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 I've tried using the newest drivers straight from Realtek's website and also the outdated driver provided by Sony's website, both of which result in the same stuttering.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.

 

[papezonejr]

Wow, thank you for this! I just got a brand new computer. i7 6700K NVIDIA GTX 670 4GB DDR5, so I knew my computer wasn't the issue. My stream was so laggy on OBS after about 30 seconds. I disabled my audio, and now it's running smooth as ever. Have you found a solution to this? Seems to be the software rather than the hardware.

 

[Check1two]

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2586201/realtek-audio-manager.html#16946243

 

[Laura_7]

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

I could kiss you!! This is exactly what this girl needed to fix her computer!!! Thank you so much!

 

[Idonno]

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

I have had that "audio/video Stuttering/Buzzing/grinding noise" on and off now for the last 6yrs @ different severity levels. I actually got rid of it for a year or two but after a recent reformat it was back and I couldn't remember just how I got rid of it the last time (I tried so many things).
But, so far that "Tweaking.com" you posted the link to has worked great!
Considering how many others it has worked for, I was surprised no one has selected your post for "best answer" so I did.
I don't know what that "Tweaking.com" app did to solve the issue but, so far it has and I'm very grateful THX!!!!!!

 

[mobehun]

So it seems like I managed to fix this stuttering thing. In the Speaker Properties -> Advanced tab I choose the lowest sample rate and bit depth.

 

[Idonno]

Well I thought I should post an update. The "Tweaking.com" app is a good app and it did make a difference in that the speed of the studding has slowed but it's still there.

 

[oltean]

Update for anyone interested:

After speaking to Sony again (I had given up for a few weeks) I finally found a tech who was actually willing to research the issue and he has found the same problem before in this model and is 99.9% sure that the problem is a failing processor. The sound drivers aren't actually the issue even though disabling them acts as a quick fix. I sent my laptop out for service today, I'll let you know if the replacement processor does the trick.

Any update on this? After an exhausting endeavour to find a solution to a problem that sounds somewhat similar to what you've experienced - I've tried just about everything from software and driver updates, to CPU load and latency correction, to external USB sound-cards and hardware tests - I've been left without any recourse or respite for my effort. I also have a built-in Realtek sound-card; but an AMD graphics card rather than your Nvidia one.

As with you, my VAIO had flawless audio until about six months after purchase, when I started hearing a 'popping' noise in certain graphically-intensive games. What I found interesting was that if I were to turn off the sound effects but leave background music on, the symptoms seemed to disappear as the game continued. Youtube and music seemed to be unaffected for the most part (a differentiation from your experience), but I also began to notice what I can only describe as the sound I would associate with 'interference' when changing volume or opening an application. The sound exists with or without headphones, and - particularly when opening an application (e.g. music player) or stopping a music video - can be heard in the 2-3 seconds proceeding an event.

I learned to live with these strange anomalies for the most part, but recently the problem has returned to my attention after purchasing an old PC game (a first person shooter : Deus Ex) - a game that should have no problem running considering the specs of the laptop's hardware, and that does indeed run smoothly outside of the aforementioned audio problem. If I stand still, there is no issue and the sound effects of the environment seem to play okay; but once I move the mouse or character, the popping noises become impossible to ignore. Once again, turning off the sound effects while leaving the background music playing removes the issue.

Interestingly, I can hear similar interference to that experienced when opening windows applications (2-3 second delay) during the loading of the operating system, when the windows logo is displayed, and the sound is somewhat reminiscent of that of an amplifier being switched on or headphones being plugged in, but in repeated bursts.

Here is part of my system's dxdiag report (that I picked out somewhat arbitrarily), for anybody else who might have an idea of what this is :
------------------
System Information
------------------
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120503-2030)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Sony Corporation
System Model: VPCSB18GG
BIOS: InsydeH2O Version HuronRiver.3.61.05.2051R2087H4
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2620M CPU @ 2.70GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4012MB RAM
Page File: 2915MB used, 5106MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 64bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: AMD Radeon(TM) HD 6470M
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x6760)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6760&SUBSYS_907B104D&REV_00
Display Memory: 2251 MB
Dedicated Memory: 501 MB
Shared Memory: 1749 MB
Current Mode: 1366 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: unknown
Monitor Id: SNY05FA
Native Mode: 1366 x 768(p) (59.937Hz)
Output Type: Internal
Driver Name: aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx32,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver File Version: 8.17.0010.1083 (English)
Driver Version: 8.862.4.4000
DDI Version: 11
Driver Model: WDDM 1.1


-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speaker/HP (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0275&SUBSYS_104D5000&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6662 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
Date and Size: 6/19/2012 16:54:20, 4065296 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0x0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

I would greatly appreciate any assistance. Deus Ex is unplayable in my obsessive mind, and storming enemy castles in Total War games is just that little bit less epic when panning across the environment triggers out-of-theme popping sounds. My greatest fear is - as the TS mentioned - that these could be the signs of failing hardware.

