Rep avaliable! - sound upgrade

Hi guys, im looking to upgrade my Vostro 1700 sound wise.

I'm looking to purchase an external sound card (USB) and a speaker system (preferably 5.1+). Im a bit of a noob about these things and my budget is around £80 (~$160), and im looking for the best stuff out there... suggestions?

P.S - i found a very cheap Logitech X230 but my sister has it and its broken, so im looking for something better.

 

I would actually recommend a PCMCIA / PC Express sound card like the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS over a USB sound card. It's an excellent quality card.

The Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 Speakers are awesome speakers, but they would blow most of you budget right there ($123 average price).

 

Be aware that your notebook does not have the PCMCIA slot so you are not going to be able to use the Audigy 2 ZS. Instead, you're stuck with the X-Fi Notebook Extreme Audio, which, although newer, is not such a good idea. For why, see http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=112643 , quite a long thread but informative.

Consider the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage SRM, it's external but less issuey, and includes an analog break-out for 5.1 systems, so you might be able to buy a cheaper sound system, possibly.

Another option is the M-Audio Transit.

 

alright i have no idea what those are but ill do a google on them. After a search and a review it looks like the xfi extreme audio card isn't a card for gamers (i play css) so that card is out of the question.

The turtle Beach card doesn't seem to be avaliable in UK. and the M -Audio is £55 which is expensive considering my budget for this and speakers is ~£80.

I was looking at the following speaker systems, which one out of these would you recommend i get?

Logitech X530
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=139042191&pf_rd_i=468294

Creative Inspire T6100 5.1 Speakers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=139046091&pf_rd_i=468294

 

Argh didn't see you were not from the US (neither am I but I always assume a NBR user is, by default)

Here;s what I would do in your place. I would first check if the Vostro has optical (SPDIF) output. Most newer integrated sound cards do that nowadays, they have a dual-purpose jack: line out and SPDIF.

If so, I would look for a sound system with a SPDIF (optical) input, buy those, and then buy the line-out jack to SPDIF converter and connect the system to the laptop. I would check to see if it sounds fine and I'm satisfied with it.

If yes, then I don't need to buy the external sound card.

If not, then I'd need to keep searching...