Having sound problems? Get a new laptop sound card

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I bet half of you didn’t even know that you could replace a laptop sound card. Well, you can! It’s sometimes not as easy as if you had a PCI-equipped desktop PC that just allows the sound card to be slid out of the case, but it’s doable if you know what you’re looking for. Actually, let me just preface this whole article with this: It actually can be easier than a desktop PC sound card replacement. There are actually laptop sound cards that are external. Yes, you heard right: You can find a USB laptop sound card that plugs right into your computer’s USB port like any other peripheral. This is actually the preferred method of getting a new sound card, actually. You don’t want to be tearing your laptop’s case open trying to replace the card that came from the manufacturer. In fact, most of the time you just can’t; most newer laptops come with the sound card soldered onto the laptop motherboard. You’re going to have to get an external card.

Contrary to popular belief, a sound card for a laptop isn’t too expensive, even with the external varieties. Doing a Google search I’m seeing sound cards right off the shelf built for laptops that are $50-$150. Naturally the ones that sell for $150 are going to give you the best quality and features in the card itself. If you have a big subwoofer system and take your sound system seriously, you’re not going to want to skimp on this. That’s especially true if you use your laptop in conjunction with a media hard drive; you want to be able to stream your HD movies to your computer and watch them with the full effect of great sound and picture. Even if the picture looks great, a cheap external sound card for your laptop is going to ruin the experience, trust me on that.

What should you look for when buying such a card? The first thing you really need to do is go to an online review site and see what other users have to say about it before you buy. Large electronics sites online are a great source for this, as you’ll be able to find reviews on just about anything, good and bad. Do your research through there, and when you’re done, look at the specs. It’s important to look at features such as sound output mode and system compliant standards. You don’t want to go home with a USB sound card for your laptop that doesn’t fit well with your system.