Sorry if this has been posted before.

I have just purchased a new laptop and I want to use it as my main music library.

The Laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1501 and the audio hardware is:
Audio type
two-channel high-definition audio codec

Audio controller
Sigmatel STAC9200 Codec

Stereo conversion
24-bit (analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog)

Interfaces:

Internal
Azalia High Definition Audio

External
microphone-in connector, stereo headphones/speakers connector.

My music is EAC ripped LAME (192 VBR) encoded MP3.

I know that laptop soundcard have generally been pretty poor and I am wondering if I can use this set up to send a levelled line-out to my receiver (a Yamaha R-V 905 matted with vintage Celestion 16 speakers). I am not an audiophile--but I do want the best sound this set can provide for me. I am not adverse to purchasing an aftermarket soundcard or DAP.

So... can I get an unaltered (no DSP, no equalization, no amplification from the headphone jack) signal from my computer with my current setup--or do I need to get an aftermarket soundcard?

IF I need an aftermarket card do I need a 24bit card--or will a 16bit card do? (Would I notice the difference with my set up?

Thanks for any advice,

Drew

Built-in soundcards, especially in laptops, are often poor, but some are better than others. Some people are quite satisfied with the better ones. If there is only one output, a single headphone/speaker out, there is probably some kind of additional analogue circuitry on it to provide the small amount of power the headphones require. If there is a separate line level out, use that. The probability is very high that it resamples to 48kHz, but that isn't necessarily audible. You can avoid any other type of DSP. You can't hurt anything by hooking it up and listening to some music.

I think, except for the cheaper gaming cards, there isn't a 16 bit card available for you to buy.

I think the new HD Audio onboard soundcards are better quality than most AC'97 cards.