Question Microphone has much more static and is quiter on new computer

Jan 14, 2021
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Hey! This is my desperate attempt at getting this fixed after searching for hours with two of my friends so here goes.

I built a new PC just a while ago and it’s a massive upgrade to my old one in every regard. I haven’t had any issues except the fact that my microphone quality is clearly worse. There’s way more static and I’m way quieter. It’s not to do with the microphone either as I tried plugging it into my old PC and it worked perfectly fine.

So the microphone is the headset microphone of a Steelseries HyperX Cloud 2.
Motherboard for new PC is MSI Z390-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Computer case is Phanteks Eclipse P500A D-RGB ATX Mid Tower Case
Motherboard for old PC is Asus Strix Z270F-Gaming

Drivers installed for the new PC are the recommended Realtek audio drivers from MSI website for the motherboard specifically. It’s called Realtek (R) Audio on the computer (Realtek on my old PC is called High Definition Audio instead, not sure if that has to do with anything). My friend has a motherboard from the same provided with the exact same audio drivers and microphone but his works way better. He has no issues. I've tried running the same settings as him or the same settings as on my old computer but no luck.

Microphone is normally plugged into the back of the PC into the motherboard with a 3.55 mm jack. Same goes for the old PC. I've also tried plugging the microphone in through my keyboard, through the front 3.55 mm jack but no difference. Microphone sounds the exact same no matter where it's plugged in from. I've tried reinstalling the drivers multiple times, fiddling around with settings, tried using Realtek Audio Console etc. I can't come up with any other solutions. I'm using Windows 10 on both computers but versions are different (newer version on new PC). I have not tried using a different microphone as I only own this one but since it works perfectly fine with the old PC I doubt it has anything to do with that.

I’d appreciate some help, I’m going insane. Thanks in advance! If any other information is needed then please tell me and I'll update this.
 
This sounds like you've got a ground somewhere. When you install the motherboard did you use those thin washers on all the screws? They aren't a necessity but can help. Examine your I/O ports and make sure nothing from the case is inadvertently touching a port. Also, for testing purposes, unplug any front USB headers from the motherboard.

Mic buzz caused by grounding can be like chasing a ghost - good luck! You may want to take everything apart and start with a minimal build with your primary drive just to see if you can get Windows installed to test the mic. You could also test it in a Linux Live USB environment.
 
Jan 14, 2021
7
0
10
This sounds like you've got a ground somewhere. When you install the motherboard did you use those thin washers on all the screws? They aren't a necessity but can help. Examine your I/O ports and make sure nothing from the case is inadvertently touching a port. Also, for testing purposes, unplug any front USB headers from the motherboard.

Mic buzz caused by grounding can be like chasing a ghost - good luck! You may want to take everything apart and start with a minimal build with your primary drive just to see if you can get Windows installed to test the mic. You could also test it in a Linux Live USB environment.
Alright I'll look into this. Thank you! Hopefully I can find something.
 
Jan 14, 2021
7
0
10
This sounds like you've got a ground somewhere. When you install the motherboard did you use those thin washers on all the screws? They aren't a necessity but can help. Examine your I/O ports and make sure nothing from the case is inadvertently touching a port. Also, for testing purposes, unplug any front USB headers from the motherboard.

Mic buzz caused by grounding can be like chasing a ghost - good luck! You may want to take everything apart and start with a minimal build with your primary drive just to see if you can get Windows installed to test the mic. You could also test it in a Linux Live USB environment.
Oh but the problem is it's currently kind of impossible for me to start disassembling the computer. Do you happen to have any other ideas on what it could be that I could try out before I try anything involving taking the PC apart? I'd like for that to be the last thing I try as it's very difficult right now.