Realtek High Definition Audio Causing Video/Audio Stuttering

[iced1776]

Starting about a month ago, after six to seven months of my laptop working fine, I've been getting video and audio stuttering whenever gaming or watching most HD videos and after messing around with my drivers I realized that whenever my Realtek HD Audio drivers are disabled my video runs flawlessly, but when enabled both video and audio stutter. I'm using a Sony VAIO laptop so I'm assuming that the sound card isn't easily replaceable. I've tried using the newest drivers straight from Realtek's website and also the outdated driver provided by Sony's website, both of which result in the same stuttering. Sony has also replaced the motherboard once and it did not resolve the issue. Any suggestions? I'm currently running Windows 7 with 6gb of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce 330M graphics card.

 

[werewolfery]

I dealt with this nonsense as well and was at my wit's end. I updated (then rolled back) video drivers, re-installed (repaired) Windows (7X64), etc etc and almost decided to just live with it.

Before reformatting I decided to do a full sweep for viruses (nothing) and then came across: Windows Repair (all in one) from http://www.tweaking.com/files/setups/tweaking.com_windows_repair_aio_setup.exe - Never heard of it before but saw it mentioned in the Malwarebytes forum. Ran it and the $hit WORKED! I'm religious about uninstalling programs with Revo and probably removed something I shouldn't have. It basically searches for any corrupt files/bad sectors and tries to fix them. I went by the following directions after d/l'ing

Install the program then run the following steps:
Go to step 2 and allow it to run the Disk check (this will check for any bad sectors)
Once that is done then go to step 3 and allow it to run the SFC (system file checker)
On the the Start Repairs tab => Click the Start Button
Click the "select all" check box and then click on Start
Please DON'T use the computer while each scan is in progress.

Your mileage may vary but hope it works for y'all.

-Trollark

dude i signed up for one reason and one reason alone... to say that you sir are a bloody GENT... not only did it work for the sound stuttering but now my system is running seriously smooth... and perfect timing because im trying to sell my notebook this weekend... lol. thank you again you really got me out of a jam

 

[jermoy13]

having the same problem but luckily i found this

http://www.tweaking.com/content/page/windows_repair_all_in_one.html

solved my sound stuttering problem while listening to online radios and playing local music file. give it a try.. and here is my pc specs.

Motherboard
CPU Type QuadCore AMD A8-5600K, 3900 MHz (39 x 100)
Motherboard Name MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 (MS-7721) (1 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16, 2 DDR3 DIMM, Audio, Video, Gigabit LAN)
Motherboard Chipset AMD A75, AMD K15.1
System Memory 3280 MB (DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM)
DIMM3: Crucial CT25664BA160B.C8F 2 GB DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM (11-11-11-28 @ 800 MHz) (10-10-10-27 @ 761 MHz) (9-9-9-24 @ 685 MHz) (8-8-8-22 @ 609 MHz) (7-7-7-19 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-16 @ 457 MHz)
DIMM4: Crucial CT25664BA160B.C8F 2 GB DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM (11-11-11-28 @ 800 MHz) (10-10-10-27 @ 761 MHz) (9-9-9-24 @ 685 MHz) (8-8-8-22 @ 609 MHz) (7-7-7-19 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-16 @ 457 MHz)
BIOS Type AMI (12/02/2013)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Printer Port (LPT1)

Display
Video Adapter AMD Radeon HD 7560D (768 MB)
Video Adapter AMD Radeon HD 7560D (768 MB)
Video Adapter AMD Radeon HD 7560D (768 MB)
3D Accelerator AMD Radeon HD 7560D (Trinity)
Monitor Philips 202EL [20" LCD] (AU41121000211)

Multimedia
Audio Adapter ATI Radeon HDMI @ AMD K15.1 - High Definition Audio Controller
Audio Adapter Realtek ALC887 @ AMD Hudson-3 FCH - High Definition Audio Controller

