Maybe I'm an audio snob.  Actually, I probably am.  Anyway, I have always hated
the integrated audio in motherboards.  I have owned Sound Blaster cards since
the beginning of time.  The one I have used for many years now is the Sound
Blaster Audigy FX (PCIe).

That card works great.  It has great sound quality and an amp of some sort since
it boosts the sound level a huge amount.  

Fast forward to a week ago when I bought another video card (MSI 2060 Super
Gaming).  Video cards like that block access to other slots on the motherboard. 
I had no place to install my SB card, so I bought a USB Sound Blaster X3.  The
sound is close the the same quality of the FX - but it is buggy as hell.  Just
like what has happened to Cisco, Microsoft, etc, the modern day products are
released way before they are ready and just don't work right.  I'm sure it is a
software bug of some type, but after two years they still have not fixed the
audio drop outs.  I am taking the damn thing back to Microcenter this weekend.

Anyway, I ordered a PCIe riser card that supports up to 4 risers, bought 2 riser
cards and will move my other video card outside the PC to the top of the case
like my other one.  That will free up the space I need to re-install my SB
Audigy FX.  

Far more difficult than it should have been, but it seems more and more that new
stuff is worse than the old stuff.  

- Mark

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