Windows 10 Audio crackling

[hyancint.v]

Hello!

I have an issue with audio of my newly built PC. Getting crackling sounds during gaming/movies/music. Can't remember having it at first few weeks when I first got my PC together.

Drivers are all installed from mobo manufacturers site, all up to date. (Tried also older versions + one from Realteks own site)
Have tried different headphones with audio enhancements enabled/disabled, changing default format but it makes no difference.

So far only "solution" is doing system restart after initial boot, and everythings fine.. no problems whatsoever. As soon as I shut pc down and reboot..the issue is back. I should also mention those crackling sounds are not constant, for example when listening to music it occurs after every 4-10 seconds ( no CPU spikes ).

Other than that, everything else works flawlessly.
Could it be related to Windows 10 own updates ?

CPU Temps idle 30-35C, under load 55-70C.
GPU Temps idle 34-38C, under load 60-72C.

Specs:

Motherboard: Asus TUF Z270 Mark 1
CPU: Intel i7-7700k (haven't overclocked)
GPU: Asus Rog Strix GTX 1080 Ti
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 16Gb@3200MHz (Currently default 2133MHz)
PSU: Corsair RM750i
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO Series 250Gb (OS and software)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB (everything else)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken x62
OS: Windows 10 Home

 

[hfarsonist]

I spoke to Nvidia live support,described my issue to them,but when they ran out of their idiotic ideas, they just disconnected. I felt like i was speaking to indian scammers. So think twice before buying Nvidia product. This is a good lesson.

 

[st_proton]

Everyone, who still having terrible problem crackling/popping sound with latest ver. nvidia drviers, try to disable ingame-overlay in geforce experience panel or delete his (recommended). After, power off/on your pc, just do not restart him! That's worked fine for me.

Alternative temporal resolve will be uninstall nvdriver using DDU (safe mode on) and install stable 385.69 version or older

This problem is blow my roof during six fk'n weeks.

Sorry for my bad english.

Doesn't work, 385.69 only reduces crackling,not completely fixes

Probably, your windows will violently auto-update new drivers from his repository. Try to disable updates
through "show or hide" utility or other and reinstall nvdrivers with DDU. Terribly crackling, popping in streams/videos is gone. This only working way for me

 

[twostepsfromhelllll]

try uninstalling audio driver that you have installed and restart the system & let windows use its own drivers for audio. i also had audio problem with windows 10 (different than yours) and this solution worked for me so you should also try it

 

[hfarsonist]

Everyone, who still having terrible problem crackling/popping sound with latest ver. nvidia drviers, try to disable ingame-overlay in geforce experience panel or delete his (recommended). After, power off/on your pc, just do not restart him! That's worked fine for me.

Alternative temporal resolve will be uninstall nvdriver using DDU (safe mode on) and install stable 385.69 version or older

This problem is blow my roof during six fk'n weeks.

Sorry for my bad english.

Doesn't work, 385.69 only reduces crackling,not completely fixes

Probably, your windows will violently auto-update new drivers from his repository. Try to disable updates
through "show or hide" utility or other and reinstall nvdrivers with DDU. Terribly crackling, popping in streams/videos is gone. This only working way for me

Yesterday completely turned off windows updates,still nothing.thanks for trying to help though..

 

[meuqsaco]

I'm having the exact same issue. Latest Realtek drivers, Z270 motherboard, Windows 10 latest version, Nvidia latest drivers and the only fix is to restart or use windows default drivers. I tried formatting and got the same issue. I also have the same out of sync issue when viewing youtube or twitch over time, in multiple browsers. I've checked for latency issues with the drivers and everything is working perfectly.

Someone has published a screwed up driver and we need to find out who.

 

[kameling]

I highly suspect it's the NVIDIA driver. Have had the issue described above ever since after the Win 10 Creators update and a game ready driver 388.13 update. So either one could have been the issue.

Today 12/6/2017 I did a "clean install" of NVIDIA game ready driver 388.43 and the intermittent static and pops are now gone.

Correction, not 100% gone just heard some static. Per another comment, I the Geforce experience may be part of the issue too.

 

[bjornl]

I highly suspect it's the NVIDIA driver. Have had the issue described above ever since after the Win 10 Creators update and a game ready driver 388.13 update. So either one could have been the issue.