Storage
IDE Controller AMD SATA Controller
Storage Controller Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller
Disk Drive ExcelStor Technology J9250S (232 GB)
Disk Drive ST500DM005 HD502HJ (500 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA-II)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 146.1 GB (84.5 GB free)
D: (NTFS) 232.9 GB (208.3 GB free)
E: (NTFS) 319.3 GB (318.7 GB free)
Total Size 698.3 GB (611.5 GB free)

Input
Keyboard Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse HID-compliant mouse


Network Adapter Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (192.168.1.2)

Peripherals
Printer Fax
Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer
USB1 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB OHCI Controller
USB1 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB OHCI Controller
USB1 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB OHCI Controller
USB2 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB 2.0 EHCI Controller
USB2 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB 2.0 EHCI Controller
USB3 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
USB3 Controller AMD Hudson-3 FCH - USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
USB Device USB Input Device

DMI
DMI BIOS Vendor American Megatrends Inc.
DMI BIOS Version V11.5
DMI System Manufacturer MSI
DMI System Product MS-7721
DMI System Version 3.0
DMI System Serial Number To be filled by O.E.M.
DMI System UUID 00000000-00000000-0000D43D-7EBD08F9
DMI Motherboard Manufacturer MSI
DMI Motherboard Product FM2-A75MA-P33 (MS-7721)
DMI Motherboard Version 3.0
DMI Motherboard Serial Number To be filled by O.E.M.
DMI Chassis Manufacturer To Be Filled By O.E.M.
DMI Chassis Version 3.0
DMI Chassis Serial Number To Be Filled By O.E.M.
DMI Chassis Asset Tag To Be Filled By O.E.M.
DMI Chassis Type Desktop Case

 

[jermoy13]

I dealt with this nonsense as well and was at my wit's end. I updated (then rolled back) video drivers, re-installed (repaired) Windows (7X64), etc etc and almost decided to just live with it.

Before reformatting I decided to do a full sweep for viruses (nothing) and then came across: Windows Repair (all in one) from http://www.tweaking.com/files/setups/tweaking.com_windows_repair_aio_setup.exe - Never heard of it before but saw it mentioned in the Malwarebytes forum. Ran it and the $hit WORKED! I'm religious about uninstalling programs with Revo and probably removed something I shouldn't have. It basically searches for any corrupt files/bad sectors and tries to fix them. I went by the following directions after d/l'ing

Install the program then run the following steps:
Go to step 2 and allow it to run the Disk check (this will check for any bad sectors)
Once that is done then go to step 3 and allow it to run the SFC (system file checker)
On the the Start Repairs tab => Click the Start Button
Click the "select all" check box and then click on Start
Please DON'T use the computer while each scan is in progress.

Your mileage may vary but hope it works for y'all.

-Trollark

this one works great on mine.. thanks a lot..

 

[ganamide]

I dealt with this nonsense as well and was at my wit's end. I updated (then rolled back) video drivers, re-installed (repaired) Windows (7X64), etc etc and almost decided to just live with it.

Before reformatting I decided to do a full sweep for viruses (nothing) and then came across: Windows Repair (all in one) from http://www.tweaking.com/files/setups/tweaking.com_windows_repair_aio_setup.exe - Never heard of it before but saw it mentioned in the Malwarebytes forum. Ran it and the $hit WORKED! I'm religious about uninstalling programs with Revo and probably removed something I shouldn't have. It basically searches for any corrupt files/bad sectors and tries to fix them. I went by the following directions after d/l'ing

Install the program then run the following steps:
Go to step 2 and allow it to run the Disk check (this will check for any bad sectors)
Once that is done then go to step 3 and allow it to run the SFC (system file checker)
On the the Start Repairs tab => Click the Start Button
Click the "select all" check box and then click on Start
Please DON'T use the computer while each scan is in progress.

Your mileage may vary but hope it works for y'all.

-Trollark

Edit - I thought this solution worked, but it didn't. I think that restarting my computer is what fixed it temporarily. After running my computer for a few days the problem came back. I think it is possibly related to Windows 7 auto tuning of network parameters. Not sure what causes this, but when I restart my computer I can ping my router with 1ms times. After several days of having many network connections and putting my computer to sleep at the end of each day, my router ping times climb to about 20ms and the video stutter returns.