 

[ladderchair]

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.

This has been going on for awhile now and I have found a solution.

The issue is that the Realtek Audio Driver is conflicting with Nvidia HD Audio Driver. Nvidia Graphics Cards will automatically install the HD Audio Driver. You cannot uninstall Realtek Audio Driver due to the fact that it is required for the audio cards on MSI Motherboards. So you must disable Nvidia HD Audio Driver.

Go to your Device Manager and scroll down to "Sound Video and Game Controllers" then you need to click on the drivers "Nvidia HD Audio" and "Nvidia Virtual Audio Device". Click on the little down arrow at the top of the Device Manager and it should give you a prompt to disable the driver. Just click yes and restart your computer. It should be functioning now.

Device Manager>Sound, Video, and Game Controllers> Disable Nvidia Drivers

 

[Idonno]

The issue is that the Realtek Audio Driver is conflicting with Nvidia HD Audio Driver. Nvidia Graphics Cards will automatically install the HD Audio Driver. You cannot uninstall Realtek Audio Driver due to the fact that it is required for the audio cards on MSI Motherboards. So you must disable Nvidia HD Audio Driver.

Go to your Device Manager and scroll down to "Sound Video and Game Controllers" then you need to click on the drivers "Nvidia HD Audio" and "Nvidia Virtual Audio Device". Click on the little down arrow at the top of the Device Manager and it should give you a prompt to disable the driver. Just click yes and restart your computer. It should be functioning now.

Device Manager>Sound, Video, and Game Controllers> Disable Nvidia Drivers

I'm glad that worked for you however that doesn't work with AMD video cards.

 

[WilliamKBR]

I'm fighting exact same problem. I have Windows 7 64Bits, motherboard Asus Z97-K, Core i7 4790k, Gigabyte NVidia GTX 960 . I didn't notice this on my old machine, i7 860 (first gen).

While I'm listening Winamp or WMP, when opening new tabs in both Chrome or Firefox, the stutter or glitches appears. Seems to be related to network or disk. My disk is a 1 year old SSD Samsung 850 500GB, I've get from my old machine. Even now while I'm typing.

 

[Ahw1231]

The odd thing is that most multimedia like iTunes, standard definition video, and even blu-ray still runs OK. The problem comes with some HD video streamed through Firefox, but mostly it happens with games. Most of the games I play are run through Steam but the problem also exists in non-steam games.

Same thing here, only audio stutter is when playing games (all games) and streamed content over the internet. Also is the same in that restarting my computer solves it, seems to only happen after being on for more than 24 hours straight, sometimes not starting till 48+ hours.

 

[Leon_20]

Anybody having this issue in which you randomly come across stutters lasting less than half of a second and they happen randomly, but more when gaming or watching videos?

I fixed it by going into "Device Manager" then, "Display Adapters" and turning all off besides the one I preferred. It was on "Intel HD Graphics 4600" & "Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB" and then I turned off the intel one (right-click and click 'disable') and now it's smooth and perfect. I'd reccommend downloading the Nvidia display adapter before continuing. You can do so from Nvidia's website.

 

[Haizom]

I'm having the same issue... Tried running windows tweaker and had success for some time. A day later the audio started cliping again and gosh it's annoying!! It causes a hard fps drop on fps games (Dirty Bomb, Paladins) I don't have the KB2962407 update installed, so it's not the issue. Here's my dxdiag... I have tried everything T-T DxDiag

 

[Jeroenymus]

I have an MSI GP72 (4Q cpu Intel) with WIN10 installed an had the same issue. Stuttering sound or sometimes a crack or click. Very short, indeed shorter than a second. It appeared not in all games but in some (mostly HD high quality games). But it did not appear on films (netflix) via firefox. Only a sound problem no video. I installed al Realtek latest drivers. But the stuttering stayed.

It seemed that it was solved by the idea already posted by mobehun about the speaker configuration.
When I had this stuttering it was set on 24 bit (48kHz). When I adjusted it to 24 bit (96kHz) the stuttering seemed to have disappeared.

 

[stlolth]

MY SOLUTION:

I can confirm that changing the Default Format option alleviated the issue in my case but has not solved it completely. I'm using Windows 8.1, Realtek onboard sound and drivers. It appears that setting the highest available format quality results in least frequent stuttering, however in my case, at the below cited selected format, the stuttering is still present at times.

Go: Control Panel > Sound > Playback > Speakers (or your preferred sound output device) > Properties > Advanced > Here change Default Format to: 24 bit 192000 Hz (Studio Quality) > Click Apply

New information: Choosing a lower quality Default Format - 16 bit 48000 Hz (DVD Quality) has solved the issue completely. If you are an audiophile or get a compulsive nagging sense of unease when you feel things aren't perfect, this solution might not be for you. I however am enjoying it.

