AC97 is not my first choice - but when I'm on the move it drives my built in speakers better than the Indigo

. We are not talking quality hear just ease of use. I use the FW1814 for multitrack recording and live use, and the Indigo for more serious on the move composition.
For someone starting out, though, the AC97 with ASIO4ALL is a great combination - I was sceptical to start with and didn't consider it usable until I tried it. Plugged into a guitar amp with a bit of drive - there is not much difference in sound between the AC97 and the Indigo
Cliff