Let me explain my symptoms. I had audio/video stutter when playing local video files. The problem only happened when having multiple network connections active. At first, I would notice when I would open new webpages or stream lots of videos in browsers. When troubleshooting, I eliminated as many variables as I could. I ended up using stress test tools to narrow the problem down. Loading the CPU to 100% did not cause the problem. Using browsers did not specifically cause the problem. The one thing that caused the problem was having multiple processes open multiple active network connections. I used a tool called NetStress to send/receive multiple streams of TCP/UDP data to/from another computer on my network. The problem only showed up if I used both TCP and UDP, and if each one had at least 4 connections. The problem showed up if I was transmitting data, or if I was receiving data. Hope this helps someone figure out the root cause. Probably some driver issue.

 

[Flotanower]

I dealt with this nonsense as well and was at my wit's end. I updated (then rolled back) video drivers, re-installed (repaired) Windows (7X64), etc etc and almost decided to just live with it.

Before reformatting I decided to do a full sweep for viruses (nothing) and then came across: Windows Repair (all in one) from http://www.tweaking.com/files/setups/tweaking.com_windows_repair_aio_setup.exe - Never heard of it before but saw it mentioned in the Malwarebytes forum. Ran it and the $hit WORKED! I'm religious about uninstalling programs with Revo and probably removed something I shouldn't have. It basically searches for any corrupt files/bad sectors and tries to fix them. I went by the following directions after d/l'ing

Install the program then run the following steps:
Go to step 2 and allow it to run the Disk check (this will check for any bad sectors)
Once that is done then go to step 3 and allow it to run the SFC (system file checker)
On the the Start Repairs tab => Click the Start Button
Click the "select all" check box and then click on Start
Please DON'T use the computer while each scan is in progress.

Your mileage may vary but hope it works for y'all.

-Trollark

Edit - I thought this solution worked, but it didn't. I think that restarting my computer is what fixed it temporarily. After running my computer for a few days the problem came back. I think it is possibly related to Windows 7 auto tuning of network parameters. Not sure what causes this, but when I restart my computer I can ping my router with 1ms times. After several days of having many network connections and putting my computer to sleep at the end of each day, my router ping times climb to about 20ms and the video stutter returns.

Let me explain my symptoms. I had audio/video stutter when playing local video files. The problem only happened when having multiple network connections active. At first, I would notice when I would open new webpages or stream lots of videos in browsers. When troubleshooting, I eliminated as many variables as I could. I ended up using stress test tools to narrow the problem down. Loading the CPU to 100% did not cause the problem. Using browsers did not specifically cause the problem. The one thing that caused the problem was having multiple processes open multiple active network connections. I used a tool called NetStress to send/receive multiple streams of TCP/UDP data to/from another computer on my network. The problem only showed up if I used both TCP and UDP, and if each one had at least 4 connections. The problem showed up if I was transmitting data, or if I was receiving data. Hope this helps someone figure out the root cause. Probably some driver issue.

I'm experiencing the same, or at least very similar, issue on my recent new build - R9 280x with Gigabyte H97M-HD3 mb using onboard Realtek HD Audio and ethernet.

I tried out the All-in-One Repair tool and like ganamide it seemed to fix it for about a day. Both my performance and audio issues were gone - sat at a smooth 260 fps in League of Legends with VLC audio playing in the background.

The next day the issue was back in force. LoL was now sitting at about 100 fps with very visible stutters, and audio very choppy. You might be on to something with the network issues. I ran a burn test with audio playing and had no stutters even with GPU getting to 68C yet a game of lol with GPU @ 53C was having major issues.

Very frustrating situation to be in right after a fresh build - any ideas would be super welcome!

Edit - Actually not so sure about it being network related. I disabled my network adapter and still got severe stuttering. Disabling audio however appeared to help, although it was difficult to conclusively test as the audio stuttering is the most obvious symptom.

 

[tonytran]

If I play let's say call of duty/ Battle field the computer becomes laggy, and if I get into a game and start moveing/ Shooting it lags constantly also the sound coming out from my Logitech speakers makes a buzzing stuttering sound notice if you turn it right down you can hear it.