Today 12/6/2017 I did a "clean install" of NVIDIA game ready driver 388.43 and the intermittent static and pops are now gone.

I never saw any audio issues on the 5 Nvidia systems we have at the house. But, I did recently see some minor glitchy-ness on two systems when the Geforce-Experience was installed on both a 1050ti and a 980ti. Uninstall everything Nvidia and installing just the driver (not the 'experience' junk straightened that out.

 

[hofik1979]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

 

[hfarsonist]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options).
2. Set computer to never sleep - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

I hope this workaround will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

I was about to write the same thing,but i did not want to post another useless possible solution,so i started testing it since yesterday,So far so good,not even a single crackling,plus your post assured me that it's not only me and it really works,differently from you i don't have SSD and despite that booting time is really fine,can't even notice difference. I have set sleep time on never so it's no problem for me,but i guess problem is laying within windows and nvidia, definitely not a hardware issue,glad i did not buy new mobo. Even though i found out reason yesterday,i want to thank you a lot. This solution will definitely help people who's having this annoying issue. If something changes i'll update this thread. But i assume this is a fix.

 

[hofik1979]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options).
2. Set computer to never sleep - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

I hope this workaround will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

I was about to write the same thing,but i did not want to post another useless possible solution,so i started testing it since yesterday,So far so good,not even a single crackling,plus your post assured me that it's not only me and it really works,differently from you i don't have SSD and despite that booting time is really fine,can't even notice difference. I have set sleep time on never so it's no problem for me,but i guess problem is laying within windows and nvidia, definitely not a hardware issue,glad i did not buy new mobo. Even though i found out reason yesterday,i want to thank you a lot. This solution will definitely help people who's having this annoying issue. If something changes i'll update this thread. But i assume this is a fix.

Actually, I wanted to reply you directly, because I saw your posts and I’m pretty sure that we are/were experiencing exactly the same issue. But at the end I decided to write a general post. I think you have a MSI motherboard and I have an ASUS. I was considering buying a dedicated sound card, but as you said I don’t think we have a hardware issue. Besides, I tested my PC with Prime95 for 48 hours and I´m quite sure that my hardware is stable.

Anyway, glad to hear that you have the same results and that the “Fast Startup” thing works for you. We just need to wait for a real solution.

 

[hfarsonist]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options).
2. Set computer to never sleep - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

I hope this workaround will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

I was about to write the same thing,but i did not want to post another useless possible solution,so i started testing it since yesterday,So far so good,not even a single crackling,plus your post assured me that it's not only me and it really works,differently from you i don't have SSD and despite that booting time is really fine,can't even notice difference. I have set sleep time on never so it's no problem for me,but i guess problem is laying within windows and nvidia, definitely not a hardware issue,glad i did not buy new mobo. Even though i found out reason yesterday,i want to thank you a lot. This solution will definitely help people who's having this annoying issue. If something changes i'll update this thread. But i assume this is a fix.

Actually, I wanted to replay you directly, because I saw your posts and I’m pretty sure that we are/were experiencing exactly the same issue. But at the end I decided to write a general post. I think you have a MSI motherboard and I have an ASUS. I was considering buying a dedicated sound card, but as you said I don’t think we have a hardware issue. Besides, I tested my PC with Prime95 for 48 hours and I´m quite sure that my hardware is stable.

Anyway, glad to hear that you have the same results and that the “Fast Startup” thing works for you. We just need to wait for a real solution.

Yes,I have MSI. I think about it now and I guess problem is in windows,I have tried lots of things, seriously,I tried everything I could find and try and I've been looking for solution over month, maybe even two. Tried different Nvidia drivers, newest/older, nothing worked properly, cracklings wouldn't go no matter what. So why I think it's a windows issue,I guess on a fast startup, windows doesn't load some files properly,that causes problems,if it was graphics drivers fault,I don't really think that restart would help. I also read somewhere that this fast startup is kinda new feature,I may be wrong but that's what I remember. My bet is on Windows, it's a root of all evil. Lol so gotta wait for next update. Anyway, great job and lots of thanks!

