I ordered a Dell Dimension E520 which has Integrated Audio with Dolby Digital 7.1. Is this a Sound Card?

I have ordered a dell dimension e520 and just realised that it comes with this "Integrated Audio with Dolby Digital 7.1".

I was wondering if this was a sound card because i am planning to use the computer for music production and i have been told it is essential i have a sound card to use music production software such as Cubase sx3 and get the best sound quality out of my microphone.

I have clicked the "learn more" section under sound card on the dell website and it has an n/a under mixing music. Does this mean i will have to buy a new soundcard as the one given in the E520 is not a "real" soundcard ???

It is not a real sound card. It is technology built into the computer itself. You’ll probably need a better sound card if you want to use such software.

7 Responses

  1. toy.soulja Says:

    It sounds fine to me. Integratted sound cards are not rare at all, I have one in my computer. It’s not quite 7.1 surround sound though, it’s worse. I have 3 holes in mine: One for my microphone, one for my stereo system/speakers, and the other one I never use so I don’t know.
    What I mean is that you CAN record whatever you want, perfectly if you ask me, depending on the microphone you have. The soundcard typically only affects the output of a song you are listening to.

    You hardly have to worry about a 7.1 Dolby Digital soundcard as I am absolutely positive it’s of good quality.

    To simply answer your question and overcome any confusion, it IS a sound card, you do COULD replace it for an extremely expensive one but this one sounds perfect. If it is recording you are worried about, every sound card performs almost the same. If you are worried about sound OUTPUT, I highly doubt it gets much better than Dolby Digital 7.1.

    Good luck with recording and stuff, perhaps I’ve helped out a future celebrity.
    References :

  2. hammerhead Says:

    Integrated sound cards, while not bad, are also not best choices. You might wanna invest in a soundblaster card which is only about 15-20$. It will give you a better quality at a cheap price.

    According to wikipedia, integrated sound cards take away 10-15% more speed from the CPU, hence it is better to get a newer one.
    References :
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Card#Integrated_sound_on_the_PC

  3. bwilstyle561 Says:

    It is not a real sound card. It is technology built into the computer itself. You’ll probably need a better sound card if you want to use such software.
    References :

  4. Michael A Says:

    probably Dell’s fault. I didn’t even get a floppy disc drive and now I will have to buy external stuff or get a Hewlett Packard and float this thing down the river. Not everyone is a computer expert and they should pay more attention to us computer builders that don’t know what we are doing.
    References :

  5. K C Says:

    Basically it is an interface that is built into the motherboard, not a true soundcard in the sense it doesn’t plug into one of the pci slots on the motherboard.

    This arrangement is generally fine for ordinary users that just want to listen back to their cds, but for people looking to record or edit audio a better soundcard would be the best solution.

    Especially if you are looking to do multi-track recording. Professional soundcards give you control over buss assignment. They also have a better sound quality to them, the average user may not notice but a true audiophile will.

    There are a lot of other reasons for choosing a pro soundcard, do some research & you can generally find some at reasonable prices.
    References :
    Work in radio & audio production.

  6. Homer Says:

    it’s not really a sound "card" it’s really just and intergraded version of one. built in the motherboard. it should work just as a regular card.
    References :

  7. samuel m Says:

    YOU ORDERED A DELL

    Smash it now destroy it before it just dies on you trust me nothing ever come good out of the factory NOTHING

    and yea its intergrated

    They just love intergrated

    BURN DELL!
    References :

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