NOW
if the game/keyboard/mouse freezes the sound from the speaker would be a continues sound of where it froze let's say I was shooting and it froze the sound from the shoot Goes on forever until I have to hard reset the computer.

NOW 5 COURSES OF THIS IS:
1.Failing GPU/Graphics Card
2.Bios,Chipset,Audio Realtek, Drivers are all outdated.
3. Audio interference with Nvidia Audio.
4. Sound card might be the problem, there's a guy on YouTube who bought a decent sound card installed it with the driver and it fixed the problem for him.
5. Motherboard/Power Supply.

Or bring it to a Computer expert shop they should be able to fix it ofc it's gonna cost money.

 

[Windows7Novice]

I have been following this thread because I was having the same problem with stuttering audio since moving to Windows 7 Pro, 64-bit... I have tried all of the suggested solutions and none worked. I did notice that I was getting some process stalling from swap activity (strange with 24GB of RAM and 85% of RAM free?). Just for giggles, I set the system for No Swap File. This fixed the problem. Now there is no audio stuttering. Since it is not recommended to run with no swap file, I was wondering if anyone has a solid idea as to why this would make a difference and how might I fix it with the Swap File enabled?

 

[mizmoz]

I have been following this thread because I was having the same problem with stuttering audio since moving to Windows 7 Pro, 64-bit... I have tried all of the suggested solutions and none worked. I did notice that I was getting some process stalling from swap activity (strange with 24GB of RAM and 85% of RAM free?). Just for giggles, I set the system for No Swap File. This fixed the problem. Now there is no audio stuttering. Since it is not recommended to run with no swap file, I was wondering if anyone has a solid idea as to why this would make a difference and how might I fix it with the Swap File enabled?

 

[mizmoz]

Hi I found a answer. An update KB2962407 by memory is the problem. It was updated on 14/07/2014 since then this has been happening to me. I read to delete that update. So I did. Now everything is working!!! And Im no nerd. But Ive done nothing but read and read and found this and did it. Im all good. It happened to on my other windows 7 and my windows 8. Ive done the windows 8 and its great again. Will be working on windows 7 next. Hope this helps your problem

 

[lurkr]

FWIW ... I have a new build/clean install, on ASRock Z97 PRO4 Mobo, intel G3258, 8GB 1600Mhz Memory, and have been installing the associated drivers and utilities downloaded from the ASRock site. As soon as I install the "Realtek high definition audio driver ver:7004", I get issues - and cannot un-install it **it says it un-installs, but upon boot, it's still there. Only way to get rid of it is to use a recovery point from before the install.
I'm running Win7 Home Edition, 64-Bit.
The symptom after installing the Realtek driver ... after boot at the login screen, the mouse moves extremely slow, and has lag. Once logged in it seems fine - didn't test sound or anything - I just got rid of it

Lesson of the day - control the install of updates, and test after each one - that way you know which one (s) are junk 😛

 

[qash]

As with many others have posted on this thread, I am getting video/audio stuttering on video playback. These are HD video files on the local drive being played either through Windows Media Player or VLC (both result in the same issues). Definitely noticed that the problem does not start immediately, and the stuttering gets more frequent the longer the playback continues. Brand new laptop so it is driving me insane and their support refuses to consider this a warranty issue. Laptop specs:

• Intel® Core™ i7-4700HQ (2.50GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
• Windows 8.1
• NVIDIA® GTX-860M 4GB
• 16GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz

A few things I have read here and elsewhere that I want to summarize as possible solutions that others can comment on:

1) enable "Let me choose on option for all scaling" in the display properties.
2) set power plan to high performance
3) update all drivers
4) check and fix disk errors (through chkdsk I assume)
5) run the tweaking software given in this thread
6) uninstall update KB2962407
7) use "no swap file" option

I have already tried 1, 2 & 3 to no avail. Will give the others a go. Anyone want to add anything to the above in terms of their success with these steps? Also, can someone suggest tools which I can use to investigate what happens at the same time as the stutter? Like a log of system processes or something?

