Yeah theres just too much of an FPS drop in those games... Nvidia usually does quite well with cpu usage.

I recently bought an Audigy 2 ZS and I'm pleased with it. The drivers are not bloaty at all. You choose what you wish to install. Nothing has to be run at startup, the applications work great.

Great news! Now I can put my Fortissimo 2 in the closet as a backup and use this new one. I LOVE Hercules' cards and Creative can kiss my white a$$. Period.