How to Choose a Sound Card for Your Computer
- 1). Number of Channels: What you should get depends on how many speakers you have. The most common are 7.1 channel cards followed by 5.1 channel.
- 2). Sample Rate: The most common is 96KHz, though there's some above and below. The higher the sample rate, the better the sound quality.
- 3). Ports: These can include Line In, Line Out, SPDIF In, SPDIF Out, Mic In, MIDI/Joystick, just to name a few. If you need it, there are sound cards that have it.
- 4). SNR: This is the signal to noise ratio. Cards fall in the range of 86dB to 120dB, with most falling in the range of 103dB and 110dB. The higher, the better.
- 5). Bit Depth: Most sound cards are 24-bit, though there are a few at 16-bit. The higher the bit depth, the better the audio will likely be.
- 6). Interface: Most cards connect via plain old PCI though there are a few that connect via PCI Express. Make sure you have the right kind of slot available for your card.