i was thinking about switching from my onboard sound (EVGA 780i) to a soundcard but what increases in quality should i expect if any? and which cards would your guys recommend i am currently connected to a 300watt sony stero system (2 speakers 1 sub) via headphone jack to RCA. would i even notice a difference in audio quality from getting a dedicated sound card?

Honestly you probably won't notice a whole lot of difference. Chances are a dedicated sound card will have a hotter (louder) output though, and may offer features like pseudo-surround options depending on the model.

What I would recommend doing is auditioning a card from a local place (even Best Buy) to see if you can notice any difference before you buy a card that may be difficult to return. If you just want to buy one straight up, I think the Turtle Beach Montego would be a fine choice. It's very affordable and has quite similar features that some more expensive Auzentech cards offer.

Now if you plan on moving to a surround sound system in the future and game a lot, this probably wouldn't be the best choice. Personally I thought this sounded great on Battlefield 2 when I used it a year or two ago, but some people really want proper EAX for those kind of games. It's no big deal to me, but something to think about if you're that guy. But in my case, the Montego was excellent for both movies and music, and certainly made Oblivion a lot more fun to play. Which is something my Auzentech could never do, due to driver issues apparently (high pitched squeal in Oblivion ).

If you can find a used Audigy2 ZS on sleazebay or somewhere else, that is definitely the sound card to get if you can find one at a decent price.

Quite possibly one of the best cards that Creative ever produced. I wouldn't sell mine for the world.

thanks guys i look into these when i get some moola to spend

I agree with Wevsspot on the Audigy2 ZS. I'm listening to one right now. I dislike onboard sound for music and many onboards seem to skip and pop for me.

I just saw a used ZS on a forum for $25 shipped and I'm kicking myself for not getting it just in case one of mine drops. I just had to order one of the new Audigy for a new system (the longer ones) for around $30 shipped from eWiz. Hope it is as good.

I almost tried Turtle Beach but it was little more money right now than Audigy. Considerably less than a tank of gas, however.

if your using vista64 then stay away from the MontegoDDL .... no 64bit support at all.