Will a soundcard stop all the background noise?

I've noticed that when I'm wearing my headphones (Sony MDR-V600's, though it happens with any pair of headphones I use so it's not them) I hear intermittent background noise. For the most part it's just some faint static here and there, but sometimes it's small pops and beeps and such. I've noticed it happens more when I'm using the hard drives or scrolling through a web page. It's not very prevalent when I'm listening to music or watching a video but it's still there during quiet parts.

Basically, I'm just wondering if it's because I'm using the onboard sound and if I buy a sound card will it go away? If a sound card will make it go away, any suggestions for one <$100?

yes soundcard will make most of that go away. Using a digital connection would make it all go away.

Soundblaster audigy or cheaper x-fi should be in your budget. Can't offer much for specific recommendations because I use digital output on my onboard sound so I have no need for a sound card.

X-Fi Xtreme Music or Xtreme Gamer would probably fit your requirements. The gamer shows up in the Deals forum here for ~$60 sometimes.

The Xtreme Audio isn't a hardware processing card though, it's software only, if you game at all, it'll use cpu cycles to process sound.

I got issues with my X-fi after a year but I don´t remember having that issue when it was new.

I now got the Elite PRO and I get absolutely zero background noise with that. Even when I use the internal sounds DAC the external box acts like an external DAC.

But what do you use your computer for. If it´s for gaming sure get an X-fi. If you don´t care much for EAX you can spend the money on something like the EMU 0404 or an external DAC instead.

I like the Elite PRO because it´s extremely versatile. Excels for gaming, movies and music I don´t need to do any trade off with it but it aint cheap of course.

Try muting you unused inputs. Sometimes the inputs pickup signals from the bus so this is why you hear noise and beeps when moving the mouse etc...Try muting the Line-In,Mic in etc...if you have them connected to a device that is fine. The problem happens when they are floating. -left amplifying air...

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I've also had this happen on a small Shuttle box, and I heard it was due to crappy capacitors located near the onboard sound chip. Or so I was told.

anyway, a vanilla SB Live fixed most of the problems, no more pops and hissing!

Hope something similar works for you.

If all else fails, consider an external sound card (via USB).

I had a OnBoard Asus SoundMAX device (removable resembled a PCIE Slot but only for a SoundMAX Card). I was getting hissing just what this guy was talking about, a buzz and hissing when browsing webpages and moving windows, tried everything to get rid of it... I tried muting line in, micro phone and others, didn't work. I bit the bullet and bought a X Fi Xtreme Gamer PCI Sound card. Still the hissing!!!

The strange thing is is that it only comes from my cases front panel headphone jack, whats going on? I have the HD Connector from my case Connected to my Xtreme gamer connected on the opposite end of the external connectors. Its a 2by5 connector.

Is there bad sheilding/interference from other parts? Bad/loose connection? Or is my jack bad i wonder?

Any suggestions guys?

EDIT" By the way i took out the old SoundMAX Card, and disabled it correctly in the bios and deleted all the software in windows, so the old device shouldn't be a problem.

So I took off my cases face plate and unplugged my headphone jack in the front, then plugged it back in. put everything back together and nothing changed. Whats going on? I'm getting the feeling its something weird. I don't know what else to try now. Nothing seems to work.

I get a faint hissing noise, when a drag a window or move my mouse. I still hear sounds that I'm suppose to hear though. I tried using my HD Audio, and AC 97 plugs, and i hear sound with both, and both get the faint hissing noise.

I've changed from the onboard to a PCI XFi Card, I Switched off inputs. I disabled the old card in BIOS, deleted all of its software.

any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

It could be interference, bad shielding, from another part maybe? I find it odd that it happens mostly when I'm doing something with my mouse, like dragging a window or moving my mouse. it also does it in certain screens, maybe it has to do with the color changing of the screen, or power usage of another product. Im rambling now...

Do you have front USB Ports next to the audio plugs and have any USB devices plugged into them? If so, remove them. I know on my front panel, I get interference if I had a device plugged in and am using the front panel for headphones.

IT is possible, if the lines were close together you may pick up interference. More likley if it was a input and not a output. Very possible though.

Heres a picture of my computer i built with the headphones in it. From right to left I have headphones, mic, IDE Light, usb2.0,usb2.0, firewire.

I unplugged the IDE Light, and usb, and booted again... Still hissing in headphones.

OK I went into control panel and into Sounds and Audio Device Properties, in the "Device volume" box, i clicked Mute, its supppose to mute ALL inputs and Outputs. I clicked it, and i get no sound but the hissing as usual when i do my tasks.

Very strange. Are you running more then one card? -meaning add-in card and mobo sound?
this only happens on the front headphone jack correct?
The buzzing and hissing and beeping when moving the mouse is common for onboards but
not so common for add-ins although it does happen when inputs are left floating.
you may need to tray a different slot. The card is not picking up the noise from the bus through floating inputs, it's picking it up from the PCI slot. Your card will be sharing with some system device -this is what you hear. You into changing the card slot?

Yes it only happens on me front headphone jack. where you see it plugged in, it does not hiss on the rear speaker jack.

No Once i took out my old Asus SoundMAX to try and fix it, i also disabled it from the bios and all the drivers. So that shouldn't be an issue anymore.

Odd that it was picking hissing up through my onboard detachable card that and now my PCI card that is 6 inches away from where my onboard sound detaches from...

What you said makes sense Ill try that. Ill move it above my graphic card where my Wireless Connection is currently. Ill post an update. in a moment.

I switched it to that and it still didn't work. How weird!

It actually is worse now in the 1st PCI slot. since i moved it from the last one.

Sometimes when you move the card to another slot you need to reinstall the drivers again.