Upgrading PC - new or old speakers?

[Cinder]

I am getting ready to purchase a new Dell 8400, and pass on my old (5.5 yrs!) Gateway to my son. The Gateway has a great 5.1 speaker system. Is there any advantage to spending the $80 on a new 5.1 speaker system, rather than using my old ones from the Gateway? Any driver issues that may cause me a problem? Just doesn't seem like it would be big deal - it's only speakers - but I know I'll be frustrated if I get the new one hooked up and can't get the speakers to work.


And if I keep the old 5.1's to use with my new system, and hand off the standard Dell's to my son, I surely don't want to spend any money on the OLD system for it to work with the new Dell speakers - since that Gateway is so old (WIN 98) might I have trouble finding a driver for those new Dell speakers?

 

[adaywayne]

They should work just fine. Speakers do not need drivers. At most, you will have to configure your new soundcard for your old speaker system.
I am assuming that the old speakers are powered?

 

[TheMajor]

The soundcard needs drivers. Should be included if you buy one. Or on the chipset drivers CD if its an onboard card.

 

[Cinder]

Yeah - I know the soundcard needs drivers. The Dell will have a Soundblaster Audigy 2. THe old Gateway has a soundblaster too - no idea what version. But it's probably no longer an issue because the way the configuration works - if I go with the cheapest speaker solution, the price point for my discount drops below the margin where the cost increase is more than the cost of new 5.1s! Go figure. So I guess I'll go ahead and get them...either that or make sure there is nothing else that I want to spend that money on in the config.

 

[CODEPOET]

you dont need anything extra go with what you have

 

[Cinder]

Okay - I got the new Dell, and the new speakers are garbage. I switched them to the old PC thinking I could take my good ones and hook them up - but the input/outputs don't match up - this is just what I was afraid of. The old speakers (a powered sub and 2 main + 2 surround) all plug into the back of the sub - and there is just a single connection (either analog or digital) on the back of the sub, for input from the PC. But the Dell has 3 plugs on the sound card to go to the sub. So - did a bit of reading, and if I connect an analog cable from the green plug on the sound card, to the input on my sub, I get sound from the mains, and the sub works great, but the surrounds have no sound at all. Any ideas how to make this work?

 

[Cinder]

Anyone??

 

[GrayT]

You should have a black plug along with the green plug that goes into the back of the sound card. Only the green with make the Subwoofer and the Mains come on, leaving the Surrounds out of the mix. If you have a black plug try that. If the black plug DOES change the sound but doesn't do what it's supposed to (I.E. only comes out of the right surround channel) then you'll have to get a Y Adapter for the other plug (since you said you have 3 plugs) and try it that way.

Let me know how it goes.