| Plan it Out / the OS |
| Plan by Function |
| Tweeking Speed |
| Salvaging Parts |
| Discount PC Parts |
| Key Considerations |
|
Primary Components
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| Case and Power |
| CPU (Processor) |
| Motherboards |
| Buying RAM |
| Hard Drives |
|
Secondary Components
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| Video Output |
| CD /DVD /Floppy |
| Sound Cards |
| Getting Online |
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Peripherals
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| Keyboard / Mouse |
| Printer / Scanner |
| Monitors / Displays |
| Computer Speakers |
| Getting Started >>> |
| Choosing and Installing Software >>> |
| Optimizing and Overclocking your PC >>> |
Once again, whether you need a sound card depends entirely on what you're building your home PC computer system for. For most users, the onboard sound is fine, so pocket the money or put it towards decent speakers if you still want to hear the occasional WAV file or video-clip. However for realistic gaming, audiophiles who will be using their computer to play back music files or media center computers a sound card is a necessary investment.
Sound card
Most motherboards have built-in sound features. These are often adequate for most users. However, you can purchase a good sound card and speakers at relatively low cost - a few dollars at the low end can make an enormous difference in the range and clarity of sound. Also, these onboard systems tend to use more system resources, so you are better off with a real soundcard for gaming.
Good quality in sound cards depends on a few factors. The digital-analog conversion (DAC) is generally the most important stage for general clarity, but it is a poorly measurable process. Reviews, especially those from audiophile sources, are worth consulting for this; but don't go purely by specifications, as many different models with similar specs can produce completely different results. Cards may offer digital (S/PDIF) output, in which case the DAC process is moved from your sound card either to a dedicated receiver or to one built into your speakers.
Sound cards made for gaming or professional music tend to do outstandingly well for their particular purpose. In games various effects are oftentimes applied to the sound in real-time, and a gaming sound card will be able to do this processing on-board, instead of using your CPU for the task. Professional music cards tend to be built both for maximum sound quality and low latency (transmission delay) input and output, and include more and/or different kinds of inputs than those of consumer cards.
