At the end of this review, we can conclude without a doubt that Creative has really outdone itself and, as promised, they managed to engineer a product that can be considered an “Upgrade from Basic Motherboard Audio to Outstanding Music, Movie and Game Sound,” exactly as they've boasted on the box of the audio card. Only after you try one of these in your system are you going to realize how poorly the audio chips that are integrated in current motherboards actually perform.

Simply said, this sound card is way better than any integrated on-board audio. Sound performance improves everywhere regardless of whether you are playing a game or you are just listening to music; the difference can be observed dramatically. Yes, it may have a few features which are lacking, and clearly it isn't the best audio card present in the market, but for its price, the feeling it gives is akin to a grand prize.

For offering a higher sound experience at a very low price and providing all of the promised functions, this piece of hardware gets a total of 95/100 points, along with being awarded the Dev Hardware recommended trophy. The price-to-performance ratio is phenomenal, but most importantly, it has succeeded in convincing me that this is a must have item for any future system builds of mine. It’s the best spent $20-30 of the year for me.







All in all, this Creative Audigy SE can be considered the minimal sound card for anyone who calls herself/himself an audiophile or a true gamer.