What Does a Sound Card Do?
One way to improve the overall function of a computer is to offload various functions from the CPU to dedicated signal processors. Whether you look at video or sound, the principle is the same.
How Do You Connect a Sound Card?
There are two basic ways to connect sound cards: internally or externally. Each choice offers its own set of benefits and tradeoffs, but both audio solutions have a number of benefits for the user.
- Internal: One advantage of internal sound cards like the Turtle Beach Montego is that since they don't run through an external interface like USB, so they have less overhead in use. Many also support advanced surround features and positional audio for gaming. They generally use either a PCI or PCI-Express interface.
- External: Most external sound cards connect over USB. The big advantage of a USB sound card is flexibility. All you have to do is plug it in and it works. You get great audio output in a matter of seconds without doing a lot of work. You may not get all the same features, but you do get the ability to shift from computer to computer at will.
What Should You Look for in a Sound Card?
Gamers and audiophiles have different needs, but they each can benefit from internal PCI sound cards. Choosing the right sound card often starts with figuring out what features the card offers so you can balance them against the sound chip built into the motherboard. Some features to consider:
- DAC: A good digital to analog converter is important because it gives you better sound quality. The key here is that regardless of what you do with your digital audio files, you have to eventually convert it to analog to drive your speakers.
- Outputs: From standard 3.5 mm jacks to SPDIF digital connections the more outputs you have, the more you can do with internal sound cards. Some even offer programmable output jacks that can switch functions depending on what you are doing. For example, you might alternate between headphones and a center audio channel.
- Panels: Anyone who changes things up a lot might want a front panel for their internal sound card so that they can connect speakers from the front instead of the rear.
Using Sound Cards
You can do quite a when adding a Turtle Beach sound card to your computer. In many cases your gaming performance will go up because the card can handle various audio effects so that your processor doesn't have to. You also get better sound when listening to music due to a better signal to noise ratio than that provided by many onboard solutions. Some even add multi-channel surround sound to computers that wouldn't otherwise have it.