Hi there, I'm quite new to this list - I've been reading for a while, and am getting quite interested in having a go at writing some low-latency audio software. I have a couple of questions regarding hardware (you will probably be able to tell that I am new to this from the questions): How much difference to the latency will different soundcards make - is it as much as on windows say ? What kind of latency should I expect from a typical AC97 codec - eg the Realtek ALC655 ? Are there any PCI soundcards recommended by yourselves for use with Linux low latency applications Thanks for your help! James