Can you have 2 sound cards in 1 PC?

[NewbMediaGuy]

Ok, this might sound like a dumb question, and I tried using the search in case it's already been asked but couldn't find anything, so here I go.

Is it possible to have 2 completely different sound cards in my computer? I'm looking to get an M-Audio 1010lt sound card, but this PC I'm building has so much power I can't not use it for gaming. I'd really like to be able to have a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Gamer card to use with games, as well as a nice 5.1 surround system, then be able to switch over to my M-audio hooked up to some nice monitors when I'm doing my music recording.

Again, sorry if this has been asked before, as I'd assume it has been, but can anyone help me out here? Also, if this setup can be done, how do you do so? I'm guessing the only way to do this is to somehow turn off a sound card in windows settings when switching to another, but I'm just guessing.

Here's my PC setup if it helps:
Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
P4 3.0c Ghz
Asus 9600XT (128MB)
1 gig corsair XMS low latency ram (PC-3200)
80 gig WD 7200RPM w8MB cache
(no soundcards or speakers have been bought yet)

 

[minofifa]

definately.

you can even have them work at the same time, if you wanted to. In sonar you could set certain tracks to certain cound cards. I believe some cards have conflicts so make sure you kjnow about your gear.

 

[Sklathill]

It's easy enough. Just call the Audigy your Windows sound card and define your Sonar/Cubase/whatever sound card in there.

There are some sound cards that don't like each other...like E-mu doesn't like Creative Labs Audigy cards, and Echo doesn't like being in the same system as Aardvark. M-Audio and ESI in the same system creates some weirdness as one driver might work while the other one doesn't, and vice versa can happen on a reboot. But what you're talking about should work just fine.

 

[NewbMediaGuy]

sweet, thanks a lot, I was worried that I'd have to be playing Half Life 2 and Doom 3 in just sterio!