Soundcards.....

[Bryan Anderson]

I only use the audio on the PC to listen to music while working. I
very, very rarely use it for movies, so surround sound and so on is
not important to me.

I have a motherboard with on-board Avance97 sound and there's a hiss
all the time. Would a budget/mid-range PCI card be a better bet? If
so, any recomendations for one?

 

[Steve Reinis]

You personally may not notice enough of a difference to justify a PCI sound
card over the on-board audio, but in many cases the quality is better when
using a dedicated card with quality components.

Regarding your hiss, I'd first suggest checking/adjusting your volume
control on your speakers and then also adjusting your Windows sound mixer.
Many times people have the amplifier in the speakers cranked way up because
the Windows mixer is set to a lower level. This causes a hiss because the
amplifier in the speakers is amplifying such a low level signal. Try
adjusting your speakers down to about mid range or just a bit less, and then
use the Windows mixer to adjust the "Wave Output" or "Master" audio control.
This will almost certainly help.


-Steve