Which Sound Card/Chip is Better?

[Fishmonger]

Hello,

I'm putting a couple of computers together, and I'm wondering how these 3 different sound chips rank:

1. AC97 Revision 2.1 (VT82C686A)
2. C-Media HW CMI87383D
3. Regular Sound Blaster 16 PCI card

Any help would be appreciated, thank you very much.

 

[GuardianAli]

Besides the technical jargin, they are all very similar and should sound alike. Might as well save a pci slot and get the onboard built in ( I suggest B ), if you dont want a better one liek a sb live!

 

[TheCorm]

I am going to be building a system for someone soon and I am looking at the Hercules Gamessurround Muse XL. I was looking at this because I thought it might be a little better than the AC97 plus it made a cheap 4 speaker solution.

Am I right there?

Thanx,

Corm