Poll: Surround Sound for gaming. Worth it?

[Treblaine]

OK, my headphones died and the sound on my PC is screwed anyway, so I have an opportunity to get a sound card and amp to get surround sound... but is it worth it? Especially if I only plan to use 5.1 surround sound headphones.

Especially in gaming, and I'm talking competitive advantage and level of immersion, how much does true 5.1 surround sound offer and how much is it worth spending on. I've only spent £170 on my 1080p monitor I use for gaming, so no way I'm breaking that budget.

 

[Axeli]

Seeing how beneficial just stereo can be with headphones, I'd guess surround can be pretty awesome if you place the speakers correctly.

 

[Meggiepants]

Well, one added benefit of going with surround sound is if you ever plan to make your PC a media center to watch things on, or as a jukebox, you can plug that card directly into your amp, if you have one. Some cards have nice output options.

I now wish we had picked up a surround sound card for our PC, because that's what we did with it. The sound is kind of tinny coming through our speakers with the standard mini out.

But if you don't think you'll ever hook it up to surround speakers, then you're probably good with what you have. I have heard one of those high end pure digital 5.1 headsets. And, it did sound nicer.

But, for what my brother spent on that setup, I think I would still prefer either a cheap set of headphones or a cheap set of 5.1 speakers plus amp plus soundcard.

 

[Sephychu]

It does add that extra bit to atmospheric games.