Dude, You can do it! How to build a Sweet PC

Sound Cards

Sound cards (Figure 2.8) process audio data and send it off to your speakers. As we said earlier, onboard audio chips are bad—don't use them. Onboard audio and video tie up processor resources, so even if you get yourself a cheap $15 sound card to support your two-channel speakers, you'll be better off. Onboard sound chips are also unreliable and tend to fail when you least expect it. Plus, they sound terrible with their annoying crackling and hissing. Get yourself a decent sound card—your computer and your ears will thank you for it.

Figure 2.8. Creative Sound Blaster sound cards cost more than most, but are worth every penny. Your ears will thank you for the crystal clear audio

Creative Labs is a well known, proven sound card manufacturer ...