Interface

• Integrated sound processors usually lack the advanced features found on dedicated sound cards, but are sufficient for listening to music and movies and for most computing tasks that don't require high-fidelity audio. Modern sound cards use the PCI or external USB interface. Internal PCI sound cards are the most common and usually cheaper. USB sound cards benefit from an easier installation process as they require no drivers and can be used by notebooks, laptops, Macs and PCs.
  
  

Differences

• Integrated audio processors are often crammed around the other components built onto the motherboard. These components may cause interference, which can result in static, buzzing and other background noise that will be most audible during lulls in music and movies. Dedicated sound cards do not suffer from those problems and also lessen the load on the CPU.
  
  

Features

• The features for sound cards vary and generally reflect the price. Entry-level sound cards include basics such as surround-sound support, while mid- and high-range sound cards may benefit from EAX (environmental audio extensions) support, DirectSound acceleration and other card-specific perks.
  
  

Inputs

• Most sound cards include four standard ports: line in, line out (speaker/headphones), microphone and auxiliary. Some sound cards also include a gaming controller port or FireWire port.