Quick question about using on-board with a dedicated sound card.

[Chryonn]

Hi, i've been having a problem with my Audigy 2 (see specs) in that the microphone input is always scratchy and "robotic." no end of the famous Daniel_K's Audigy Support Packs and official drivers will fix this. i'm not alone in this situation. looking on other forums someone said they use both their on-board sound in conjuction with their add-in. and very specifically, he has said he uses the on-board for mic recording and the add-in for speakers which seems ideal.

so before i dive into my EFI and enable the on-board (and potentially crash/cause IRQ conflicts), i'd like some opinions on this unusual set-up.
can it be done? has it been done?

if it can't be done then i'll have to use the on-board (crappy) sound until i can afford a decent add-in card.
Thanks

[MN12BIRD]

It's actually not that uncommon a setup. I've seen many that use combinations be it onboard + a high end sound card, multiple sound cards or onboard + an external USB sound device (like me) I use the onboard Realtek audio for the TOSLINK optical output to my speakers and/or the USB Fast Tracks for the 1/4" (for when I listen to headphones) and I just switch between the two by right clicking on the speaker volume and choosing the playback device tab in Windows 7. In there several devices show up by name inc the Realtek onboards analog outputs, digital outputs, the M-Audio Fast Tracks and the ATi HDMI audio output from my video card. I also use the Fast Tracks for recording from a mic but even then it's just as simple as right click, picking recording devices and switching from the M-Audio Fast Tracks to the onboard Realtek analog, or even mic in my webcam if I wanted. All the devices show up there and usually switching them on the fly even while programs are using them is no problem.