Portable speakers and a slot for headphones broke. What exactly is a USB sound card?

I had my headphones connected but then tripped over the cord of the laptop, making it fall to the ground and land on the headphone jack something that causes the inner arch. No speakers or headphones are working, leaving me without sound. I am a poor student can not buy a new laptop and I expect a hefty repair bill will cost more than you can afford. I found a "Startech Stereo Virtual 7.1 USB audio adapter card external sound" at Amazon for around £ 10. What is exactly is it? I want something that will plug into a USB port and produces a wonderful thing that is known as sound. Preferably with a slot for headphones. I am not particularly concerned about the sound quality fantastic. Is this what?

USB sound card's audio chip similar to your laptop. the issue you describe is exactly what you need, but 10 pounds is a lot, this one will do what you want:

Creative X-Fi USB 5.1 Surround Sound Card Unboxing

i.Sound Portable Power Max Series …

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Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Amigo II USB Sound Card & Headset Adapter $21.09 Turtle Beach Amigo II – USB Sound Card and Headset Adapter Overview The Amigo II USB sound car…

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Zoom 3095 USB Mini External Modem – USB – 1 x RJ-11 Phone Line – 56 Kbps $42.70 Zoom 3095 USB Mini External Modem 3095-00-00G Modems…

EasyCAP Video Capture Device w Audio USB 2.0 Video Adapter Interface Capture High Quality Video & Audio Files Professional Video Editing Software VHS to DVD Windows 7 Ready $29.50 The EasyCAP168 USB Video Capture can capture High quality Video and Audio file direct by USB 2.0 interface without sound card. However, the installation is very simple and the external power is unnecessary. Solution for laptop, we have enclosed the professional video editing software “honestech VHS to DVD 2.0″ then provide best editing function for you. The video-editing software makes editing y…

Pinnacle Studio MovieBox USB Video Transfer Device (210100251) $99.99 Pinnacle Systems’ Pinnacle Studio MovieBox captures and digitizes analog composite and S-video signals and delivers them through your PC’s USB 2.0 port. Bundled Studio 8 software helps you edit and assemble clips for recording onto videotape or for burning onto CD or DVD media. To set up MovieBox, we connected the power and video source cables and followed the Windows New Hardware Wizard to insta…

In-Win Case BL631.300TBL Microatx Slim Desktop Black 300W 1×5.25 External Bays USB HD Audio $74.99 Thermal Solutions — Intel Lanyu Ref.Design ,Partition Plate Cooling Tech (PPCT).Safety — Meets RoHS, CE, FCC Class B requirements.Security — Padlock loop / Kensington Lock.Optional — 8cm side fan / IR / IEEE 1394 / Removable air filter/ Chassis intrusion switch….

SanDisk 16GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive $8.90 Sandisk 16GB Cruzer USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ36-016G-A11 USB Flash Drives…