This ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F struggles with poor audio during gaming sessions.
This ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F struggles with poor audio during gaming sessions.
I updated the bios upon receiving it, it appears to be the latest release. Perhaps reverting to an older version would help? Everything and the speakers seem unchanged. I also face an issue with my headset, which is a 3.5mm model.
It seems you're disappointed. You haven't contacted support about a possible swap, so you might want to consider getting a cheap USB amplifier instead.
They usually provide generic responses about returns, but it seems the motherboard isn't straightforward to exchange. It might be simpler to purchase a replacement. I checked the front 3.5mm jack with another set and headphones, and the audio quality was satisfactory, suggesting the issue might be with the rear 3.5mm port. Alternatively, you could look into using a USB to 3.5mm adapter for the rear port.
I'm not sure about rolling back the BIOS on this board. I haven't tried it before, but I think giving it a shot might help you see if there are any problems.
The jack might be faulty (you might try cleaning it with CRC electronic contact cleaner, which has worked before) or the audio cable could be picking up interference from nearby electromagnetic sources. I ended up using a USB DAC for my HTPC since I could hear the GPU and CPU processing in my speakers through rear audio.
I connected a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, inserted the USB-C into the motherboard, and hooked up my 3.5mm speakers through it. Surprisingly, the sound was crystal clear—so clearly the 3.5mm jack on the motherboard was working perfectly. But now I’m worried I won’t be able to use another USB-C device later.
Let me know if you'd like help figuring out whether a fix is possible without the adapter.
I'm glad I discovered a solution, though I'm not entirely sure it's completely clear. At least it prevents things from going completely wrong. The sound was extremely poor—it sounded like it was breaking. Last night I watched a YouTube video (I hadn't listened to any music yet) and realized the host likely had a bad mic. Now that I was listening to music, I noticed the audio quality was terrible, so I compared them. It's functional, but not great. Still, it's better than taking the PC apart and dealing with the motherboard's repair process. My shop says they'll fix it, which is good, but I need them to be honest about the audio issues. I'd rather skip this hassle and the weeks of back-and-forth emails. If I ever get a VR headset with USB-C, I'll have to decide whether to use a regular adapter or something else. My PC doesn't have USB-C at the front—it's an older model (3.0, not Gen 2). It works, but it's exhausting. I'm really frustrated with ASUS about this. More people are reporting similar problems with audio quality and cracking noises on these boards. I thought ASUS was reliable, but clearly they're not up to the mark.
Sure, there’s anything you can do.
A good way to pass the time? Not really.
Realistically, it might not work.
It could be pointless.
Or maybe it’s just not worth trying.
Perhaps I should adjust the settings in Windows. It's 5.1 audio, so maybe it's just the standard (green) audio input. If I switch to the orange version and tweak the settings, it might help. Still, the USB-C to 3.5mm adapter seems sufficient at the moment. At least it functions and I don’t lose my excitement about finally getting a new system after 8.5 years. It’s frustrating, though. You’d expect Asus to deliver quality. I’ve always trusted their products and used them before, but I noticed audio problems with their models and saw many reports about it.