Is it worth having a sound card?

[MrDBD]

Only going to use stereo speakers or some headphones.

 

Probably will invest in 2.1 setup later.

[WhitetailAni]

Sound cards are for two groups of people:

1. People who need the surround sound audio jacks but are too lazy to upgrade their crap motherboard

2. People who hate onboard sound

 

Which motherboard do you have? 

[Tan3l6]

Even now, some onboard audio leak  just a bit noise sometimes..

 

Not an expert on sound cards, just my experience. 

If no added noise, then onboard is usually very good option.

[MrDBD]

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/components-upgrades/motherboards/msi-gaming-plus-amd-x570-am4-motherboard-10195795-pdt.html

[WhitetailAni]

1 minute ago, MrDBD said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/components-upgrades/motherboards/msi-gaming-plus-amd-x570-am4-motherboard-10195795-pdt.html

That motherboard has the required audio jacks for a 2.1 sound setup (I have a 2.1 setup), so no, you don't need a sound card.

[dizmo]

It can be, but you'd need to get a pretty decent one and have pretty discerning ears to notice the difference.

You'd also have to be getting pretty good speakers.

 

Just now, FakeKGB said:

That motherboard has the required audio jacks for a 2.1 sound setup (I have a 2.1 setup), so no, you don't need a sound card.

Eh there's a little more to it than that.

[Murasaki]

99.5% of the time - nope.

Onboard audio these days is good enough for most consumers.

[H713]

Depends. If you aren't sure, then chances are the answer is no. Here are a few situations where you may need to upgrade:

 

1) You use inefficient headphones that require a better amplifier than onboard audio can provide

 

2) Your headphones are sensitive enough that the noise floor of the onboard audio is objectionable.

 

3) You need balanced line-level outputs.

 

4) You need lower-noise line outputs.

 

5) You need a good analog-to-digital converter for recording.

 

6) You want to use your PC for taking audio measurements using software like ARTA, REW, SMAART, etc. 

 

7) You're using your computer for audio production.

 

8) You've put the necessary time and money into the rest of your system such that the onboard audio is actually a limitation. If you're using $200 speakers from Best Buy or Amazon and haven't put any thought into room acoustics, this is not you. 

 

9) Your onboard audio has awful drivers.

 

10) You need more inputs / outputs than your onboard audio can provide.

 

11) The $0.05 audio connectors on your motherboard have become intermittent.

In many cases, all of the above may be true. Generally, you'll know when you need to get a better sound card, and then it's just a case of figuring out what to buy. Good sound cards are generally quite costly. In some cases, the sound card (or more likely, a rackmount AD / DA box) may cost many times more than the rest of the system combined. I also know plenty of people who built a ~$500 system, then put an $800 Lynx E22 or an RME ADI-2 in it. From their perspective, that sound card plus Jan Didden's autoranger is ridiculously cheap compared to a $20,000 Audio Precision box.