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Many PCs have built-in surround sound on the motherboard. Some support six-channel (5.1), others eight-channel (7.1) and the sound quality is fine for most people.

If you want a dedicated soundcard for playing and making CDs and mp3s, DVDs and games, most will fit the bill.

Entry-level soundcards support 16bit quality sound recorded or played back at 44.1KHz, which is CD-quality. The next step is 24bit sound at higher sampling rates of 48KHz or 96KHz, recommended for those creating music or playing DVD movies with THX surround or Dolby Digital EX 6.1 or 7.1 sound formats. More cards now also support 24bit 192KHz playback, required for the DVD-Audio music format.

The signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, measured in decibels (dB), is the amount of sound you expect (signal) versus that which you don’t (noise). Decibel ratings range
from 60dB to over 100dB and the higher the dB rating, the better.

Most cards share many similar options, such as microphone-in, line-in/line-out, line-out, Midi/joystick port, CD-in and headphones connectors. Newer cards also have high-speed Firewire ports. Audio enthusiasts should look for S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) in and out, to connect speakers via a single optical or coaxial cable and get higher quality digital sound.

Recommended soundcards:

Creative Audigy 4 Pro
This updated version of Audigy 2 has fantastic performance and a good software bundle
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Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Elite Pro
This latest Creative offering has a variety of features, but will take time to be fully supported
Read review >
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M-Audio Revolution 7.1
An excellent mid-priced soundcard offering great audio quality, but gamers might be disappointed

Hercules Fortissimo IV
If you’re looking to upgrade your system, but have a limited budget, this is an excellent option
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Terratec Aureon 7.1 Universe
We wouldn’t recommend this over the Audigy 4 for gamers, but musicians may be tempted
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