Onboard sound seems to be the norm these days, but there are so many varations that Im confused. Is it better than an add on card. The reason I ask is because I here most games will be doin sound via cpu (doom 3) in the future???

AC97 sounds lifeless and uses a lot of cpu time, Sounstorm is better on the Nforce but the best in my opinion is the High defenition audio (Azalia) part of the 925 Intel chipset.

Thats what my friend has on his new Asus board. Im gonna recommend he stick with that. Tanks J.

I have the soundstorm on my NF2 card and it does seriously kick ass. I see no reason for an addon when what is there is just as good and better.

I do have to agree with Jas. The AC97 being "adequate", it is flat and lacks depth. That's why I put an SB Live back in my comp.

So you two actually do post in the tech threads...imagine that!

Where you been willis?

Pfft - it depends on what gear you have and what you plan on doing with it. If you don't have good speakers, then don't waste money on an add-on card. If you don't set-up for surround sound, then don't waste teh money either. If you don't 'use' the sound system for what it's made for, then on-board sound is fine too.

I hate seeing people waste money on stuff they don't need because all the hacks at tech sites tell them they need to get the latest and greatest or they;re doing it wrong. "Buy the new video card and spend $400 to squeaze 2 more FPS out of your game." "Buy a hot sound card so your stolen MP3s and desktop noises sound better." "Buy a Gig-E card to get better netwrok connections."

If you don't need it, don't buy it.

Ummm - I gotta agree with stoby on this one.

Match your componets....absolutely!