I'm considering whether to buy a $30 amp/DAC combo or just stick with the premium onboard audio from the Asrock x870e Taichi that I initially wanted. I was drawn to that motherboard because of its quality audio codec and built-in DAC, but there's a great deal on the Asus ROG Strix x870e Gaming board at Micro Center, which is $114 cheaper. I'm not an audio expert, but I own Sennheiser HD 560S headphones and mainly care about having good directional audio in games. So, would a $30 unit be better than the onboard audio, even if it's considered premium?
1 Answer
Generally speaking, yes, a $30 DAC/amp can outperform most onboard solutions. However, make sure you pick a motherboard that meets your actual needs. Many users buy boards with high-end features that they never utilize, convincing themselves they need the speed or future-proofing, but those features often don’t make a significant difference to their experience.
Lol, exactly! That’s how I feel too. I was leaning towards a budget board like the MSI Pro x870e-P just to get my GPU running at x16 and have one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot. But then some folks said since I’m building a high-end rig with an RTX 5080 and 9950x3D, I should prioritize better VRM and power delivery to prevent stuttering. I'm more inclined to push a button for safe overclocks than dive into technical tweaks. Choosing a motherboard is stressing me out!