occasional crackles when realtek audio driver installed


  1. Posts : 4
    Windows 7 proffesional 64bit
       #1

    occasional crackles when realtek audio driver installed


    Hi
    i built myself a new computer and it has an ASUS Rampage 3 Formula motherboard which has:
    SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
    - Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
    Audio Feature :
    - X-Fi® Xtreme Fidelity™
    - EAX® Advanced™ HD 5.0
    - THX® TruStudio PRO™
    - Creative ALchemy
    - Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection
    - Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel

    I install the Realtek audio driver software and i get access to all my cool EAX advanced HD, THX truStudio etc.. things on that list BUT i get crackling noises every now and again when playing music/games whatever.
    However i uninstall the audio driver software and i get no crackling sound when i listen to music or such, but i cannot access any of the features anymore.

    Whats going on here? its not the speakers or headphones i use, they have been tested on multiple devices, this only happens after the audio driver is installed and the audio features are activated.

    New info:
    My PC spec is:

    CPU: Intel i7 980 3.33Ghz 12mb cache 6 core
    GPU: 2x GTX 460 1GB
    MB: Asus Rampage III Formula
    RAM: A-Data Plus v2.0 XPG 2GB 1866Mhz 8-8-8-24 x3 in triple channel
    SSD: OCZ agility ~400-500mb read&write
    HDD: 1TB 7500RPM WD caviar black

    this is all brand new, i just finished building it all a while ago, so there is like no crap running in the background like viruses or unneeded programs.

    my speakers are just small desktop 2W speakers, and i also use iPhone headphones, i have tried using the front jack on my pc & the rear jack (one that says "front" and is a light green colour) i get the noises nomatter if its headphones or speakers.

    if i chage audio drive to nvidea from my graphics card and plug speakers into audio jack on my monitor which gets the HDMI audio from the GPU i get perfect sound.
    Uninstalling Realtek audio driver makes my pc use a microsoft audio driver it must have default, but it sounds fine.
    i just cant do ANY of the audio features available from the motherboard without it. and i worry its not HDMI/cinematic surround without this?
    Last edited by Customizor; 03 Sep 2011 at 09:15. Reason: update info
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 8,135
    Windows 10 64 bit
       #2

    The audiio driver is one area that can cause the noise. You should be using the driver supplied by ASUS rather than a "generic" RealTek driver. The ASUS driver should supply you with all the features. Is this not the case?
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 4
    Windows 7 proffesional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    New info


    Yeah i have used the supplied driver software that came with the motherboard, and also tried an updated download version.

    the noise im hearing is similar to that of what you hear if u plug in speakers while they are on. probably a bit less strong though

    i am wondering is it the hardware on my motherboard, like when i use the realtek audio driver it enables that HD audio hardware which the audio runs through but the connection is loose somewhere along the line?
    uninstalling realtek audio and having the PC run off microsoft audio driver sounds fine, also playing through my graphics card HD audio sounds fine, but still i cant use any of the audio features unless i have realtek audio driver installed..
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 11,424
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64
       #4

    Customizor, Welcome to SF. May we get your complete spec's and details on the speakers and how you have them connected. Are you running other programs at the time or just listening to music/gaming. Have you looked into minimizing programs running in the background from your start up?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 4
    Windows 7 proffesional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    New PC


    My PC spec is:

    CPU: Intel i7 980 3.33Ghz 12mb cache 6 core
    GPU: 2x GTX 460 1GB
    MB: Asus Rampage III Formula
    RAM: A-Data Plus v2.0 XPG 2GB 1866Mhz 8-8-8-24 x3 in triple channel
    SSD: OCZ agility ~400-500mb read&write
    HDD: 1TB 7500RPM WD caviar black

    this is all brand new, i just finished building it all a while ago, so there is like no crap running in the background like viruses or unneeded programs.

    my speakers are just small desktop 2W speakers, and i also use iPhone headphones, i have tried using the front jack on my pc & the rear jack (one that says "front" and is a light green colour) i get the noises nomatter if its headphones or speakers.

    if i chage audio drive to nvidea from my graphics card and plug speakers into audio jack on my monitor which gets the HDMI audio from the GPU i get perfect sound.
    Uninstalling Realtek audio driver makes my pc use a microsoft audio driver it must have default, but it sounds fine.
    i just cant do ANY of the audio features available from the motherboard without it. and i worry its not HDMI/cinematic surround without this?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 11,424
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64
       #6

    Well for computing power you sure don't have an issue. My thoughts now run to electrical interference. Please try to un-seat and re-seat the Audio card cleaning with air the slot which it's plug-in.....oh and do you have any other slots you can swap this audio card into to see if it's quieter?
    Also try going to the master volume control panel and mute all un-needed devices like microphones and things and see if that helps, then add volume back for each device till the noise returns to help identify.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2
    win 7 64bit ultimate
       #7

    Was this resolved?
    I have a similar problem, an EXTREMELY annoying sound, which is only heard occasionally, but still manages to ruin music and movies for me... Like the original poster, I also have a realtek sound chip (on my motherboard), and the way he described the noise makes me think we have the same issue.

    Win 7 64bit
    motherboard: Intel DH67CL
    CPU: core i7-2600
    memory: DDR3 2x4GB
    no other cards at all (no sound card, no gfx card)

    The noise is driving me insane... I can't enjoy music, and I'm an inch away from throwing the damn BRAND NEW machine out the window...
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2
    win 7 64bit ultimate
       #8

    Another detail: the noises usually stop after a reboot, and become more frequent the longer the PC is used consecutively.

    Edit - I see this is a big issue that has been discussed here:
    Realtek, Windows 7 64RTM Crackle/static/popping

    Dozens of pages. Guess I better start reading...
    Last edited by Doronz; 18 Oct 2011 at 07:00.
      My Computer


 

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