you can get a top of the line sound card for 80 bucks...what's the difference between an 80 dollar soundcard and the 500 dollar one? a bunch of numbers that only mean shit if a robot is listening, you're human and your ears can't tell the difference, all you need to look for is what it supports, i assume you'll want something that supports 5.1 surround and EAX2, if not then you can get a good sound card for like 30 bucks. i honestly don't think whatever problem your having is with your sound card anyways, probly more like your connection/the way your mic interacts w/your computer or something, i think it sounds fine how it is anyways