Sound card help

[tomhardcore]

Alright so I have g51 5.1 surround sound hooked up to my 7.1 built in chipset on my EVGA 780i motherboard. I'm thinking about getting a sound card but I dont know which to go for since my surround sound is 5.1 should I get a 5.1 sound card or a 7.1? Will the 7.1 be have better sound quality, im thinking no since I dont have 7.1 but I need help.

 

[gamerk316]

Most cards can do both at this point. Even my aged Razer Barracuda can handle 7.1 out. All you do is set windows to use 5.1 instead of 7.1 if you don't use the extra speakers, as the card itself could care less what inputs you give it.