Static builds up over time in audio?

[rethcir]

Hello,

I just built up a new pc for the first time in several years and it's up and running very nicely except for one infuriating issue with the audio.

I'm using the integrated realtek audio on the Intel mobo. It starts off working fine, but it seems like as I listen to music or play a game, there is a slow buildup of static pops that eventually becomes constant and overwhelms the audio. This also seems to mainly affect the left channel but if left for a while, it will creep up on the right channel too.

My troubleshooting steps have been to update the drivers, flash the bios, and use the front audio port headphones to make sure it's not software related (headphone port works fine).

Has anyone experienced this before and can you recommend anything to check? Some kind of a grounding issue?

Thanks!
Matt

 

[Headspin_69]

Onboard audio is atrocious even today however you can pick up a real decent Sound Blaster card for like $30 and even it blows away onboard just clean clear sound even cranked up.

 

[spasmolytic46]

In my experience this is usually related to a poor power supply, but it could be any number of things. with all the time and trouble it takes to isolate and run through tests, it is usually far better to simply cough up 20 to 30 bucks for a sound card and be done with it.

 

[rethcir]

Thanks for the replies. I am probably just gonna buy a PCIe soundcard. Can anyone recommend a good brand? I was never a big fan of Creative back in the day due to horrible drivers and badly designed management apps.

 

[spasmolytic46]

Thanks for the replies. I am probably just gonna buy a PCIe soundcard. Can anyone recommend a good brand? I was never a big fan of Creative back in the day due to horrible drivers and badly designed management apps.

That really depends how picky are you about sound quality. Creative has a huge chunk of the market. To avoid them, you're either talking about cheap chipsets that normally appear in motherboards or really high-end production quality stuff.

 

[flashfir]

Check this forum out, I found this really informative. I'm new to soundcards and I just installed my Asus Xonar DG, $20 good starter card.
http://www.overclock.net/f/18/sound-cards-and-computer-audio

THIS thread
http://www.overclock.net/t/1014902/most-commonly-recommended-audio-products/0_100

is what you're probably looking for.

Onboard audio is atrocious even today however you can pick up a real decent Sound Blaster card for like $30 and even it blows away onboard just clean clear sound even cranked up.

It's not as bad as it was before. Doi.