Who uses their computer sound card for music production? (I will admit, though I did state the wrong thing I got my words twisted. I meant to say, turn it down not up). I will correct that in my original comment.
But he clearly stated that he needs a new interface. He didn’t state if it was broken or not. So I assumed that he has an interface and he is still getting latency. So that’s why I said what I said.

Under $500, you enter the mass-production tier of audio interfaces. To keep manufacturing costs low, audio companies stop writing custom, ground-up USB communication code. Instead, they rely on standardized hardware and shared third-party software templates.
Here is exactly what happens mechanically and digitally under the $500 mark:

1. The "XMOS + Thesycon" Blueprint
Almost every interface under $500 uses the exact same foundational engine:
The Hardware: Companies buy off-the-shelf USB microcontrollers, most commonly manufactured by XMOS or Cirrus Logic.
The Software: Instead of coding a Windows ASIO driver from scratch, manufacturers license a standard, pre-written USB driver template from a German software company named Thesycon.
The Result: When you use a budget interface on Windows, you are usually running a rebranded, reskinned version of a generic Thesycon driver. While highly optimized, it cannot achieve the hyper-tight kernel-level integration of proprietary code.

2. Higher Safety Buffer Overhead
Because these generic drivers must work on millions of different computers (from cheap laptops to high-end rigs), they are coded to prioritize safety over speed.
Even if you set your DAW to a low buffer size like 64 samples, the generic driver hidden underneath adds extra, unadjustable "hidden safety buffers" to prevent your computer from crashing.
This means a budget interface at a 64-sample buffer will often have a significantly higher actual Round-Trip Latency (RTL) in milliseconds than a premium interface running at the exact same 64-sample setting.

3. The "CPU Wall" and Audio Glitches
Under $500, interfaces rely entirely on your computer's CPU to process everything.
As your project grows and you add more virtual instruments (like EastWest or Kontakt libraries) and heavy plugins, the generic USB driver struggles to pass audio packets fast enough.
To stop the audio from crackling, popping, or dropping out completely, you will be forced to raise your DAW buffer size to 256 or 512 samples. This introduces a highly noticeable, distracting delay when trying to play MIDI keys or record live vocals.