titainium pro

the O/S was XP Pro SP2 as mentioned in my system specs

but i think it was partially down to the way i probably 'man handled' the card when i came to cleaning inside the case or when i was ripping & adding loads of other stuffs - so no suprise there.
ive had it since 2006 anyway i think - back in the days when a Xtreme Music was still about $149.28

my case eats dust like bunnies under the bed

 

[imperialreign]

it doesnt matter anymore as im running a Fata1ity Titainium pro

the O/S was XP Pro SP2 as mentioned in my system specs

but i think it was partially down to the way i probably 'man handled' the card when i came to cleaning inside the case or when i was ripping & adding loads of other stuffs - so no suprise there.
ive had it since 2006 anyway i think - back in the days when a Xtreme Music was still about $149.28

my case eats dust like bunnies under the bed

I've had my first Fatal1ty for about as long . . . oddly enough, I blew a friggin OPAMP on it the other day (first time I've ever done so, and I still can't figure out WTF I did to cause that, either ).


Anyhow, recently haev upgraded to a Titanium Fatal1ty as well, for a couple of quirky reasons. I'm preparing a review of the card (which will hopefully make it into our TPU review database), and comparing its performance to that of the PCI Fatal1ty. ASIO latency is identicle between the two, but there's a noticeable difference in CPU usage - still wish I had someway of measuring the latency from a source file on the HDD to playback . . .

But, I've got all the info I need, now I just need to put it together and write the review.

 

[kysg]

hmm blew an opamp I didn't think that was possible.

ah well picking up an X-FI prelude, should be pretty sweet move, solid caps. I looked some info on the custom opamps that could be added, has anyone tried those at all?? I was gonna look into getting the one from TI.

 

[imperialreign]

hmm blew an opamp I didn't think that was possible.

ah well picking up an X-FI prelude, should be pretty sweet move, solid caps. I looked some info on the custom opamps that could be added, has anyone tried those at all?? I was gonna look into getting the one from TI.

I didn't think blowing an OPAMP was possible, either, especially with the volume via the control panel set at 45% . . .

I at first thought the headset I was using had taken a crap, so I swapped some stuff around, and they were alright . . . all the other channels on the card were fine, save for line 1 - what got me thinking it was the OPAMP, though, was that if you quickly swept the volume setting in the control panel, the output would cut in and out, crackle, pop, even produce a loud droning sound. Recievers don't tend to get that erratic overnight (literally) . . . replaced the OPAMP and all works well.



The Prelude is a great card, high build quality, strong drivers - I'm not sure how cap replacements work out with those cards though . . . there are other users out there who've done such mods, but I don't know of any here at TPU. Although, we do have a couple of really knowledgeable users in terms of caps and some other PCB components.

 

[Wile E]

OPAMPs, and things of that nature, generally don't blow unless there's a dead short in the speaker leads. Must've been somewhat defective to start with.

 

[imperialreign]

OPAMPs, and things of that nature, generally don't blow unless there's a dead short in the speaker leads. Must've been somewhat defective to start with.

hard to say, as I still haven't had any issues with the headset on any other system I've plugged them into. As for the card, though, 2.5-3 years of rigorous use can become taxing for PCB components. I'm just glad it was merely and OPAMP and not a cap that decided to go bust, or at the worst, the DAC.

Blowing the OPAMP, though, came on the heels of doing some audio work in SoundForge. I get the feeling it was just a combination of old-age, and me pushing some extremelly boosted frequencies through the output.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Anyhow, recently haev upgraded to a Titanium Fatal1ty as well

great - its good to have somebody whose looking at the same page when it comes to drivers!!!

speaking of which - are you still running 'August' drivers??

 

[imperialreign]

great - its good to have somebody whose looking at the same page when it comes to drivers!!!

speaking of which - are you still running 'August' drivers??

currently, ATM - just wanted to do a whole bunch of testing, make sure things are stable, etc, before installing the beta drivers.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Did you have a look at this imperial?

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=76348

Its pretty cool,you can force the digital out to dts/ac3 mode.I tried it on my amp and it works great.Its great for watching film,even sounds good on games.