How to compare soundcards?

Is there a program out there like 3Dmark06 but to compare only soundcards? I want to know how my soundcard compares with ones i want to buy.

The one i have atm is an onboard i think: SigmaTel high Definition Audio


The one i want to buy is

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=17751


Please tell me if there are any. Thanks

 

No. Consider 3DMark is testing/benching video game performance. You don't have "sound games". 3DMark does not bench "movie" capabilities? Sound cards for the most part do for sound more like a movie not a video game. Does that make any sense? If it does not I understand as I wrote and not sure if I understand.

GPU's create content, Sound cards reproduce it? Is there a benchmark for GPU's movie playing abilities? No. More of a does/doesn't' on/off. So you read the specs. Yes there is a little more to it but not at the level of GPU and gaming. Yes there are things like Dolby and THX but never measured like frames per second. Back to it works or it doesn't.

Sorry. And I in no way mean sound card quality does not matter just not benchable the same way.

 

Bottom line is that sound is subjective, and there is no true "test" for it other than your own ears.

 

It is better than what you have. Laptops integrated sounds chips always lose when compared to external audio cards.

 

There's RightMark Audio Analyzer which is often used to test for noise levels, crosstalk, etc. However, in the end nothing but a pair of ears can truly discern how good or bad something sounds.

 

Only your ears can tell.

 

Ok thanks guys, i could use some surround sound here and there so i guess ill just buy the sound card

 

Well, my parents' Pentium 4 desktop has onboard 'Sigma Tel High Definition Audio' and when we got some Logitech X230 (2.1) speakers for it (which get good reviews) we were disapointed with the quality - the sound wasn't very crisp and the subwoofer only made it sound worse. So after a while I decided to try them on my PC with a nVidia 'nForce2 Ultra 400' chipset (nVidia 'Soundstorm' onboard audio for digital output and Realtek ALC650 for analog) and they sound soo much better. The sound is clear and the subwoofer is well balanced. So I'm sure you'll notice an improvement from the Sigma Tel audio.

 

Out of curiosity, does that unit improve the onboard speakers? Or will an external set of speakers always need to be used?

 

I am quite sure that that soundcard needs external speakers to be fully effective and put to use the 5.1 surround sound system. Or else you wont see that big of an improvement. Thats why they suggest you use 5.1 headphones or speakers.

Hope that helped