old but still good, great compatibility
Written: Jul 25 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: it works, always
Cons: it's old and doesn't have that good sound quality compared to newer sound cards
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| c_knight's Full Review: Creative Sound Blaster AWE64 Value |
Creative Lab's Sound Blaster AWE64 was originally released in 1997, so it is definitely old, especially considering how fast computer technology grows. Given that this card is old and that there are lots of cards out that are better than it, why would anyone want it? Well, before addressing that question, let's go over some of the card basics.
Specifications:
AWE64 is an ISA card, this is probably a disadvantage. ISA is an old interface and is worse than PCI. On the other hand, the AWE64 doesn't really need any of the benefits of being PCI, it doesn't need the extra speed of PCI. Also, if you have an older motherboard and are out of PCI slots, having an ISA soundcard can free up a PCI slot.
It is a full duplex (you can record and play sound at the same time), 16 bit sound card. It can record and play sounds at 44.1kHz (samples per second), this is CD quality. Newer sound cards can record and play sounds at 48kHz, I personally can't tell the difference the 4kHz makes, but the audiophile might.
The AWE64 has four 1/8" connectors in the back, a line in, microphone in, line out, and speaker out. It also has a standard MIDI/Joystick port. These are all standard features. The Gold version also has a S/PDIF in.
Drawbacks:
There are many ways that the AWE64 shows its age. For starters, it only supports 2 speakers while most newer sound cards support four speakers. Also, in Windows 9x, you only can have one audio stream playing at one time. This means that if you are listening to some MP3s, you won't hear any other sounds (like the sound when you send an instant message or the default system "ding!"). This isn't a problem in Windows 2000 (or BeOS), you can overlap sounds all you want. The AWE64 has no hardware acceleration provided by Microsoft's DirectSound either.
Ok, so why AWE64?:
For starters, it's cheap. I found it on pricewatch.com for 21$ (as of 07-26-00). You could probably get it on eBay for 10$-15$. However, the main advantage of the AWE64 is compatibility. The AWE64 will work with almost any operating system you can think of including DOS, Win3.x, Win9x, Windows 2000, BeOS, *BSD, and linux. In most cases, it's just a matter of plugging it in and it will work. Win9x and Windows 2000 both autodetect the card flawlessly. This compatibility is nice if you have some old DOS games you want to play. It's also useful if you are putting together an old computer running a *nix OS to act as a server and you want it to be your jukebox for MP3s also. This is why I've held on to my AWE64, I can move it to my FreeBSD box without any worries about it working.
Conclusion:
So the AWE64 is an old sound card and it doesn't even compare to newer sound cards (sblive, MX300, whatever). However, if you don't need ground breaking audio, have a *nix box, or compatibility is your major concern, pick up an AWE64. It's not for everybody, if you want a new top of the line gaming machine, get a new card. But if the AWE64 sounds like it will fit your needs, I am certain that it will work hassle free.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60 (two years ago, about $20 now)
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Epinions.com ID:
c_knight
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Location: Ohio
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 14 members
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