Advantages of a sound card?

[Troncoso]

I've always considered getting a sound card, but when it comes down to it, I can't really think of a reason to actually get one. What exactly will it do for me? I'm considering getting a home theater system for my computer since I do everthing on it and watch no tv. would a sound card benefit that?

 

[Shane]

Well these days built in sound are quite good,But i still dont think you can beat a dedicated sound card,Especially if you listen to alot of Music,play alot of games etc it just sound alot better and more clear.

If you planning on getting a decent home theater system then yes i would say its well worth it.

As for a Sound card it all really depends on your budget,Look into getting something from the Asus Xonar line or better,id recommend staying away from Creatives due to dodgy drivers.

 

[Hsv_Man]

I know creatives drivers have been "strange" in the past but i had absolutely no trouble installing my creative soundblaster x-fi titanium soundies 3 months ago and i can't recommend this soundcard enough even for its $300 price tag its definantly worth it for mine.

 

[jgoff14]

I assure you there is no difference in sounds from a sound card. I have had several, and onboard audio I couldn't care less for one. My MB came with one and no on board audio, there is no difference from my p6x58d premium's on board audio. They do tend to come with more 'features' for changing the audio settings but most MB audio drivers have that now anyway so its not worth the money.

 

[FuryRosewood]

*hears pops on his onboard realtek* mmmm...yea i think onboard can be hit and miss, espically when your dealing with a weak CPU... after dealing with this card for the end of the week till i get back onto something more substantial, id say a nice dedicated card would be a good idea if you want to avoid some distortion...

 

[diduknowthat]

Sound cards do make a difference if you have nice speakers and or headphones. Generally you'll have clearer sound and deeper bass. Dedicated sound cards also have better stereo upmixing so if you're using 5.1 speakers you can actually use all of them with a stereo file.

 

[tech savvy]

jgoff14, i have no clue what your talking about, a dedicated sound card is alot better than onboard if you spend $100+ on one,anything less is equal to an onboard card.i have this one in my home theater system.- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102033 ,and it is fantastic.

 

[CompuLayne]

Sound cards are good if you would like to listen to music with more "oomph". Otherwise, you can simply use the on board sound card.

www.linux-magazine-review.com

 

[tossy]

Aside from getting better gaming performance. Using a PCI soundcard also depends on the speakers your are using. With a low end pc speakers you won't be able to fully get the hi-def sounds.

 

[tech savvy]

^agreed,if your going to spend $100+ on a sound card you better have nice speakers and/or surround sound system or you are wasting $100 on a card.