In regards to the topic question, I've really got no use for manufacturer-provided sound cards. The components needed to make a card significantly better are expensive, and you're not going to pull it off without boosting the motherboard price a fair bit. I'd rather just see a good quality onboard audio chip, and call it a day. If it was an option (and affordable), perhaps couple the chip with a slightly stronger amp for someone with higher-impedance headphones? But otherwise, just make sure the board's got at least one free PCI and PCI-Ex1 slot for proper aftermarket cards, even with a pair of dual-slot GPU's installed. BR setup is pretty damn good, IMO.