The issue of audio popping during overclocking is already present, but it does not occur during gaming.
The issue of audio popping during overclocking is already present, but it does not occur during gaming.
I recently acquired an RTX 5070 Ti, and because my CPU is relatively old (Intel i7 11700K), I had to perform some overclocking to prevent it from becoming a bottleneck for the GPU. I used Intel XTU and managed to reach a stable configuration. I was able to complete a 30-minute stress test without any thermal throttling. The GPU consistently ran at 90% or higher when needed, and I experienced decent performance while playing Silent Hill yesterday—though there were some minor graphical glitches, which research suggests are common with the game. I also tried Expedition 33 on maximum settings with DLSS 4, and it maintained around 140 fps.
However, today I discovered that any sound-related actions on my computer often cause occasional audio pops. After some investigation, I found this to be a typical consequence of CPU overclocking. So far, no effective solutions have emerged beyond adjusting the priority in Task Manager for audiodg.exe and slightly increasing the PCH Voltage in the BIOS—neither resolved the problem. What’s even more annoying is that disabling overclocking and resetting the CPU back to default settings didn’t fix the issue either, leaving me stuck with this challenge.
What’s particularly puzzling is that I don’t encounter this problem during gaming. Since overclocking, I’ve tested games like Dead By Daylight, Expedition 33, Batman Arkham Origins, and Silent Hill f without any audio issues. Watching DBD on a second monitor (tabbed out of the game) for about five minutes at a time works fine, but when I close the game and resume watching, I can only watch for up to 30 seconds before hearing a pop.
Anyone have insights into what might be causing this? I’m concerned I may have unintentionally damaged something by going through these steps.
I’ve attached some screenshots to illustrate my current default and overclocked settings, as well as the BIOS voltages (the default values are shown on the right under "At Boot"). Here are the links:
https://imgur.com/a/eQddovh
View: https://imgur.com/a/eQddovh
https://imgur.com/a/iK9ciI8
View: https://imgur.com/a/iK9ciI8
https://imgur.com/a/vl8NEdK
View: https://imgur.com/a/vl8NEdK
PC specifications:
https://imgur.com/a/JRSdqFT
View: https://imgur.com/a/JRSdqFT
When sharing a troubleshooting thread, it's important to provide complete system details. Please list the specifications to your build in the following format:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
Please include the age of the PSU along with its make and model. Also, mention the current BIOS version for your motherboard.
I recently acquired an RTX 5070 Ti. What were you doing before installing it? Did you use DDU to uninstall all GPU drivers before switching to the new GPU, or did you install the latest version manually in an elevated command? Additionally, what bothers you most is that disabling overclocking and resetting the CPU to default settings hasn't resolved the problem, leaving me stuck with this issue.
From what I understand, this appears to be a driver-related issue rather than one caused by overclocking. We'll clarify more once we have your specifications as requested.
I updated the post to add my SPECS details.
The PSU I purchased in December 2022 is nearly three years old. My BIOS version is F11b, which is the most recent because I upgraded it a week before my new GPU arrived. Previously, I had an EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB RAM.
I didn’t use Display Driver Uninstaller; I simply used Geforce Experience to install the new drivers. I’m open to trying that again and possibly doing a fresh driver installation when I get home tonight.
Run DDU in Safe Mode, eliminate all GPU drivers (Intel, AMD, Nvidia), then restart and install the newest GPU driver from Nvidia's support site via an elevated command. After that, focus on audio drivers in Device Manager, remove the sound card or uninstall Realtek audio drivers, and reboot when asked. Once back to your OS interface, manually install the latest audio driver from the motherboard manufacturer's support site using an elevated command as instructed. Check if these actions help with the popping noise you described.
Sorry for the delayed reply, I wasn't able to properly verify the solution until now.
I attempted to reinstall both the graphics and audio drivers according to the instructions provided, but the issue persists.
It seems the problem might be related to the graphics driver or the GPU in general, rather than the CPU overclocking.
I ran YT in the background while performing other tasks to see if the pops occurred more frequently when switching monitors, though they still happened occasionally when using the keyboard and mouse.
This didn't change much with or without overclocking the CPU.
I'm not using a DAC; I'm using Voicemeeter with my headphones, but testing with and without it didn't make a difference.