Why do I miss this card so much?
Written: Dec 13 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheaper now. Still sound great.
Cons: Not cutting edge technology
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| deboard's Full Review: Creative Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold |
The AWE64 is, in PC technology time, ancient. It was released in 95-96, and at the time was pretty expensive. I paid almost $300 for a package that contained a CD-ROM and one of these sound cards.
Wow, is that my computer making that sound?
I installed both the CD-ROM and sound card in my computer (back in late 1996), and I did not expect such an improvement. The games like Duke Nukem and Blood that I was playing then sounded so much better! Sound from web pages sounded like mostly real instruments. Granted, I was upgrading from a no-name 16 bit sound card. I spent hours playing with the settings to see what I could do with this card.
Alas, all things grow old
Even the AWE64 must be overshadowed eventually. I did not have the temptation to buy another sound card for several years, until 1999. It was then that I bought a new PC, and decide to go for a "nicer" card. The AWE64 was relegated to my second PC, which I eventually sold to a friend.
So why do I miss it?
Why would I miss this card when there are supposedly so many better ones out there? One reason is that the AWE64 had it's own processor. SBLive card and the other new ones rely heavily on your system processor. This is to drive down cost of course, but what it gets you is a somewhat slower system. The same system with an AWE64 playing a game like Half-Life will be faster than one with a SBLive. You will likely notice it too, in places where graphics and sound are intense.
You can still get these, and they are still a great sound card, especially for slower PCs. Have as much fun as I did.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150
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Epinions.com ID:
deboard
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Member: Bruce DeBoard
Location: Lexington, KY
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 6 members
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