What sound card do I need?

OK so im trying to get multi-channel (5.1/7.1) sound from my computer that is feeding a multi-channel home audio receiver. 1st question- do I need a 7.1/5.1 sound card or just one that simply has a coax/optical spdif out? 2nd question- in my setup would the receiver process/decode the audio?

Thanks for any and all help.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I'm trying to get true 5.1 digital sound. I will be using an optical cable regardless which card I use. So I guess what I meant to ask was would it really make a difference (besides the quality of the components) if i used one of those rocketfish 5.1 cards or a creative sound blaster xfi titanium card (which is more than a $200 price difference)?

dooski3 said:

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I'm trying to get true 5.1 digital sound. I will be using an optical cable regardless which card I use. So I guess what I meant to ask was would it really make a difference (besides the quality of the components) if i used one of those rocketfish 5.1 cards or a creative sound blaster xfi titanium card (which is more than a $200 price difference)?

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i recommend getting a x fi extreme gamer pci card. its more than enough to power your 5.1 surround sound and is more credible than rocketfish

here is a link to a really cheap price for it in ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Creative-SB-X-F...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2307da008c

Thanks for your recommendation. But that card does not have an optical out.

dooski3 said:

Thanks for your recommendation. But that card does not have an optical out.

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o srry here is one with a optical out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001

Thanks again. That's one of the cards I was considering. I like the gold-plated connections and the fact it has spdif inputs. But I'm really not looking for a card recommendation. I'm looking for a conformation (tried more than one card in a setup like mine) that when you have a sound card hooked up to a home audio receiver via a spdif connection there's really no difference in the sound output(meaning features, sound fields, etc). What I'm thinking is the only sound difference I would get would be from the quality of the parts used in the sound cards?