Now i know this exist, i just don't know where to look for it.
Let me explain my situation, i have a dell XPS 400 that i just repaired for my brother to use as a temporary computer, problem is that the front audio chip is broken. Long and stupid story how it happened but basically what I'm gonna end up doing is taking a Asus sound card i have laying around that has a normal front panel audio header on it, and tossing that into the system. problem is, because Dell has that dumb proprietary motherboard header i can't just swap it out… so where can i find some front panel addition that will let me rig up another mic and headphone port? and one that hopefully fits into a 3.5'' bay because thats all thats open on this computer.
What's the reference number on the broken chip? Just so that we know what exactly the problem is, and whether there is digital signal coming from the mobo or an analog signal...
Reason: if it's a digital signal, it's going to be tough repairing just that bit, unless it's a readily available chip and it's in a socket (because good luck in soldering SMD parts and tiny form factor DAC chips...), and you're much better off buying a 15 USD USB soundcard on amazon, that will sound better anyway because it will at least get 5 VDC instead of 3.3 VDC (and no need to invest in a premium branded one, they all contain exactly the same DAC and op-amp, and the non-premium branded ones are better supported because there are completely non-proprietary and they are often smaller for added convenience, and I can guarantee you that there is nothing more useless than investing in premium soundcards for USB, unless they have an external power supply, because in order to get anywhere near audiophile sound quality, at least 15 VDC is needed by the opamp, so at least 9V high current is needed to be able to produce a strong enough constant 15 VDC for the opamp, and a USB port can only deliver 5 VDC at typically maximum 250-300 mA continuous).
If it's an analog signal, chances are the broken thing will only be an 8-pin dual opamp chip, and then you can easily desolder the chip and replace it with a similar chip, that costs like maximum 5 USD, unless you want a ti/BB opamp because you have an ultra high precision oscilloscope and want to try to prove that they are actually better than generic japanese or south-east asian chips, so that you can kid yourself into hearing that it sounds better based on scientific proof lol.