Onboard sound isnt as bad as it used to be, I would try using the onboard for awhile and see how it does, the sblive 5.1 isnt that great of a sound card, its more a value card. Dont get me wrong it works great( i have one in backup system) but it isnt for gaming, I would stick with the onboard for now. It also depends on your speakers, which ones do you have?