Introduction

Integrated into the motherboard and already present in every computer, a sound card is one of those pieces of hardware most people don't think about buying. In addition, owners of exceptionally cheap speakers, headphones, and headsets have little reason to invest in a discrete sound card as it will not bring them any significant benefits over an integrated solution.

Before moving forward with this educational article, let me be very clear: Not all integrated sound cards are horrible. Higher-quality motherboards usually come with better integrated sound cards, ones that have cleaner (less noisy) inputs and outputs, provide more power to the headphones, and offer more software features. However, there's still a lot to be gained from upgrading to a proper external USB sound card.



The computer case interior is a catastrophic environment for a sound card because each component can and will cause noise and electromagnetic interference, which negatively impact the proverbial "purity" of the audio signal, degrading the overall sound quality in the process. One of the more obvious examples is microphone background noise, which often appears when connecting a gaming headset to your computer's integrated sound card. Unaware that it would disappear entirely if the microphone were connected to the input of an external sound card, most users attribute the audible hiss and static noise of the microphone to the poor quality of the microphone itself.

A noisy microphone will not only make it difficult for your friends on Discord to understand what you are trying to tell them, but also creates problems with using such applications in the so-called voice activation mode, where the microphone is activated when you speak and automatically turns off when you're silent. If the microphone input has a lot of interference, it will be nearly impossible to adjust its sensitivity such that it seamlessly activates and deactivates when it should. As a result, you'll inevitably annoy your virtual comrades and end up having to use the so-called push-to-talk mode, which is both awkward and strenuous as it requires pressing the assigned key every time you want to say something. A possible solution to this problem is to buy a USB gaming headset (based on microphone quality alone, my recommendation and personal go-to choice is still the excellent Creative SXFI Gamer). However, should you want to keep using the headset you already have while getting the best possible microphone and sound quality with your upgrade, a proper external USB sound card is the way to go.

In this article, we'll first go over the critical parts of the digital audio chain. Then, we'll tackle some common misconceptions that constantly confuse those not entirely at home with DACs, headphone amplifiers, sound cards, and everything in between. Finally, I'll recommend three excellent USB sound card options, ones that have proven themselves in real life and I'm personally using on a daily basis.

Full disclosure: This article is sponsored by Creative, but thoughts and opinions expressed in it are 100% my own. It is written to be as informative and educational as possible, and accessible even if completely new to the world of digital audio. US-based TechPowerUp readers can take advantage of a 15% discount for the Creative Sound Blaster X4, Creative Sound Blaster GC7 and Creative Sound BlasterX G6 mentioned in this article, as well as all other Creative's external and internal sound cards, by using the POWERUP15 discount code in Creative's online store until July 31, 2022.