Thanks.

 

[khanbarkat]

could be a codec issue, what are you using to play said multimedia?

 

[bkdove]

anyone got rid of this problem? I decided to do a clean install... but I fear that it won't be the solution 🙁

 

[ganamide]

A few things I have read here and elsewhere that I want to summarize as possible solutions that others can comment on:

1) enable "Let me choose on option for all scaling" in the display properties.
2) set power plan to high performance
3) update all drivers
4) check and fix disk errors (through chkdsk I assume)
5) run the tweaking software given in this thread
6) uninstall update KB2962407
7) use "no swap file" option

I have already tried 1, 2 & 3 to no avail. Will give the others a go. Anyone want to add anything to the above in terms of their success with these steps? Also, can someone suggest tools which I can use to investigate what happens at the same time as the stutter? Like a log of system processes or something?

Thanks.

I'm going to try and tackle this problem again. One solution you didn't mention that I might try is getting dedicated hardware. I believe the problem might be, at least in my case, that I am using integrated GPU, integrated NIC, and integrated sound. I have a hunch that the motherboard has trouble processing all these integrated hardware at the same time when they are all under load. Of course updated drivers might solve the problem, but when these devices are integrated you often have to use the latest drivers from the mobo manufacturer. However, I'll probably test newer drivers from the individual device manufacturers first, even if not approved by ASRock.

BTW, I doubt there are any log files to debug this type of thing, but would love to hear that I am wrong about this.

 

[Bailey HosKing]

Starting about a month ago, after six to seven months of my laptop working fine, I've been getting video and audio stuttering whenever gaming or watching most HD videos and after messing around with my drivers I realized that whenever my Realtek HD Audio drivers are disabled my video runs flawlessly, but when enabled both video and audio stutter. I'm using a Sony VAIO laptop so I'm assuming that the sound card isn't easily replaceable. I've tried using the newest drivers straight from Realtek's website and also the outdated driver provided by Sony's website, both of which result in the same stuttering. Sony has also replaced the motherboard once and it did not resolve the issue. Any suggestions? I'm currently running Windows 7 with 6gb of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce 330M graphics card.

while it seems very simple, i had an identical issue. Solved it by turning off loudness equalization in realtek. Sometimes its something that simple.

 

[Stocking278]

I have solved this problem for alienware laptops with realtek onboard chips. Dells bloatware program Dell Data Vault and Dell Support assist/Dell Support Assist Agent cause the CPU and HDD to spike in usage durring video playback.

I spent hours trying every solution on the internet: driver updates, overclocking CPU, Configuring speakers but nothing wroked.

I noticed that i encountered the problem like a day after a windows update so i looked through the newly installed programs and sure enough those two cause problems with the Realtek Audio drivers. i uninstalled both of them and now im running smoothly

 

[Kauai2015]

I have solved this problem for alienware laptops with realtek onboard chips. Dells bloatware program Dell Data Vault and Dell Support assist/Dell Support Assist Agent cause the CPU and HDD to spike in usage durring video playback.

I spent hours trying every solution on the internet: driver updates, overclocking CPU, Configuring speakers but nothing wroked.

I noticed that i encountered the problem like a day after a windows update so i looked through the newly installed programs and sure enough those two cause problems with the Realtek Audio drivers. i uninstalled both of them and now im running smoothly

It's been bothering me since late last year. I removed my Dell XPS 15Z Realtek and NVIDIA HD audio drivers, now no more stuttering. Thanks!!!

 

[Gokouu]

I have solved this problem for alienware laptops with realtek onboard chips. Dells bloatware program Dell Data Vault and Dell Support assist/Dell Support Assist Agent cause the CPU and HDD to spike in usage durring video playback.

I spent hours trying every solution on the internet: driver updates, overclocking CPU, Configuring speakers but nothing wroked.

I noticed that i encountered the problem like a day after a windows update so i looked through the newly installed programs and sure enough those two cause problems with the Realtek Audio drivers. i uninstalled both of them and now im running smoothly

I have a DELL and this worked absolutely PERFECTLY! Thank you!

