Should I get a sound card? I get a little bit of static and noise

>>58273441
No.
Buy an external DAC + Amp (if you need one).

You might want to check out some portable DACs. Although most are overpriced memes.

yes

OEM PCI Soundblasters can be found in thrift shops and anywhere you can get used parts. I have a SB Live 24-bit I got at a thrift shop for $10. It sounds fucking incredible compared to onboard audio and doesn't take up a USB port like a DAC.

monitors have shit-tier speakers, get a pair of powered ones (the kind that plug into the wall and the computer).

>>58274170
>recommending PCI devices, thats PCI not PCI Express
>recommending 18 year old soundcard
>fucking incredible compared to onboard audio

when did /g/ become this fucking retarded...

Use optical-out for audio. Light does not make audio noise, and is not subject to radio interference.

Stop being an analog plebian.

>>58274170
Holy literal bag of cat shit the specific model you recommended was bottom of the barrel when it was released....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_Live!#Sound_Blaster_Live.21_24-bit

You might as well drill holes in a fucking stone and plug your headphones into that. Christ.

>>58273441
sure, why not.
don't listen to external "dac" faggots, that's just an unnecessary waste of space on your desk.
also some second hand internal soundcards can be had for dirt cheap.

>>58274414
his wording was a bit exaggerated, but those 18 year old soundblasters still sound fine (aka no noise--unlike some onboards).

>>58274045
This. Get something like a FiiO E10K or Schiit Fulla.

>>58273441
Xonar DG is fine for me, originally bought it for the optical output I wanted at the time few years ago (not anymore though)

Didn't cost much and works fine, it was better than on-board on my old motherboard, don't know about my current one as I never even tried it, just plugged in the Xonar and have used it always

Not a audiophile though

Hey faggot, FYI onboard cards will create even more noise and won't bring an improvement to your audio setup. Don't do something stupid, and just go for the external DAC.

>>58273441
Sound cards are meme tech these days. It used to make sense when computers couldn't produce sound without one, and later on they were still needed to provide advanced audio features to games and DAWs, but now everything can easily be handled by the CPU in software, although there are still some elaborate modules available for DAWs (which still often lead to an external box).

A sound card is inherently flawed by being inside of your system packed in with a ton of other components, and you generally want at least the analog aspect of your audio path to not be in your system.

>>58273441
Unless you fall for the audiophile meme, you need nothing more than a cheap USB or pcie sound card. Ask /csg/ for a suggestion. You most likely do not need an external DAC if all you do is watch YTP and listen to streaming audio in mp3 format.

>>58274625
>A sound card is inherently flawed by being inside of your system packed in with a ton of other components

And yet they still produce great sound with no noise.

Fuck off with your stupid memes, m80.

>>58274649
Fuck off, they do.

If they wouldn't OP wouldn't be here having noise problems with his onboard audio.

>Any recommendations? Nothing to expensive
If you aren't going to buy a high quality sound card and have no audio equipment that could take advantage of it, then don't bother at all with them.

An external DAC+Amp will serve you much better for a lower price if all you want is higher volume output and no static.

Behringer UCA202 or UCA222

>>58273441
Cheapest, if you have PCI:
SB Live! - $5
SB Audigy - $10
They still work even on Windows 10 with KX drivers.

>>58274849
Doesn't Windows 10 have a bitch of a time installing non-signed drivers like Windows 8.1? In 8.1 I had to reinstall KXdriver at every restart because otherwise Windows would be like nope, fuck this. And turning off driver signing didn't help any.

>>58275006
Yeah, but this fix works:
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/community/threads/windows-10-and-kx-3552-new-fix.230567/
(You should use it for 7 too, at least with 3552.)

>>58275065
I should write that down. I have no use for the driver anymore because my Audigy 2 ZS does not fit in my system (no PCI slots) but I might want to use it sometime in the future on my old computers so a working driver would be important.

Considering how cheap a dedicated sound card can be, why not?

Personally I have the stripped down SoundBlaster Z card. I particularly like the function that lets you swap between headphone and speaker without unplugging anything.

File: SUPPORTED_CARDS.png (74KB, 920x1212px) Image search: [Google]

74KB, 920x1212px

>>58274849
>They still work even on Windows 10 with KX drivers.
Just to add, before someone gets burned. Not every SB is supported, so check the exact model before buying one.

>>58275532
I have one of those DELL OEM SB Live!s and it worked with KXdriver. What gives?
Maybe mine was a SB220 though.

>>58274414
>I like stupid overvalued shit because is new
kill yourself

>>58274463

OP here

went with the E10k, I have a pair of HD 25-II and listen to a lot of V0/FLAC plus game and since my biggest issue was static/noise I have from my on board I felt like this is a safe bet instead of another internal part.

>>58276484
You meant hd 215?