Audio began suddenly distorting and crackling?
Audio began suddenly distorting and crackling?
CPU: i7 13600k
CPU cooler: 280m AIO cooler
Motherboard: MSI PRO b660M-A CEC WiFi DDR4
Memory: 16GB, brand uncertain
Storage: SOLIDIGM SSD
GPU: 3070Ti
Power supply: Likely a Maingear 650W gold, though I'm not entirely sure as the PC is prebuilt and no longer available on their site.
Chassis: Maingear MG-1 case
Operating system: Win11 Home 24H2
Display: Using a Samsung monitor and a Vizio TV as secondary screens; not exact model details.
I’m planning to discard this PC after exhausting all troubleshooting steps except hardware replacement, as the random audio clicking and popping occur unexpectedly—especially during streaming, and it worsens when adjusting volume. The problem has been reported multiple times online, but none of the solutions have resolved it.
What I attempted:
- Switched audio channels
- Disabled Audio Enhancements
- Tested both front and rear audio jacks with various headphones
- Used three different external sound cards
- Turned off C-states
- Disabled Core Parking
- Updated BIOS (7D37v1M1, beta)
- Installed latest NVIDIA drivers (533.63)
- Tried disabling HAGS (no effect, re-enabled)
- Updated Realtek drivers and PC-installed audio drivers
- Turned off all other audio drivers except Realtek/external sound cards
- Disabled Ethernet (can't disable WiFi due to internet access needs)
- Set PC to maximum power mode
- Checked for grounding issues via outlet test – none found
- Ensured Windows update is current
- Connected only keyboard, mouse, and headphones
Testing latency with C-states on and off showed over 1000ms when enabled, causing errors; disabling them resolved the issue.
I’ve bought a ground loop isolator but haven’t tested it yet.
At this stage, I’m fairly certain the problem lies within the PC itself. Given my limited experience, any advice would be greatly appreciated before losing what little hardware I have left!
I have invested two years trying to solve this. By the end, it’s just windows and it won’t work—they keep denying faults. This has ruined my gaming experience since late 2022.
I’ve spent years working on windows for gaming. Now it’s unsolvable because of annoying audio pops and clicks when pausing or restarting (especially noticeable in games with marked audio changes). They never admit it. I’ve tested ten PCs with the same problem, regardless of driver, specs, peripherals, or settings.
I'm not trying to change anything. I'm just using the standard software that came with the PC, which I think is just generic Realtek. Both of my headsets were Audiotechnica, while the Bluetooth one I tested was from Sony. The only peripheral software I have is iCue 5, which I don't use much—just for a mouse, not headphones.
Would a previous BIOS really make a difference? The BIOS I was using had no problems for about six months after MSI updated it to let you adjust voltage easily. Since I'm running an i5 chip, which doesn't have that feature, just rewriting the chip would be the only solution. The popping started suddenly one day, with no changes made, making this issue really frustrating.