Should i buy sound card?

[kuszmania9999]

Hi,

It's been on my mind for a while.
Should i buy a sound card?
I am using onboard Intel D946GZAB motherboard, so i wonder if i buy another card, how do i compare it?

Thank you.

[DaveLembke]

Why not use the integrated audio that this motherboard already has?

[kuszmania9999]

I hope to get a better sound quality, however, i'm afraid that i will choose a poor card that worse than my board sound.
That why i need advice on how to start selecting it.

[Geek-9pm]

First, your need to check the speakers your have. Some really sound like trash and it is not the fault of the sound card.  Maybe you can borrow a set of speakers from a friend and try them on your computer.

Once you know for sure the speakers are good, almost any sound card will give good sound.

But if the problem is the speakers, get new speakers. No sound card can fix cheap speakers.
Here is a list from Wall Mart in the USA.
http://www.walmart.com/cp/PC-Speakers/132902
IMHO, about $40 for good speakers is a fair price. Unless your are deaf. In which case you should use powered headphones.

[kuszmania9999]

So, any cheap $10 sound card sure better than my onboard card?
I am looking for under $35 good sound card.

[Geek-9pm]

kuszmania9999, Have you tried other speakers.
What I want to tell you the human ear does not notice the difference in sound cards. An expensive  sound card cots more that a cheap one. The sound is the same.

Let me make a comparison.
A cheap watch is cheap.
A gold watch costs a lot.
They both tell  time better that your can.

ChipChat Sound Card Technical Specifications
Audio Characteristics

Sampling resolution
    8 and 16 bit (Stereo or monaural)
Sample rate
    4.0kHz - 44.1 kHz
Dynamic range
    16 bits resolution (65535 discrete levels)
Frequence response
    20 Hz - 20 kHz, 3dB
Signal to Noise ratio
    80 dB
Audio In Input Impedance
    30k Ohms
Audio In Input Signal Level
    1.41 VRMS
Microphone Input Impedance
    20k Ohms
Audio Out Drive
    4 Ohms

    Automatic gain for microphone
    ADPCM compression/decompression reduces audio file size on hard disk.

http://www.chipchat.com/mca/SoundCard/TechSpecs.html

Does that help?

[quaxo]

My personal opinion:

Sound quality depends on 3 factors:
1. Source
2. Sound card
3. Speakers/Headphones

Source is usually beyond user control, comes with whatever is making the sound.

For the sound card itself, not all cards (or chipsets) are created equal. The sound reproduction varies by chipset. Personally, I find on-board chipsets to give a weaker and poorer quality output than say a high-end sound card. Would you notice the difference? Maybe, maybe not. I do a lot of audio editing and music composition on the computer and I notice the difference. I find a good sound card produces a more powerful, crisper sound than most cheap sound cards and on-board chipsets do.

But what's the point in having a great sound card if your speakers are rubbish? Even if your sound card is putting out great sound, cheap speakers or headphones will ruin it before it gets to your ears.

So... that's my opinion anyway...