Sound Cards for your Homebuilt Computer

A computer's sound card converts digital data into sounds that humans can hear.

The first PC's had no sound card. They did have speakers, through which users could hear the occasional beeps and alarms that the computers generated, but that was the extent of the sound system.

Nowadays, computer sound cards range from cheap devices that are good for little more than reproducing the silly noises that operating systems make when opening and closing windows, etc., to high-end cards like the Creative Audigy series, which are capable of producing true audiophile-quality surround sound. There also are sound cards specifically designed to be used with professional audio studio equipment that cost thousands of dollars.

Choosing a Sound Card

When selecting a sound card for your homebuilt computer, you should consider the following factors:

• How important is computer sound to you? If you want to listen to (or create) music on your PC, then obviously you should lean toward a higher-end sound card or dedicated audio studio system. So if music is your passion, then look at some of the very best cards (such as Creative's Audigy series).

• What operating system are you planning to use? Almost any sound card will work with Windows, but if you are using Linux or some other operating system, be sure to make sure that card will work before you plunk down money for it.

• Is integrated sound good enough? If you're not very much into music or gaming, then you may want to consider a motherboard with a built-in audio processor. (Actually, some high-end motherboards have very excellent sound cards built in these days, so don't assume it's junk just because it's integrated.)

• What kind of speakers do you plan to use, and how many? Most sound cards have universal connections for two speakers. Some also have connections for surround sound and other high-end sound schemes, and a very few are designed to be used only with a very few specialized speaker systems or editing consoles.

• If you are a professional musician, producer, or mixer, then you will want to purchase a sound system that is compatible with your instruments and mixing/recording equipment.

• How much do you want to spend? Sound cards vary in price from about fifteen bucks to thousands of dollars.

Integrated Audio

Many motherboards come with integrated (built-in) audio cards. Depending on the quality and price range of the motherboard itself, on-board audio processors can range from horrible to quite excellent.

If you are considering a motherboard with integrated audio, we suggest you also make sure that it has expansion slots in case the on-board audio fails, or in case you later decide to disable the on-board audio and upgrade to an aftermarket sound card.

Finally, as we have stated before, bear in mind that most on-board audio cards are designed with Windows in mind. If you plan on installing a different operating system, make sure that the onboard sound will work with that OS before you spend any money on the board.

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Getting Started

• Components
  • Expansion Cards
    • Sound Cards (This Page)