Build Advice optical out sound card or mobo optical out?

looking to link my z5500 speakers to a sound card as my creative audigy card doesn't have optical out, or just doesn't work. So I wondering if the onboard optical out connector on my mobo (asus p5k deluxe...i know it's old) is good enough or a sound card with optical out be much better in quality?

I'll be using it for games and movies to take advantage of the speaker's potential.

If the sound card is better, which one to go for with the optical out connector?

Thanks

 

Given it would be a digital connection, there shouldn't really be a difference. If it were to be using analogue, a dedicated sound card would be better.

 

thanks noizdaemon666

looks like i'll be saving a few quid for something else then

 

This may be a stupid qestion but.. what's better, digital coax or optical?

 

They are both just different ways to send a digital stream from one component to another. The optical obviously uses light to send the information.
From most of the reviews that I have read compairing the two, it seems the majority of reviewers felt that Coaxial delivered a warmer richer sound than the optical. I'm not quite sure how this is possible, but I have read it on more than one review.

I know for a fact that an optical cable is a lot easier to damage, and thus ruin, than a coaxial

Long runs of optical cable, over 6 feet, can be subject to internal reflections leading to some data degradation. Most systems have enough error correction to deal with this anyway.
To my ears optical and coax sound the same.