Creative 30SB079200000 Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI OEM Sound Card

Title : Creative 30SB079200000 Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI OEM Sound Card
ASIN : B000N2Q612
Description : Technical DataAudio Output / TypeSound cardTechnical DataAudio Output / Form FactorPlug-in cardTechnical DataAudio Output / Interface TypePCITechnical DataAudio Output / Sound Output Mode7.1 channel surroundTechnical DataAudio Output / Signal ProcessorCreative X-Fi Xtreme FidelityTechnical DataAudio Output / DAC Data Width24-bitTechnical DataAudio Output / Max Sample RatekHz96Technical DataSystem Requirements / OS RequiredMicrosoft Windows XP SP2Technical DataHeader / Product LineCreative Sound Blaster X-FiTechnical DataHeader / ModelXtreme AudioTechnical DataHeader / CompatibilityPCTechnical DataHeader / ManufacturerCreative TechnologyTechnical DataHeader / Packaged Quantity1
Features :

• CREATIVE Sound Blaster 71 XFi Xtreme Audio Sound Card bulk version (Sound cards)
• The Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio card from Creative provides a unique studio quality audio experience for mulitmedia applications, listening to music, and watching movies.  The X-Fi Crystalizer, for example, restores the details and brilliance lost in MP3 and DivX compression and revives your audio source, while the X-Fi CMSS-3D amplifies music and films in stereo and surround sound.  This sound card is efficient with most types of loudspeakers, including stereo loudspeakers.  The Sound Blas
• ter X-Fi Xtreme Audio also offers unbelievable surround sound on classic headphones.  Its compact design and optical digital output for a complete home cinema system connection makes it perfectly suitable for Media Center PCs.

List Price : £39.99

category: Internal Sound Cards
brand: Creative Labs
Item Page Detail URL : link
Rating : 3.2
Review : what a dissapointment for Win 7 64 bit
I bought this card purely to use the SPDIF out facility, not too demanding, firstly despite the fact that Amazon state that the package includes a driver disc don't expect one, the plastic envelope only contained the card and receipt, so a poor start.
Having found a plethora of Win 7 64 bit drivers opn the Creative site I spent eons whilst close to 150mb was downloaded, driver and seperate applications painfully slow due to Virgin Medias approach to internet speeds and "fair usage" or read again " deceptive con", still, that's another whinge I'm not best pleased about.
Anyhow, drtivers installed and all looking promising right up to the point of setting up the SPDIF output, sadly the options stated in Help section do not align with options availabe on screen,. so right now its pretty useless and very likely going back from whence it came as in this case it is not fit for purpose.

as an OEM product one doesn't expect bells and frills, but a driver disc as promised...