Those little speakers built into your monitor have a problem: they’re just too petite. The laws of physics strictly govern sound reproduction, and the melancholy fact is that gigantic and high-priced speakers will always outperform smaller ones, and they will also look cooler and make you more attractive to the people you want to be attractive to. These are the facts.
Another fact is that, fortunately, it’s quite simple to upgrade to monitor speakers, which are getting smaller and therefore worse as displays (and indeed laptops, which suffer from the same audio plague) become thinner relative to actual computer speakers. This soundbar from Creative, the Sound Blaster GS3it’s also not particularly substantial and doesn’t cost a lot of money. This is the basic audio solution for desktop gaming, and while it will always be better than using the speakers built into the screen or no speakers at all, I want to emphasize that you shouldn’t expect miracles.
That said, there’s a lot to like here. It’s a petite, bulky bar that fits perfectly onto the flat foot portion of the monitor stand, with two petite rubber feet to prevent it from sliding around. Connectivity is provided by a USB-C port, which also powers the strip, and a 3.5 mm auxiliary socket. There’s also a Bluetooth module that only supports the SBC codec – this is the default lossy fallback codec that other speakers operate when one of the more sophisticated alternatives like AptX isn’t available.
Buy if…
✅ You’re not getting good enough sound from your monitor or laptop: you can operate earbuds, a Bluetooth speaker, or get a dedicated PC solution like this one, which will provide noticeable improvements to your game’s sound effects and dialogue.
Don’t buy if…
❌ Your expectations are huge: This is an entry-level audio solution with basic Bluetooth connectivity and standard stereo sound. For anything more, you’ll have to move up in the hierarchy and pay a little more.
All you need to do is connect the included USB cable to a free port on your computer and it will be received as an audio device. On the right side is a gigantic multi-function knob that you can click to turn the device on and off. There are three buttons around it in a horseshoe shape which do not feel pleasant to operatebut they are necessary for switching inputs and putting the bar into Bluetooth pairing mode, as well as switching lighting modes.
The third is labeled SUPER WIDE, but instead of physically extending the strip so that it takes up more space on your desk and increases stereo separation, it instead tries to introduce extra width into the soundstage with results that don’t seem to make much of a difference (it certainly doesn’t activate the extra speakers at the ends of the strip) and make you wonder why it would ever be necessary to disable this mode.
Picture 1 With 3
The position of the buttons means you’ll have to lift the stick to tell which button you’re pressing unless you take the time to remember their position, and since they’re on the same end as the cable connector, you’ll probably also be pulling the 1.5-meter cable out from behind your desk, which will require a few minutes to put it back when you’re done. Under the front of the bar there is an RGB delicate strip that will illuminate your desktop with a rainbow or moving, color-changing delicate. If you are sensible you will turn it off, it is pointless and adds nothing to the experience.
The vital thing about a soundbar isn’t how it looks, but how it sounds, and for a speaker that costs so little, the GS3 is surprisingly good. It doesn’t come with an external subwoofer like the Creative Stage 2.1 system (which costs almost twice as much), but it does have a bass channel that comes out of the back of the case and enhances low-frequency sounds.
Unload a few bullets from the Super Shotgun and you’ll definitely hear it roar, but it may get lost in the swirling cloud of guitars and demonic screams that can be heard. The GS3 has a wider frequency response than the Creative Pebble Pro speakers, with extended bass that’s noticeable if you place them side by side.
Picture 1 With 2
In the higher frequency range, a pair of forward-firing racing speakers proves to be a good choice for a slim bar. They’re not particularly far apart, so game or movie audio is always projected directly at you, even with SUPER WIDE mode on, but it offers decent volume and clarity, and voices in particular show through. This seems to be something of Creative’s specialty, making the GS3 ideal for gaming and streaming, but less ideal for music – if you want room-filling sound, look for a fully wireless Bluetooth speaker that you can place somewhere other than under your monitor.
As an alternative to the diminutive speakers in a monitor or those placed next to a laptop keyboard, the Creative Soundblaster GS3 works well. It’ll never reach the level of the best computer speakers, but you pay so little for it that it doesn’t really matter. This provides an improvement over the bare minimum and in this context it serves its purpose admirably.
Best computer speaker 2025
