I have now since 2 days the External X-Fi. I am very satisfied with the device. Of course you can not compare to my old, the Audigy 2 ZS Notebook. However, it is unfortunately the case that the old drivers the Audigy no longer running perfectly under Vista. I have inserted the CD, and off we went. Before I have the External USB connected and Vista (SP1) recognized the device very much in advance as X-Fi Surround 5.1. Then I uploaded the software and after rebooting you ran perfectly. You have to remember that I have upgraded my system to Vista SP1 and after the appearance of my laptop is 4 years old. So who could have problems (Vista) on the purchase, then it is up to SP1 who has none.
The same features of my old card and is also a small tick louder. The connectivity options are sufficient for 5.1. An adapter to RCA jack (3.5mm) is. Only one thing bothers that the connections rear, center, and woofer jack so you are also still needs 2 adapter. Center and woofer are combined in one connector on the card. The signal is separated and transmitted but perfect.
If you like good sound is well served by the map. It is not a high-end device but it improves the sound to onboard sound a lot. I think the map is more suitable for notebooks.