So today I was given a new item to test out for the big people that I work for, this item was not only a new item but it was unique in that I had never used one of these types of devices before. I am talking of course about the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi GO PRO external sound card.

In case you are wondering why you would need an external sound card let me take a minute to explain. If you're on board sound isn't great or it breaks then you need not worry there are alternatives to getting it fixed at the manufacturer which can be costly. The sound blaster for instance is quite cheap at only £29.99 on the creative site and I'm sure you may find it cheaper elsewhere.

--Unboxing--
This came in a small box with a USB extender, the software, and the manuals and of course the sound card itself. The packaging was nice the box wasn't too crammed with much information and overall it did the job in keeping everything inside the box secure.

--The Looks--
This little stick looks like a wireless adapter but it is of course in disguise as it's an external sound card. This is a nice looking device all black with a black cap, it's got a glossy look to it and on the cap is a place to slot in on your keying. This gives this device great portability overall and I would feel comfortable carrying this around with me. The size of the sound card is surprisingly small but it is quite wide and it blocked up a second USB on the back of my computer, this is where the USB extender that is provided comes in handy though.

--Installation--
Installing this should seem simple, however you have to install the software that is provided with the box or you can download the latest software from the creative website which is just what I did. Downloading the software was quick it was easy to find on the website, but installing the actual software seemed to be a bit of a hassle. It took quite a while for it to actually go onto the computer and it didn't seem to take up too much space so I couldn't quite understand why this was the case. When the software was eventually installed though all I had to do was plug the device into an available USB slot and the little on light lit up blue which is always a good sign.

--The Test--
I was sceptical about an external sound card at first I really didn't think that they could provide the sound quality that we as people deem acceptable. I couldn't have been any more wrong if I had tried, the sound quality of this device was great. It was far from perfect and it did seem to distort when turned up quite high though which let this device down.

The microphone port performed well with my friends that I spoke to online not being able to notice any difference between the sound card and my on board 7.1 audio. So if you do happen to break your microphone slot this is a great replacement.

Overall this was a handy little device, I could only see the need in purchasing one if your on board is broke or isn't very good. It does work especially well with microphones and does ok with sound. Recommended if you need a cheap replacement.