Special Features

I discovered something else on the net about this sound card. Aureal, being the manufactorer of this card, and the Vortex2 chip on it, has put a special AU8830 Vortex2 chip on it that only the SQ2500 uses. It's a new revision that when combined with the new drivers gives a 10% speed boost and less CPU usage! So if you want a Vortex2 and extra speed, this card is definately worth it. In Thresh's FiringSquad's review of this board, the Aureal SQ2500 gained 3fps over a standard Vortex2 board in Half-Life (23 vs 20 in A3D 2.0).

Another bonus with the card is the two full games included. Drakan: Order of the Flame is a very new game, and it simply rocks. This is not a bad game that they got cheap. And Heretic II, while older, is still a good deal since it's free with the card. These games both demonstrate A3D 2.0, explaining they're packing in, and give you a good start with the card if you don't own any A3D games.

Wrap-up and Conclusion

My overall experience with this card is very good. It has great sound quality, a very good installation and manual (free of grammatical errors a la SOYO and friends), a sweet bundle of good games, and it packs a newer faster Vortex2 chip than it's rivals. This is simply one of the better Vortex2 cards and I highly recommend it. If you are in the market for a good gaming sound card, snatch this one up.

Rizenet Overall Score: 95%