Question Is it safe to unplug front panel audio and usb connectors from MB?

[cosmicwarrior]

Hi,
My new PC has a Gigabyte B365M MB. i.7 windows 10. I had it built just for audio. I was really disappointed when I got it home and heard the noisy audio output. I have been doing a lot of research and to my dismay, have found all of the audio problems pertaining to win 10. and realtek. When I use powered speakers the noise is unbearable, but when I use the headphones, I don't seem to hear any noise! This pertains to the front AND rear audio out jacks. I am currently waiting on a firewire card so I can hook up my FW mixer, but even when I have my mixer, there is always those hours of editing in which I like to turn OFF the mixer and use the internal card, and it would be nice to not hear all kinds of buzzing and noises. The other day I was unplugging some usb speakers and it shorted out something and the PC restarted by itself. Maybe some kind of ground problem? Anyway, I want to narrow it down and I wont be using the front panel stuff anyway, so I would like to disconnect the connectors from the M.B. They are clearly marked so Im not worried about that. My question, is it safe to just unplug them from the MB? No settings to change? Also, all of my USB stuff stays on after the PC shuts down. Whats up with that?? Oh yea, my realtek manager is not available either!..)Really Microsoft??) but I don't even want to mess with that after reading about all of the problems .

Thanks, Cheers

 

[Lutfij]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. List them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

Have you made sure you're on the latest BIOS update for your motherboard? Which version of Windows 10 are you on? You should manually install all drivers for your board in an elevated command, i.e Right click installer > Run as Administrator.

Your issue might be more than two fold. Often times people do blame Windows 10 and their attacks on Realtek audio chips/drivers but often times it's wrongly done since you might be experiencing an grounding issue. Your system shouldn't reboot if you unplug USB speakers. Try and relocate the system to another wall socket and it'd be a good idea to look at the wiring in your house.

To add, you can unplug the front panel audio and USB connectors, just do while the system is powered down and the mains switched off.

 

[cosmicwarrior]

Hi,

Thanks for the info, Lutfij. Yes, I may be jumping the gun, but when you look up an issue and you find hundreds of posts describing the same problem, you tend to get frustrated. I'm not a compter whiz, but I know how to do basic troubleshootiung and I was at my wits end so I took it back and it seems the "tech" was getting pretty flustered too.. He finally got the realtek player on there but when I got it home, I found that it is not stable. The problem with the USB devices staying on, was fixed in bios. Anyway, instead of taking it back again, and risking more problems, I did some testing and I found that when I hook up my Yamaha powered speakers to the rear audio out on the PC, the dreaded noise comes in loud, (you can hear the computer working on didfferent tasks) The build has Win 10 Pro 10.0.17763 Bios version 5/17/19I am using brand new Y-cables (2 rca to mini pin with 1/4 inch adapters to plug into speakers. I need to find the right cables so I don't have to use the adapters. I live in a third world country and its not that easy here for finding good parts and reliable service. I used these cables this way for years on other stuff including my current laptop and I have never heard this "mechanical noise" at such volume bleeding through. So, I tested just one speaker directly and I don't hear the noise, but when I use the stereo with y-cable the noise comes back to haunt me. Why does it play ok when I go directly to just one speaker??I like the machine besides these initial problems... Please Help!! Thanks a Million, Cheers

 

[cosmicwarrior]

I forgot to mention, I'm using asio4all until I get my FW mixer hooked up, but I would still like to have the realtek player thing straigtened out. Also, I have never messed with bios before, but I'm sure I can learn, especially since the interfaces are more user-friendly nowadays.

 

[cosmicwarrior]

One more thing I found was that when I plug some USB speakers using the USB connector , I get the noise, but if I use the same speakers plugged into a wall socket, there is no noise. ....and as mentioned, there is No noise when using headphones connected to rear jack.

 

[cosmicwarrior]

After I was up most of the night testing stuff, this is what I have gathered. Using the audio out back panel of the PC, when I hook up my Yamaha mini stereo system, there is no noise. When I hook up to my qsc power amp via small 4 ch. mixer...there is no noise. but when I hook up to the Yamaha HS7's powered speakers, the noise is there at a very loud level, except when I hook up only one at at a time (not using y-cable) I have two brand new y-cables and they all work good. I'm sure it's something simple, but it's eluding me. I have used this same speaker system with y-cable on two other puters with no noise. Why do I get this horrendous noise, when I use the Y-cable on the powered speakers? USB powered speakers also have the noise , but headphones do not!
Thanks for any insights

My budget Third World Music Machine consists of....

i.7 9700 3.00 ghz3000 mhz 8 cores 8 log.
Gigabyte B365M DS3H
32 GB ram XPG Gammix D30 DDR4
Local Disc XPG Gammix S11 Pro M.2
Projects Disc Adata Su650 960 GB
Samples Disc Adata Su650 960 GB
GPU - Stock
EVGA 450 Gold
Chassis -Aero 300
Windows 10 Pro version 17763

www.souncloud.com/cosmic-warrior

 

[cosmicwarrior]

Can anyone out there help?
It seems like with all of the specific symptoms that I listed, it would be easy for a knowledgeable person to figure this dilemma out. I sure would like to use my brand new computer with my Yamaha Powered speakers!
Pleeeeese HeLLLLLP !!
Thanks