Whats the best 3d sound card for longevity, also....

[steveakaflash]

I was thinkind about the sound blaster live, but im not sure what to get. I want somthing that will stay widely supported by games. Also, i curently have a 3 speaker cambridge sound works setup. For the 2 extra speakers(for the rear) will i need a whole new amplifier/speaker setup as i already have, or do i just need 2 more speakers? I'm thinking there would be no amplification out of the sound card for the two new ones, even if there is a jack for them. Thanks for any info!!

[Ziz]

I have the SB Live Value and don't have any complaints. EAX is just getting up to speed, but it is supported by Microsoft/DirectX 6, with an A3D "patch" on the way (I suspect it will be a wrapper that will change A3D commands in to EAX, just personal opinion there.) Diamond's MonsterSound has A3D in hardware, which has been around longer, but is proprietary (kind of the audio equivalent of 3DFx's GLide) with an EAX patch on the way (the reverse of Creative's situation.) From most of the reviews I've read, if you're building the ultimate game machine, get the Diamond. If you want cleaner audio throughput for recording and such, get the Live.

[Martin]

get Diamond Mx300......A3d 2.0 +it support eax.....if u play games get mx300