Creative sound cards used to be good value for money. You could get a card with reasonably low latency and wicked routing capabilities (when using the kx drivers) for a few bob. This is no longer the case however.

Rather than going the Creative route, take a look at some of the M-Audio Audiophile cards. Very high quality cards with lots of professional features. You'll most likely never need to buy another sound card unless USB gets phased out for some reason:

http://www.awave.com.au/product_info...oducts_id=1595

Please note: this price is in AUSTRALIAN dollars not US.