While most notebooks come with their own sound card (more or less every one of them, actually), those who are audiophiles and are more discerning would definitely want something better. The Asus Xonar U3 is an external sound card that lets you plug it into your notebook via USB, where your ears will then be able to enjoy hi-fidelity capability as well as EAX 5.0 gaming support. Of course, having said that, this means your notebook will also have to up the ante when it comes to gaming ability, graphics-wise to keep up with the audio, too. The Xonar U3 is surprisingly small, being roughly the same size as that of a USB flash drive while tipping the scales at just 25 grams. There is no word on pricing or a release date, but rivals Creative would do their best to look into the situation and come up with something decent to counter this pre-emptive strike from Asus.