i was wondering if it is possible to hook up a home audio system like the Onkyo HT-S780's to my PC while still being able to have the full 7.1 effect when watching movies and playing games on my PC. I was looking at the Creative gigaworks s750's but this onkyo system is not much more. I am looking for a decent 7.1 system for a somewhat good price.
Yeah, it will work, but it won't be true 7.1 surround.
The receiver will decode the two channel source into what it thinks should sound like 7.1.
If you got a sound card that put out 7.1 sound, then the receiver wouldn't have to do any decoding and it could play it as the surrounds were supposed to play.
In my opinion, the Onkyo would be a better option...it can deliver much more power. In addition, the only 7.1 you get from your computer would be mostly movies with a bit of gaming mixed in.