 

[cgty__]

SOLUTION at least for situations like mine..
Creative sb vx 5.1 sound card (wont fit stable in chasis, faulty drivers, will die in 1 year. believe my i fried 2 of those and using 3rd now. unless you get it free like me dont buy it.) + realtek onboard sound processor AMD CPU and r9 280x GPU.
I was having this problem with my old OS too but somehow it solved itself at that days. Recently i've reinstalled the OS completely forgetting about the problem and there it was again.
Tried updating, downgrading all drivers and messed with OS/directx as i naturally think it was a directx problem but nope.
I saw this and laughed:

(SOLUTION)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwvXCyaQDFE
(SOLUTION)

then i saw iced1776 saying it can be a faulty processor and remembered i used to mess with processor power state to keep pc cool while i was runing macros 7/24. So gived a try and worked like a charm. Just like a joke after all i ve done to get it solved.

you dont have to download the program to check DPC latency by the way. just try the solution it wont hurt anyway your cpu doesnt go %100 all the way up. for me legue of legends launcher musics and alt-tab from youtube video to steam was always problematic so i ve checked using them.

Again my case was Video/Audio Stuttering random but mostly while changing between windows causing fps drops even on desktop. Nothing like faulty flashplayer, network, directx, or hardware issues. thats the things you have to look first.

 

[bhubert]

I partially solve this issue, there are still stuttering but not continous, usually when i open an application, the sound stutters then back to normal.

What I did is to use the win7 feature "readyboost" using a spare usb drive with at least 4gb of free space. I hope this helps others like me.

 

[CoolTex]

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

Go to Device Manager
Under Processors - Video, Game Controllers will be two drivers
Both are named High Definition Audio Drivers
Disable the bottom one and try it...the top one won't work - disables audio
Stereo still works right...
Hard to find answer - worked fine on my Acer desktop with Win 7
Must be some Win 7 error that loads two drivers instead of one..

 

[CoolTex]

Go to Device Manager
Under Processors - Video, Game Controllers will be two drivers
Both are named High Definition Audio Drivers
Disable the bottom one and try it...the top one won't work - disables audio
Stereo still works right...
Hard to find answer - worked fine on my Acer desktop with Win 7
Must be some Win 7 error that loads two drivers instead of one..

 

[Dennis_81]

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.

 

[Matthew_221]

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

I know this is many years after you posted this and so you probably won't see this but, as a guy who was experiencing this issue and randomly found your post via Google, I want to thank you for this advice. I went and downloaded the programme and it seems to have fixed my issue. Thank you!

 

[motsware]

I've created this account just to say THANK YOU @Trollark! May you live forever and one day!!!

BTW, profile stats are saying this is his/her only post here. THE one...

P.S. Nice place with lot of good tech reads.

 

[Smith_87]

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.

Guys, I have finally found the ultimate solution to this painful issue. No, your processor is not dying, It's just a driver(s) issue.
Head over to https://drp.su nclick "Download DriverPack Online". Run the downloaded app n select "Automatitally Set Up Computer". DO NOT interrupt the process. Then reboot yur machine n kiss tha problem goodbye.

 

[ahmegen]

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

Like many others, i didn't have an account here but i signed up to thank you , i suffered from this issue for more than 2 full months and was about to send my notebook back to the vendor but now everything works perfect.
Man, you are a genius to discover this simple solution and generous to share it with us , Thank you so much

 

[etrnlwarp]

Well, this sounds fascinating. The symptoms are similar to what I've been experiencing, however the difference is it doesn't matter which sound hardware I use.

After monitoring system performance, it seems there are 2 main items affecting this, the plugin container for FireFox and VSMON. Whenever i've had this happen, my entire system slows, not just video playback. My mouse lags, everything. I've noticed that these two items (especially VSMON, the zonealarm realtime monitoring chunk) will take up to 50% or more processor, as reported by TaskManager.

This is a recent development for me. I've been running ZoneAlarm for years, and never had a problem. The other twist is it seems to happen with Chrome also, and I have even noticed some issues while playing Pandora via its app and browsing the web in FF, CHrome, or IE. It's like the entire system bus is being overloaded.. I suspect a recent Windows update, but cannot pin it to any particular patch.

Thank you for your replay I was having the same issue running zone alarm, primarily as you said with firefox and chrome. I uninstalled zone alarm, which really sucked, but so far so good. I noticed also that the issue was amplified also with virtual machines. I don't think my i7 likes having multiple virus/firwall/application scanners up either so I disabled everything except windows defender and am using rogue killer for quick scans every other day.