Compare internal sound card and external

In fact, all the differences between an internal sound card and an external one lie in the location of the device. The first ones are either soldered on the motherboard or connected to it via the PCIe interface. The second ones are placed outside a computer or laptop (it’s not for nothing that they bear their name) and are connected via USB.

This could be the end of the material, but there are a couple of extremely important points regarding the operation of internal and external sound cards that would be nice to discuss.

Integrated and discrete sound cards

The first thing to note is that «internal» audio cards come in two types: integrated and discrete. The former are soldered directly on the motherboard and usually have relatively low performance. They are enough to connect speakers or headphones to the computer — well, so as not to leave it “dumb”.

With discrete solutions, things are a little more interesting. They are extremely varied. There are both very simple solutions that can only be used as a replacement for a broken or missing built-in one at all; as well as professional configurations capable of handling 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, special feedback technologies, or recording vocals or music.

And, what’s more, since discrete expansion cards are connected via a high-bandwidth PCIe interface, professional audio producers and musicians prefer them over «outdoor» ones. Gamers will also like such models. For example, Asus releases special editions of the ROG gaming series that provide a 360-degree audio space for deep immersion in the virtual world.

«External» does not mean «good», «Internal» does not mean «bad»

As is clear from a couple of paragraphs above, there are both simple and highly professional discrete internal «zvukovu». What’s worse than external ones?

1. 1. There are extremely simple USB sound cards. They are sold by the kilo in online stores, cost mere pennies and offer just audio outputs. That is, if the built-in audio card is broken, you can buy a USB-connected one for a couple of hundred rubles and use it.

1. 1. Professional external «zvukovuhi» also exist. And in some cases they are even more convenient than integrated ones. So, they can be placed on physical control elements through which you can configure the operation of the device (buttons, «twists» and other «wheels»). This will help you quickly adjust the quality of playback or recording.

1. 1. USB-connected professional-grade audio cards have many performance requirements. The interface over which they are connected cannot provide the same throughput as PCIe. Therefore, «outdoor» «zvukovuhi» must encode the signal in such a way as to ensure its high quality — but at the same time small volumes.

Conclusion

Choosing a sound card it is worth focusing not on the type of its placement, but on the planned use. If you want to install 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound speakers at home, both built-in and external are suitable. To record sound from an electric guitar that is constantly overloaded, it is better to use an external one with controls. And if just the integrated «zvukovuha» broke down, the cheapest one will be enough, regardless of the type.

And only when choosing a sound card for a laptop, the question «Remote or built-in?» doesn’t get up. Connectable via USB only. The built-in install in it simply will not work.