Static sound while playing games

dj_2004

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Oct 9, 2004
Messages
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While I am playing a game on my desktop PC (see sig for specs), I get a constant static sound that varies in volume and pitch depending on the game. In Skyrim, if I load my saved game and then hit Esc to enter the menu, the static is not present in this menu; however, everywhere else it is (even in the console). The sounds/music in the games sound fine, it is just that there is a constant background static sound.

Only seems to happen in games. The static sound began about a week ago.

Any idea as to why this would happen? I use the P8P67 Pro's on-board sound (Realtek) so maybe my motherboard has become faulty? No new components have been added since over a month ago. I've tried multiple headphones and that didn't help any.
 
Bump. :(

I guess I can reinstall the front audio port and try that. Edit: That didn't seem to help.
 
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Sounds like noise likely coming off the videocard, or USB conenctions.

If it's coming while playing games, my guess would be the videocard is generating interference and the unshielded audio components are picking it up.

Not much you can really do about it, short of maybe trying an external soundcard, or a PCI/PCI-E higher grade soundcard, with better insulation.
 
You're right typezero. I put in my backup GTX 275 and no static. I guess it is time to RMA the GTX 680.
 
You're right typezero. I put in my backup GTX 275 and no static. I guess it is time to RMA the GTX 680.

Might be the increased power draw and radiation of the gpu causing the issue. So another 680 might result in the same issue.

Did this just start happening or has it been that way since you had the 680?

A shielded sound card might help. Like a Creative Z.
 
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Might be the increased power draw and radiation of the gpu causing the issue. So another 680 might result in the same issue.

Did this just start happening or has it been that way since you had the 680?

A shielded sound card might help. Like a Creative Z.

Happened about 7 months after I got the card.

I don't have money for an expensive sound card.

I'll put my GTX 680 in another computer with basically the same parts and see what happens.
 
The most common symptom of a failing power supply is audio noise. Your 680 may have been too much for your PSU.
 
The most common symptom of a failing power supply is audio noise. Your 680 may have been too much for your PSU.

Ah yes. That is true. I had a similar issue just last year. Thought it was something else and didn't even realize it was the psu until I replaced it when it totally died.
 
Tested it in my other computer which has a Corsair 750w, same thing. However, after I put that computer's video card - a GTX 470 - back in, it still had a very faint static sound. I don't know if that was always there or just showed up after adding/removing my GTX 680 from that computer.

I can't even use Skyrim's Creation Kit that doesn't even have anything loaded without being greeted with a lovely, loud static sound. I've noticed as I move the mouse cursor around on the CK's render screen, thus increasing the FPS on that screen, the static gets louder. For instance, I can get 1,000 FPS on it and it produces more of a screeching sound. With the mouse cursor idle, it settles at 16 FPS and the static goes away after a couple seconds until I increase the FPS again.

Maybe a power line issue?

Are there any suitable cheap sound cards that I can try?
 
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA...&qid=1360957761&sr=1-1&keywords=behringer+dac

Try the Behringer UCA202. It is a usb dac/amp under $30. It should fix the static issue by getting the sound completely out of the box and off of the motherboard. Also, look and check that your pc is grounded. Might be the easiest solution and should be a bit of an improvement over the motherboard sound.

Your description sure sounds like a power issue though. Especially considering it increases as the gpu draws more power. Ask in the power supply section as well as the video card.

It is pretty common for the power draw increase to cause EMI noise aka static. That is why sound cards like the new creative z have emi shields aka a metal case around them.
 
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Thanks for the information, spaceman.

Update:
The static sound I heard with the GTX 470 is simply regular interference that I never noticed before because I was never specifically listening for it (again, it is very faint). And this is a fairly new house and the power checks out fine. Finally, since my GTX 680 causes the static in both computers, and this static issue only started a little over a month ago, I am back to thinking that the GTX 680 is defective.

I don't want to spend $30 on the UCA202 to only cover up the issue rather than straight out fixing it so I'm probably going to RMA the card and hopefully that'll fix it.
 
You might be having dpc latency issues.

Use this program to see if you are:

http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

I had trouble with this recently and had to update my bios to fix it.

Thanks for the reply.

With the LatencyMon program:
Running basic stuff, my system checked out fine. This included running the Skyrim CK (even though that program gives me a static/buzzing sound). However, when running Skyrim, I get this:
http://imgur.com/lHAzRIz

And Borderlands 2:
http://imgur.com/Y12WMGR
 
I suggest you do some googling. Usually the most common advice is to disable extra USB ports and extra network adapters in the device manager. For example my mobo has 2 network slots, disabling 1 reduced the latency slightly. Make sure all your drivers are up to date.

Updating my bios fixed my dpc latency issues even though DPC Mon always indicated that the Nvidia Drivers were the source.
 
Interestingly enough, the static sound went away on its own. I'm not sure when it did but it was probably in the beginning of March.
 
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