If I use the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX speakers for my laptop, would I need to upgrade my sound card?
Onboard Sound Vs. Add in Sound Card This is one of the most prevalent questions asked in this forum. I figured I would put all the info in this thread so members can find it quickly and easily. Everytime the questions is asked it will fuel a debate always ending with the same conclusion. Why should I get a soundcard when my Motherboard has onboard sound? I would say onboard sound is basically a marketing tactic used by motherboard manufacturers to sell an all-in-one solution. These soundchips undoubtedly have come along way since the first onboards, and would be fine for a basic office or home PC, but they still do not stand up to a quality add-in PCI card for many reasons. Onboard sound chips need to use CPU cycles to process sound. This robs your sytem of performance. If your sound chip has EAX which alot of them do these days the issue is compounded usually degrading your performance somewhere in the area of 5-15 FPS in games. This is usually the reported number of FPS that users re
As long as your computer was made in the last few years you should be fine. Most computers have integrated sound cards these days, rather than a separate card taking up an expansion slot. They are built-in to the motherboard along with the ethernet and sometimes video card. All you need is a standard headphone jack to use the Klipsch 2.1s. You could just as easily plug in an iPod or other portable music device and it would work fine. Just need that stereo 1/8″ audio plug.
