Hello Tux Wearers!

I'll get straight to the point. I have a Dell Dimension 9200 with a Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtrememusic Sound Card. As some of you might know, Creative has only released a beta 64bit driver.

Since I care little for Warranties and know how to fix machines etc, I basically need to get rid of this card so I can ditch Windows and put the Penguin back at my fingertips.

I have combed the net looking for solutions and instead of walking into a Store asking, I've decided to come here. I need to replace this Sound Card with one that is 5.1 Compatible and still in the same sound quality range as the current X-Fi I have. Suggestions on what's a good Linux 5.1 Card with good driver support?

Thanks!

If you wish to stay with Creative's products, I'm not sure you would see any noticeable difference--unless you're a true audiophile--by stepping down to an 5.1 Audigy 2. There's plenty of support for it in linux today.

There's also the option of going with another vendor, such as Turtle Beach. I've heard nothing but great stuff from audio geeks on their products, but I don't have any experience with their support on the linux platform.

Good luck!