I know this has been asked before many times, but for the first part, I wanted to get into the specifics of my particular setup. I've been doing tons of research on the subject of onboard sound vs. stand alone sound cards since I was thinking of upgrading from my onboard sound. I currently have a Realtec AC97 ALC 850 7.1 channel system onboard my ECS KN1SLI Extreme motherboard. My speakers are Logitech Z-640 5.1's. I've been very satisfied with the sound quality over the last three years I've had it (then again, I haven't heard anything else through my Logitech speakers). Long story short, quality isn't my big concern unless there's something I'm overlooking. I've heard complaints about electronic noise or whatever but I can't notice anything of that nature.
What I'm really wondering is how much of a boost I'll get when playing games if I switch to a PCI card for my sound. My gut tells me my money would be better spent on more RAM, and a second video card for SLI.
What I'm really wondering is how much of a boost I'll get when playing games if I switch to a PCI card for my sound. My gut tells me my money would be better spent on more RAM, and a second video card for SLI.