Hey guys!

I'm selecting the parts for my new gaming desktop and I don't know too much about audio. I'm using the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard and I don't know if I should buy a Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card. I tried looking at the audio specs of both but I don't understand too much about it. So is it worth it and what are the differences?

Thanks

The onboard audio is HD with S/PDIF (optical) output support as well as Dolby Surround Sound. It should do nicely. My system uses an Intel mobo with HD onboard audio as well, and it works very nicely - driving a pair of Bose speakers. My advice is to use the onboard audio and see if it is good enough. Most add-in boards may have a few additional bells and whistles, but unless you really need those things, or the onboard audio proves less than you want in terms of capability and/or quality, don't bother with the extra expense.

The one time an external board may be required is if you need Midi support in order to interface with other audio devices (keyboards, synthesizers, etc).

Yeah, since it comes integrated with Surround Sound and has good quality, I think it'll be enough. I won't be doing any audio editing so I'll stick with the onboard one. Thanks!

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