- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Pretty much all Sound Blaster solutions are internally based. Nothing beats the performance of a card plugged right into a system's BUS. This includes the X-Fi series
However, all three of those X-Fi products have external hardware as well.
First, let's talk about the Fatal1ty and the Platinum. They have what's called the I/O Drive. The Drive just provides more interface options for you to connect with the card. These other interfaces include the options to record sound from mixers, amplifiers, keyboards, etc.
It looks like the I/O Drives require a 3 1/2 inch bay (Floppy drive bay), as opposed to a 5 1/4 (DVD - CD-ROM drive bay), so if you want to use the I/O Drive, you'll need a free 3 1/2 inch drive bay. It's hard to tell which bay size it wants from the picture, and the rest of the specifications don't say anything, but it does look like a 3 1/2 inch unit, and I've had Sound Blaster I/O bays before, so I'm pretty sure it's still 3 1/2. Modern ATX cases usually have two 3 1/2 inch bays, and up to four 5 1/4 inch bays. Almost always, the second 3 1/2 is free, the first is used for the floppy drive.
The external component for the Elite Pro is a stand-alone external component and it just connects to the card without the need for a drive bay. Regardless of this, all three solutions require installing a card internally in the PC.
[Edited on 7/3/2006]