Creative Labs is much better that the AC 97 chipset that i have been on motherboards.
My motherboard on my main computer comes with a AC 97 6-channel sound. I find that i get free back from it when I use my computer.
Eg. I move my mouse, I hear a buzzing noise going along with the mouse movement.
Yes, it strange, but it happen. I find that i am normally reinstalling my AC 97 drivers to sort this problem out. Only to have the same problem come back in about 6 week time.
Anyways, I find me Creative Labs SB Live 5.1 DE Sound Card.
Firstly, the sounds is much much much better.
Secondly, I am not getting that feed back sound.
The only down fall that I have with creative is that their drivers can be terribly fussy.
For the average job to the computer enuthusist, CREATIVE LABS are the best sound card out there.
UNLESS......
I am sound one that i trying to do some thing with music or sound on a semi-professional or professional level, then I would be suggesting that they look at Yamaha for their sound cards as they are more specialised. However all the sound card there have a specialised purpose. That purpose is a little bit more than to just sound better.
Plus when you are about to spend about AU$900 onwards on just sound card, then you would be wanting to have some specialised need for it. And not just blow it away just because "It's just better"
Basically, if I was going to be getting one of these better sound cards, I would be expecting that I am hooking it up to some sort of musicail intrument, Sound Mixing board, and not just up to a set of Logitech 6.1 gaming speakers.
Yamaha (and some of the other professional quality sound card manufacturers) don't even like me selling their products as they are rather specialised.
Firstly, they want to make sure that thier customer gets the right sound card for thier application.
Secoundly, they do not want to see their product prostituted at a cheap-$0-margin like just about every other IT product that is on the market.
If you are just going to get yourself a one of those hi-end sound card just so you can play UT2kX, then you are F***ing idiot.
In fact, there is a good chance the sound card might not even work on UT2kX.
I have a freind who did this.... yes, he's F***ing Idiot
(BTW, he did not buy it from me, nor did be speak to me about it before purchasing it)
As for some of the other manufacturers on a SOHO enviroment, I can not say that have been impressed with them at all. If it's not getting updated driver issues, it the fact that they just sound ****.