I've never depended on motherboard sound to handle my music or gaming needs. I started my quest many years ago with the Sound Blaster AWE64 (1996 I believe) and I have depended on add-on sound cards ever sense. I would go to extremes to make sure that my sound-card  was just as good as my processor or GPU. I went from the Sound Blaster Live!,  to the Sound Blaster Audigy, to the Sound Blaster X-Fi, and finally to the Sound Blaster Zx. I have run just about every speaker set-up you can name, listening to hours of music, and playing even more hours of games on my PC. I was a bit skeptical when I heard that EVGA was getting into the sound card business. I have always purchased EVGA video cards and Motherboards, but I would never have thought about a sound card. I searched for reviews on the EVGA NU and watched several release videos but just wasn't sure if I wanted to leave behind my trusty Sound-blaster card. I can only say that I did not make a mistake! Immediately after hooking it up I listened to some of my favorite tunes with amazement, no exaggerations! My wife came and sat in my office and asked me if I had purchased new speakers because they sounded so clear and the bass was so punchy now. I was shocked! The next test was to play some of my games and I was not disappointed. Crisp, clear sounds, simple set-up and great looks. The EVGA NU is a win for anyone searching for better PC Sound and the fact that it matches my RGB 2080 is a plus. I will certainly recommend this card to anyone looking to up their sound game.