Like many others I have tried the "tweak," and it worked for a day, but this was the solution that I was looking for... I wonder how many Dell user are kicking themselves right now if they install SupportAssist?

 

[eroom93]

this fix probably won't work for just about anyone... but i was having stuttery audio on EVERYTHING... skype, windows media player, firefox, IE, all games

i tried different sound cards and video cards (all NVIDIA)
older and newer drivers for sound and video

and then at one point the stutter randomly stopped. I hadn't changed anything this time, but the stutter was gone.
In this instance i realised that "speedfan" had failed to start with windows

i tried opening speedfan, and sure enough the stutter had returned

i think i'm going to have to make or buy a hardware speed controller for my "pos" dell

 

[MadTruman]

I have solved this problem for alienware laptops with realtek onboard chips. Dells bloatware program Dell Data Vault and Dell Support assist/Dell Support Assist Agent cause the CPU and HDD to spike in usage durring video playback.

I spent hours trying every solution on the internet: driver updates, overclocking CPU, Configuring speakers but nothing wroked.

I noticed that i encountered the problem like a day after a windows update so i looked through the newly installed programs and sure enough those two cause problems with the Realtek Audio drivers. i uninstalled both of them and now im running smoothly

Uninstalled Dell Support Assist and Dell Support Assist Agent - Problem GONE.

 

[gatmain]

I had this problem for a while, just recently stopped using this "Audio Switcher" that would allow me to switch my default audio output device via a hotkey. I didn't remove the software but I simply manually chose the device to use instead of using the hotkey and now it's stutter free.

OR

Go to Playback Devices and select an alternative device, then reselect your preferred device (or disable and enable your default device). Can't say what causes it, but this fixed it for me.

Hope this helps someone else.

 

[blacksheepz]

having run into the stuttering issue, one thing that seems to have almost corrected it is open task manager and see when your CPU Usage, increases (mine to 100%), and right click the offending program and select, set priority and change to normal (if different), you can also set how many Processors you want to run the program

 

[Sewosugar]

I dealt with this nonsense as well and was at my wit's end. I updated (then rolled back) video drivers, re-installed (repaired) Windows (7X64), etc etc and almost decided to just live with it.

Before reformatting I decided to do a full sweep for viruses (nothing) and then came across: Windows Repair (all in one) from http://www.tweaking.com/files/setups/tweaking.com_windows_repair_aio_setup.exe - Never heard of it before but saw it mentioned in the Malwarebytes forum. Ran it and the $hit WORKED! I'm religious about uninstalling programs with Revo and probably removed something I shouldn't have. It basically searches for any corrupt files/bad sectors and tries to fix them. I went by the following directions after d/l'ing

Install the program then run the following steps:
Go to step 2 and allow it to run the Disk check (this will check for any bad sectors)
Once that is done then go to step 3 and allow it to run the SFC (system file checker)
On the the Start Repairs tab => Click the Start Button
Click the "select all" check box and then click on Start
Please DON'T use the computer while each scan is in progress.

Your mileage may vary but hope it works for y'all.

-Trollark

 

[Sewosugar]

A million million Thanks for that solution. It has been over a month that i've been plagued with this stuttering and lagging of my audio. I was at my wits end. Tried all kinds of fixes found on the internet...and none worked. But this....This tweaking tool did the job. I'm beyond overjoyed. Thanks from the Caribbean. You know something Jon Snow.

 

[papezonejr]

Starting about a month ago, after six to seven months of my laptop working fine, I've been getting video and audio stuttering whenever gaming or watching most HD videos and after messing around with my drivers I realized that whenever my Realtek HD Audio drivers are disabled my video runs flawlessly, but when enabled both video and audio stutter. I'm using a Sony VAIO laptop so I'm assuming that the sound card isn't easily replaceable. I've tried using the newest drivers straight from Realtek's website and also the outdated driver provided by Sony's website, both of which result in the same stuttering. Sony has also replaced the motherboard once and it did not resolve the issue. Any suggestions? I'm currently running Windows 7 with 6gb of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce 330M graphics card.