Over the years, sound has become an increasingly important part of the computing experience. While early users of computers heard only a few beeps coming from their PC's internal speaker, today you can hear full bodied stereo music and sound effects as good as anything you'll hear from your expensive stereo system - if you've got the right sound card, that is. Advances in sound technology have made the early 8-bit sound boards obsolete. If you really want to get the best sound from your PC, you'll need to upgrade your sound board (of course, good speakers have a lot to with the sound you'll get also, but that's a different subject altogether).

When shopping for a new card, there are really three major things to consider. First, make sure that your new card is Sound Blaster compatible. This compatibility is a must if you play any type of games on your PC, as the Sound Blaster standard is supported by just about every game on the market. Without this support, you may find that you'll either have no sound at all, or you'll have to rely on the internal PC speaker for sound while playing your favorite games (and believe me, you don't want to use your internal speaker for anything involving sound playback - they always sound terrible!).

Second, look for a board that uses wavetable synthesis to create its sounds. In the early days of PC sound, another technique called FM synthesis was used to play back MIDI files and create sound effects. While this works just fine, the sound quality is just too artificial sounding; it's easy to tell that the instruments playing are computer generated. Wavetable synthesis, however, uses actual samples of musical instruments that are stored on a ROM chip on the card to create its sounds. This results in a much more realistic playback of music and sounds; in fact, the best sound cards produce sounds that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing! Other things supported by the newer wavetable cards include such goodies as 3D sound effects and other sound enhancing technologies. If you want the best sound possible, get a wavetable sound card!

Finally, make sure that the card you buy is supported by the operating system you use on your PC. While virtually all cards support DOS and Windows 3.x, you may run into problems with other operating systems. This is especially true if you run Windows NT or OS/2, as these operating systems demand that a specific driver written for your card be loaded in order to use it. Without that driver, your new card may not work at all! Fortunately, Windows 95 is more forgiving of hardware; if you don't have a Windows 95 driver for your card, you can often use the DOS and Windows 3.x drivers instead, as Windows 95 can use those type of drivers in a pinch. Another advantage of Windows 95 is that it supports the new Plug and Play (PnP) standard. If you buy a card that supports PnP, you simply install it in your PC; Win95 will automatically recognize the new addition to your system and will install the proper drivers for it after you restart the PC!

Once you buy your new card, installing it is easy. Always make sure to first read any documentation that comes with the card before you install it. After doing that, turn off your PC and disconnect all the cables from it (including the power cord), then remove the PC's cover. Ground yourself to remove any static electricity from your body by touching the back of the PC before touching anything inside it (otherwise, you could damage your system). Next, locate your old sound board, remove the screw that fastens its bracket to the rest of the PC, disconnect any wires connected to it (from your CD-ROM, for example) and carefully remove it. Now take your new card and carefully slide it into the slot vacated by the old card (be careful to not force the card into the slot; too much pressure can crack your motherboard!). Fasten the new card's bracket to the PC's case with a screw and reconnect any cables to the new card. Now replace the PC's cover and reconnect its cables, and you're finished! Boot your system and install the drivers for the card as outlined in its documentation, and you're ready to experience the fantastic sounds that only a new sound card can produce! Have fun blasting those aliens and listening to music in the background while you work!

Gateway offers this column to its readership as a service, but please note that it is not responsible for the accuracy or opinions of the author and offers no warranty either expressed or implied that the information will produce the desired result.

The information provided in this article is based upon the writers particular experience with certain equipment. Familiarize yourself with the requirements of your local and state electrical code and insure yourself that the work you plan to do does not require a licensed professional. If you decide to attempt to do the work yourself, always exercise extreme caution when working on electrical systems because accidents may cause serious injury including death and damage your computer. If you experience difficulty or do not understand the instructions, please consult a professional in your area.

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