Setting up a 5.1 surround system with a PC and amp: any tips?

Hey everyone, I hope I’m posting this in the right spot—if there’s already a thread about this kind of thing, please just let me know! So, I have this home theater setup sitting around at my place, but it's basically just gathering dust because my old DVD player finally kicked the bucket. All I've got left is the five speakers and the subwoofer, along with all the wires that were supposed to plug into the player. Since the speakers themselves actually sound great and still work perfectly fine, I was wondering... maybe... if there's any way, option number one, to just buy a little something to hook them up to my PC? Or maybe some device where I could just stream my MP3s whenever I feel like it? I'd really love to find a way to put them to use again. Thanks so much!

Is this the kind of thing I'd be looking for? http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-l...upply--310-300

A setup like that is called a 5.1 speaker system.
The unit should already have a built-in amplifier, which means an external amp isn't required.
Look at the connector types on the cables. Any standard PC can handle this once you configure the Windows settings to 5.1 surround sound.
That kind of kit requires a dedicated 5.1 sound system; otherwise, what's the point?

LP