Hi I play loads of games and watch hundreds of films, my current sound card is a Soundblaster live 5.1 Digital Would I benefit from getting a Soundblaster Audigy 2 Only getting a new sound card as sound seems to be a bit crackly or just not good enbough sound anymore, and I would also like to get into the 24bit sound now for pure quality sound any suggestion would be great PS I am on a $164 budget or £100 as I am from the UK to so I must be able to buy online that ships to UK Thanks Richard

For you as a Creative user, there is a new offering within your budget and you may just love it!. The concept of an external sound card connected via the USB port isn't a new one. Both Altec Lansing and Microsoft have already offered USB-based solutions that made it possible to do without a sound card. Abit's solution was closer to that of Extigy, and the company had already developed USB Theater, a little box capable of decoding stereo sounds and Dolby Digital, though its functions were very limited. For a price of $149.99, Extigy is now offering a great deal more. It is already producing the equivalent of a SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum in terms of connections. No other ports are suitable for use with sound cards, with the obvious exception of the SB1394 port, but that is of little interest since it has a limited bandwidth in the USB 1.1 version (1.5 MB per second). Furthermore, this is a true Dolby Digital decoder that is independent of the CPU and can function as a standalone without being connected to a computer. It can be used as effectively on a PC as on a hi-fi system, a game console or even a full-sized DVD player. To summarize, the Extigy is much more than a mere deluxe USB card. It functions as if it is perfectly at home in environments that have nothing to do with computing read more: http://www6.tomshardware.com/video/20020405/index.html

For an extreme gamer/musician/audiophile, get the Guillemot HERCULES (www.guillemot.com) GAME THEATER XP model, about $100 retail, which includes the PCI 2.1 bus sound card and RACK extension (set-top box), and 2-meter heavy-duty cable. It has so many ports and connections, you'll go blind. The MUSIC/hardware MP3 decoding/GAMERS ultimate card! 2 YEAR warranty by exchange. Some features I can think of now: MIDI interface, game port/joystick, MP3, 5.1 digital and audio sound, power DVD software, headphone processor, USB ports X 4, Microphone, coaxial or optical digital outputs,line input for BOOM box device and MiniDisc Digital Audio Tape device. Plus, the rack is made of very study steel casing. Very easy and quick set-up and you're off and running in less than 30 minutes!

That sounds like a massive amount of extension ports on the hercules card, will think about getting that, as I really need a new sound card now, and would love some exellent sound, Thanks again all :)