I was looking for an internal card for my desktop. I spend a lot of time recovering and restoring audio and converting old vinyl to digital files. I use an ASUS Xonar U7 with my laptop and I have been very happy with it. This new generation internal card from ASUS does what I want it to do.

I bought this to power a meaty set of headphones (150ohms) as it had a built in amp. That part is fine. The software bundled is OK, It too has the responsiveness of a rock, with every adjustment of the equalizer having to make a save before any changes take place.

Great sound quality but there's a noticeable buzzing noise when under load.

The STRIX RAID Pro doesn't outperform other DACs of the same price bracket. But it does offer gamers 7.1 surround, which makes it a very niche item.

Easy to install Surround sound

Lack power for certain headphones

During Computex, we got our first glimpse of three new sound cards from ASUS. They've since been through our test lab and after Firstlook, they hit stores in the Benelux region. As the Strix name might suggest, they're specifically targeted towards gamers.

Kitguru says: The ASUS Strix RAID Pro 7.1 PCI-E is really a must have product if you value audio reproduction at all. The headphone amplifier deserves special mention – it is a huge upgrade from the onboard amplification of a motherboard.

Volume control box is handy; high grade components on PCB including Nichicon capacitors; strong software suite; 24 bit; 192kHz support; 7.1 surround works well

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