Hello, everyone.
 
Experienced SONAR HS user with a noobie question here.
 
For the last several years I've been running HS using an M-Audio 2496 soundcard w/ ASIO drivers. I use it as my MIDI interface and to tame latency issues in HS. It does well.
 
Last week my PC died so I got a new one (Dell Inspiron). To my sad surprise, my 2496 does not fit in my new Dell, which has PCIe slots instead of PCI. So now I'm trying to figure out what to do.
 
Here are my options as I see them:
 
1. Buy a PCI to PCIe converter so I can continue to use my 2496. From what I've read online, though, these don't work very well.
 
2. Buy a replacement soundcard that fits PCIe slot. Seems like my choices here will be very limited and expensive, such $900 card made by RME.
 
3. Switch to using a USB interface such as the FocusRite Scarlett. My BIG question here: Do these devices help tame latency, as the 2496 did, or do they just provide a MIDI (and mic/direct) interface?
 
Thanks greatly for any and all insight/suggestions you can offer!
 

Obviously it depends on your budget, how many inputs outputs you need, etc. If I was to buy a new soundcard for the new computer today  I would look at those with USB 3.0 and most likely ended up with ZOOM UAC-2. Need more inputs - check UAC-8. Great value for money, excellent latency and top notch preamps. Check Tascam too.

Thanks for the reply, Afrodrum.
 
I actually only need one input--the MIDI one. I do all my external recording into a standalone Yamaha DR then export it into SONAR for mixing etc (old school but works for me!).
 
So, I guess that brings me back to my original BIG question: Will a USB 3.0 audio interface such as the Zoom UAC-2 also help with latency and smooth function in SONAR (when I'm running a bunch of soft synths, for example) in the same way the Audiophile 2496 soundcard did?
 
I have some flexibility in my budget and would consider getting the $800-900 RME soundcard. Though that's more than the computer cost, which seems strange.
 
Thanks again!

I second the Tascam.  I have a US 4x4 that I used for both audio and midi - it works flawlessly.  I'm only getting rid of it because I need inputs.

I have a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 that is USB. Not saying you need that much connectivity, but all their interfaces in the USB range are good for the $$. I can record with a latency buffer of 32 on my PC which gives me .7 secs of latency with the Focusrite ASIO driver. Your results may vary, but I also had a Audiophile 2496 and could never get it lower than 1.5 ms of Latency. Just be careful with USB stuff especially high-end devices as they really need to be on their own set of USB ports, but those ports should be on their own internal USB hub on the motherboard. If so things will work great. If not you may have issues.
 
 

The Tascam 20 X has good latency on my system - 4-5 ms.  The Tascam family shares drivers, so you should be able to get that low, too.  And good quality hardware.

you can buy a used Focusrite Scarlett 212 for around 100 USA dollars.
the pre amps are great as well.

chuckebaby
you can buy a used Focusrite Scarlett 212 for around 100 USA dollars.
the pre amps are great as well.

I second the used idea.  I grabbed a used RME Babyface recently for $400.  Latency is darn close to zero.  But a Scarlett 212 for $100 would be a great investment.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. It's very helpful.

I use the Roland studio capture and absolutely love it.  They sell smaller versions like the quad capture and octa capture.
 
Love the preamps, and the unit integrates great with sonar.  Latency is a non issue(as long as I dont turn on a bagillion plugins while trying to record.....and latency introduced by the plugins isnt the fault of the sound card anyhow).
 
If the plugins are left off....   I can record in real time with no noticeable latency at all 
 
for me...  I'd have to upgrade to a good interface if I were in your spot