On board soundcard (Mic in jack) seems bad. Get a PCI sound card?

[GoodEnough]

I use line in on my desktop's built-in soundcard to record stuff.
Lately, it's gotten really scratchy. Interference, noise, etc.

I don't think you can replace thhat part of the MB.
Should I just get some cheapo PCI soundcard?
I have a free PCI slot.

Anyone want to get rid of some clutter?
I know some of you are hoarders!

 

[Gunbuster]

I would go the route of a USB Mic or sound card

 

[GoodEnough]

Great idea! I actually use "line in" 1/8" jack, so I can't use a USB mic.
Can anyone recommend a USB sound card?

 

[GoodEnough]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro....Xusb+sound+card&_nkw=usb+sound+card&_sacat=0

 

[inachu]

I too had the same issue but found out it was the cheap $20 mic I used for the past 5 years.

I upgraded to a BLUE yeti mic (USB microphone) Best investment ever!

 

[GoodEnough]

How is the yeti mic better for you?
Less static? Mine onboard had zero static before it broke

Can someone post a A/B sound comparison of on board line in vs. USB?
I bet no one steps up. Placebo, most likely.

 

[inachu]

I have owned the yeti now for almost 5 months and it performs flawlessly.
IT has a built in monitor and volume control and a switch in the back to control the 4 different mics, record sound facing away from you, record using the mic facing you.
Record using the two side mics for stereo recording. Also has a mute button.

As of late I have been using the yeti as my main sound source when playing MMO games.
I also have one of those $200 pci-e sound cards(sound blaster) and now buying the sound card feels like waste of good money.

 

[daveybrat]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-020-_-Product

ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

I use this card in my new build. The onboard Realtek Audio is crap compared to this cheap Xonar card. Much clearer audio and extremely loud with the headphone amp boost.

Best PCI card for the money right now IMO.

 

[Paperdoc]

You've received a lot of advice on good replacement equipment. But another path strikes me. I don't know about other mobo audio systems, but this does apply to many Realtek systems. I know about it because I have one on my mobo, and it caused me trouble until I understood it.

On my system, if I unplug a device from one of the audio ports on the back for a short time, and then plug something in that port again, a message pops up on my screen requesting that I tell the system what I just plugged in. If you ignore it for a little while, it disappears and the port is NOT used, so the new device becomes useless. That was my problem. But this is part of a port-redefinition feature that is actually very useful. You can plug a device (like, your microphone) into the WRONG port and then tell the machine the truth - you plugged the mike in there. The Realtek system then will re-assign that connector to be that input type. So, try plugging your mike into an empty audio jack, and see if it will let you make that into a replacement microphone input.