Check out the M-Audio Delta 1010 - it's a great piece of gear. IT gives really high quality sound with zero latency (very important!). You could also look at a Tascam unit, I have a US428 which is also a handy piece of gear (sounds is good untill you put it up to the M-Audio). It runs via USB and interfaces directly into Cubase so you can use faders and jog wheels etc. Cheap soundcards usually give a crap sound and most of them don't come with a 1/4 inch jack, which is what you need to hook your guitar up. Jacking down is a bad idea, lots of static and pops plus it's very easy to damage the soundcard with the weight of the guitar cable (tugs etc). If you've spent that ammount of cash then you might as well get something that won't rewuire an upgrade when you start getting more serious. my bet would be some outboard hardware from M-Audio or Tascam.