For the sound card, do you want a gaming card that can do music or do you want a music card? I forget the more official name for the second. I've never heard the second, but have been told there is quite a difference despite how much better the gaming cards have become.

In recent history I have gone from a Sound Blaster Live! to an Audigy and then to an Audigy 2. Each one was a very nice improvement over the last.