Buying Guide - The Sound Card
99% of motherboards on the market today have integrated On Board audio available for you to use at no extra cost. The quality of this sound will vary based on the audio processor on your motherboard, but for the most part, On Board audio is fine for Internet browsing and light music listening purposes. If you are watching DVDs on surround sound, if you have more than two speakers (including subwoofer), if you want to fully customize your listening experience, or if you want mind-blowing audio quality, investing in a sound card will make your experience that much more fulfilling. Creative Labs and Turtle Beach are the two companies heading up the audio card battle, and both of them make cards to fit all types of different needs. The best way to choose a sound card is to first understand what you will be using it for. "Value Sound" which tops your On Board capabilities can be purchased for $40 or less, but the cool 7.1 Dolby Surround features will cost you upwards of $80. To go all out and snag the card that will function as your total music entertainment center, you're looking at a $200 investment. It all depends on how much you value your sound quality. I have trouble distinguishing between On Board and $40 card sound quality, but it does take a load off your processor to delegate the task to a separate card. If you're doing serious audio editing, encoding, conversion, or blaring, get a card that will handle it all with ease. If you're not, don't waste your money, but don't skimp only to be disappointed later. Sound cards typically slide into a PCI ore PCI-E 1x slot on your motherboard, so make sure there's room on your board and you know which slot type you'll be using before you snag one of these.
Find your Sound Card
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