I have a couple bits of advice:
1. If you're new to this, your first setup isn't that critical to get right. Don't buy junk, but it seems like 99% of people move onto other gear a few months later. Agonizing over reviews and posting multiple threads trying to nail down the perfect setup ultimately results in little benefit. Just get something affordable, preferably used, and enjoy it. When you get a frame of reference for what's out there, then you can zero in on a dream rig.
2. There should be a caution about soundcards. Some people are making them out to be the be-all-end-all to amplification. Not so. Most of them amplify no more than a portable amp. And the highly modded ones can cost as much as, if not more, than a solid desktop amp.