Worth it to buy a sound card or will MOBO sound be enough?
 

I'm planning on building a new comp next month when the new i7 processors come out but I wanted to know if it was worth it to buy a sound card or if the integrated sound card that modern motherboards come with provide sufficient audio quality for my 5.1 surround sound speakers? thanks in advance, i searched a bit but couldn't find exactly what I wanted.

It depends on how important sound quality is to you and what speakers you are using.

Sound cards are a great investment IMO, but it does matter what you're using for speakers.. if you have crappy speakers it kind of defeats the purpose of buying a sound card.

It definitely defeats the purpose if you have low quality speakers. I would recommend a sound card if you're buying a nice pair of headphones, a quality set of PC speakers or a home theatre setup.

http://smiliesftw.com/x/werd.gif

If you post what you will be using I am sure we can tell you what would make a good card for what you have.

I have to agree with everyone else here. They are a great investment with the right hardware.

I have stuck with Onboard sound for a while. Probably because i don't get to play as much anymore and my wife already tells me I am half deaf. :)

I definitely plan on using Headphones for gaming, I will be using my current Altec Lansing surround sound speakers. they're pretty decent speakers i picked up 5 years ago, no crackles and popping in em. I guess i should go for a good Sound Blaster sound card then... any recommendations? i don't need anything crazy that supports 7.1 surround sound but something that's good for headsets is good for me. thanks!

What is your budget? The Asus Xonar D1 or DX are likely the best budget cards out there. Although the Auzentech Forte is often on sale for sub-$100 as well.

i'm guessing $50-100 for a sound card is average.

Any new sound card will support 7.1, pretty hard to get one that doesn't now. I'd suggest a Xonar DX or X-plosion to keep it under $100.

Edit: :ph34r:'d!