£1500 Gaming pc build

It isn't as simple as comparing numbers like that. If people don't want a soundcard fair enough, but it's not true that it's no different to onboard sound.
 
For the average user it is as simple as comparing the signal to noise ratio (SNR).

Unless you really do love audio and you're planning on spending £100+ there's a decent change the onboard sound will be equal or better.
 
"Overall, the new Sound Blaster Z offers very good value to a gamer that wants a decent upgrade over on-board sound cards." techpowerup

"if you're looking for a top-notch gaming sound card, the Z's high quality sound and massive range of audio processing features make it a natural choice and a brilliant all-rounder. It’s our new recommended sub-£80 sound card." bit-tech

"Many people are starting to argue that onboard solutions are 'enough' or 'adequate', while it is true they are 'adequate', the fact is anyone concerned about sound quality will want to look for a discrete option and the Creative Sound Blaster Z is definitely worth considering. Quality built and great performance to boot, there is not a lot to pick up on the flaws." vortez

"The audio performance of the Creative Sound Blaster Z Sound Card is very impressive. It works right out of the box, and for once, we didn’t have any driver issues (something Creative Sound cards can be prone to). The quality of the sound is certainly superior to the onboard sound from our Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 motherboard, this is even noticeable with an inexpensive pair of headphones." kitguru

And so on.
 
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