Tremblings of a drunken tart

I'm still continueing on the quest for the ideal audio-interface/soundcard for my recording set up on the PC upstairs. Boy oh Boy is there a bewildering array of equipment out there, from less than £50 to a couple of grand you name it they make it. 96 KHZ, 48 KHZ, 24 bit, 16 Bit, direct monitoring, 1, 2, 10 or however many you want line inputs, phantum mic inputs, balanced XLR inputs, Midi In, Midi out, Optical connections, breakout box, USB, firewire PCI, its all there, and more besides. I'm edging more and more towards thinking about getting a USB audio interface, as then It'd be an easier job to switch between the two PCs, and of course if I ever get a new laptop it'd be ideal for that also. Narrowing it down a bit at the moment between the M-audio audiophile 2496 USB (I was previously very tempted by the PCE/PCI/whatever the BoB its called) internal soundcard version of this, and the Line 6 TonePort UX1.... The audiophile seems to have less 'gizmos' with it, basically it is just an audio interface with line and mic inputs etc., at 24 bit 96 KHZ sampling rates, whilst the line 6 TonePort UX1 has a whole bunch of amp mods and effects that it comes bundled with... However, I don't think the TonePort will work at 96 KHZ sampling rate... So I'm thinking for just the 'naked' sound the audiophile might be the best option, but then again, my multieffects unit is an ancient old cheap piece of shite, and it'd be nice with the TonePort having these effects and amp mods just there... I'm hoping that whatever route I go it'l mean I can ditch the mixer and marshal amp (which I'm using as a pre amp), but I think this would be most likely with the TonePort, as it has the built in software effects and amp modelling.... The price is pretty much a much between a lot of the gear I'm looking at... I dunno.... maybe I would be best off with a new soundcard rather than an external USB audio interface.... bluddy hell I can't make my mind up... anyone want to lend me a couple of these for a few months so I can test em out?.... bugger thought not...
Hey, great news, its nearly lunch time, lettuce eat food.