"Creative Labs just came out with a hot little box for 5.1 digital surround sound for any laptop or PC. What Creative did with this new Sound Blaster is rather than make a card out of it, the Sound Blaster is a USB based external device. The X-Fi, as they call it, operates over a USB interface and will provide full cinematic digital surround sound in hi-fidelity with a 1 second connection."
This is a nice solution for multiple types of people. If you've got a laptop and want to upgrade the sound, this is one of the only ways to go. Even if you have a desktop, if your case is full, or if you are afraid to get your hands dirty on an internal installation, this gives you options.