Why don’t we have more sound card options? | Ask an expert

Q: Why can’t sound cards be more like video cards?A: We assume that this question refers to the constant advances in graphics cards, where the release of new technology (like process shrinks and new microarchitectures) happens about every two years. Sound cards, on the other hand, tend to get released when they get released.Why? Well...the truth is, not enough people care enough about discrete audio cards to warrant the same level of attention as discrete graphics cards. Take a random assortment of PC gamers, and the odds favor a majority saying, “Wow, this game looks incredible” instead of “Wow, this game sounds incredible.” (Even if, as the old joke goes, the reason they’re praising the graphics is because of an improved soundscape.) Not everyone will say this, of course—let’s just make that clear before a couple PCWorld staff members protest violently. But enough gamers do, thus leading to a slow drip of sound card releases.To read this article in full, please click here