Sound Card Noob Seeks Help!

[zex_vex55]

I recently bought a new headset, Audio-Technica ATH-AD 700 and had a question regarding sound cards. Sounds cards are something I've never really dealt with or put thought into when it comes to my headphones. Is there a certrain sound card that would amplify my sound and make it sound even better? Kind of like graphics cards to graphics. Or can I simply plug my headset and I get the best results from there? How important are sound cards to the sound that is produced? I do play some FPS video games, as well as listen to music.

I tried to find what type of sound card I have, all I found was the following:
Name: High Definition Audio
Manufacturer: Microsoft

and

Name: High Definition Audio
Manufacturer: Nvidia

Would investing into a sound card produce noticeable results from just plugging my headphones into the ports in my graphics card? If so what sound cards would fit well with my headset/are just good, reliable sound cards to pick up?

Thanks for any help!

 

[dsventimiglia]

Sound cards come very very cheep like the ones already on most motherboards... or get extremely expensive for those DJ mixers out there. Post your mother board and $ willing to spend, and determine whether your onboard system is adequate to your ears or not. Most people aren’t bothered by onboard sound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_card
just a good read

 

[zex_vex55]

My motherboard is a Biostar hH61MGC. My current audio sounds good, I feel like it sound better but I have no prior sound experience to know what I'm missing out on/how much better it can sound with a sound card. I've always used motherboard sound with average headphones. My sound is decent at the moment, I guess I'm trying to gauge how much of a difference I would notice if I invest in a sound card. I'd probably be willing to spend $80-90.

 

[dsventimiglia]

ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 80$ best you can get for that $ range. Some of the lesser asus models will still be better then on board sound.

if onboard sound was a car it would be a pinto.... the ASUS Xonar DX a mustang GT & the ASUS Xonar Essence STX 185$ would be a Shelby gt500

all dependent on quality of headset and or speakers of corse

 

[zex_vex55]

Best answer selected by zex_vex55.