Of speakers and sound card

[LoC]

since i currently live in a dorm as a freshmen my speaker/audio system can not be ridiculous. (i.e. 5.1 or 7.1 b/c of limited space and i would not be able to use the full power of the setup) since my system is going be to quite high end, i cannt give exact specs b.c i am still researching but i am looking at 2.2GHz AMD 64 3700+ with an ATI X800XL vid card. i heard that you need a decent soundcard in order to prevent bottlenecks and improve performance in simulation games (joystick) and i am infering that may inlclude other games. i am looking to spend $140-150 with a max. of $180 if necessary. i am reusing my current 2.1 speakers/subwoofer until i can upgrade so i do not want to overspend on a sound card, i just want to have a decent card that has the ability to go 5.1 or 7.1 (7.1 being perferable)

[DonVito]

If your just using a 2.1 system thier really isn't any reason to spend over $100 dollars on a sound card. This one will fit you need very well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102178

[LoC]

aye, however if i am able to upgrade to 5.1 or 7.1 what is my best bet? as well, how much do sound cards affect performance?

[firewolf]

go with a 7800GT, it's cheaper and beats it in most games (usually i would support ATI)

[DonVito]

aye, however if i am able to upgrade to 5.1 or 7.1 what is my best bet? as well, how much do sound cards affect performance?

If you think you might eventually get some better speakers, it might be worth it to move up to the new Sound Blaster X-FI. It has many exculsive features that alot of the latest games (like BF2 and HL2) support, for much better sound in these games than with other cards.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188

As far as sound cards improving performance, no, they just make the games sound better.

[LoC]

thank you for your help