You still need something better than the regular line in to capture good quality sound. A usb direct guitar processor like a PODxt or a Boss GT8 etc is a great starting point or you can go for a good quality pci or firewire soundcard. A great sound card that has built in preamps, eight 1/4 inch ins/outs, xlr in out and midi - also has independent headphone amp is the Echo Layla 3G. Great value for money especially from E-Bay.