 

[hofik1979]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options).
2. Set computer to never sleep - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

I hope this workaround will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

I was about to write the same thing,but i did not want to post another useless possible solution,so i started testing it since yesterday,So far so good,not even a single crackling,plus your post assured me that it's not only me and it really works,differently from you i don't have SSD and despite that booting time is really fine,can't even notice difference. I have set sleep time on never so it's no problem for me,but i guess problem is laying within windows and nvidia, definitely not a hardware issue,glad i did not buy new mobo. Even though i found out reason yesterday,i want to thank you a lot. This solution will definitely help people who's having this annoying issue. If something changes i'll update this thread. But i assume this is a fix.

Actually, I wanted to replay you directly, because I saw your posts and I’m pretty sure that we are/were experiencing exactly the same issue. But at the end I decided to write a general post. I think you have a MSI motherboard and I have an ASUS. I was considering buying a dedicated sound card, but as you said I don’t think we have a hardware issue. Besides, I tested my PC with Prime95 for 48 hours and I´m quite sure that my hardware is stable.

Anyway, glad to hear that you have the same results and that the “Fast Startup” thing works for you. We just need to wait for a real solution.

Yes,I have MSI. I think about it now and I guess problem is in windows,I have tried lots of things, seriously,I tried everything I could find and try and I've been looking for solution over month, maybe even two. Tried different Nvidia drivers, newest/older, nothing worked properly, cracklings wouldn't go no matter what. So why I think it's a windows issue,I guess on a fast startup, windows doesn't load some files properly,that causes problems,if it was graphics drivers fault,I don't really think that restart would help. I also read somewhere that this fast startup is kinda new feature,I may be wrong but that's what I remember. My bet is on Windows, it's a root of all evil. Lol so gotta wait for next update. Anyway, great job and lots of thanks!

Yes, I think you are right I would also bet on Windows. If you find any other fix please update this thread. Thanks.

 

[meuqsaco]

I've turned off the fast boot option and the issue has been resolved for me. I encourage everyone with this issue to try this solution.

 

[ddyer9]

I had this exact same problem. For me it was a hardware issue. Are you using an external monitor with HDMI cable?

Unplugged my HDMI cable from my external monitor and boom. Crackle gone. Makes sense because HDMI has sound output, I guess it was somehow interfering and needed to be disabled in my playback sound options.

 

[katos91]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

Thank YOU VERY MUCH! It works. I had the same problem on gigabyte z270X ultra gaming and your solution fixed it.

 

[maximumoccupancy]

I will test that, too.

Will report back once I have gathered results.

 

[hofik1979]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

Thank YOU VERY MUCH! It works. I had the same problem on gigabyte z270X ultra gaming and your solution fixed it.

Thanks for your feedback. Glad to hear it works for you.

 

[hyancint.v]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

Well that fixed it for more, thank you! I remember having issues with "Fast Startup" on my laptop aswell, BSOD's etc. And disabling it fixed it. I'll mark your response as Solution. Thanks again kind stranger!

 

[hofik1979]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

Well that fixed it for more, thank you! I remember having issues with "Fast Startup" on my laptop aswell, BSOD's etc. And disabling it fixed it. I'll mark your response as Solution. Thanks again kind stranger!

Thanks for your feedback! I'm happy to hear that it helped.

 

[Tripnotik]

TL;DR the solution in this thread has helped me aswell. Thank you for posting hofik1979.


ASUS Z170 pro gaming (Realtek ALC1150 audio)
i5 6600k @ 4.5 Ghz v1.245
Gigabyte GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 6GB @ 2100/9200 Mhz
Kingston HyperX DDR4 8GB 2666 Mhz
WD Blue 1TB HDD / 850 EVO 250GB SSD
Seasonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze
Windows 10 64-bit build 1709 (latest fall update)

...and had this problem as of recently as well. To me the problem would some times, even tho only on occasion, stretch to video games, i would be playing, and sporadically, the audio would crackle. On Youtube i would often get popping and crackling.

Tryin to narrow down the problem, thinking it might be hardware and i needed somethin replaced, i thoroughly tested my memory with memtest86, 0 errors after 3 hours and 8 passes, CPU with prime95, 0 errors on all 4 cores after few hours, cpu max temps under torture were still only 71º, VRM temps never crossed 59º, then moved to graphics card, ran firestrike extreme loop overnight, didn't even break a sweat. Disks, both HDD and SSD passed error and performance testing with flying colors.

Was left thinking it might be the motherboard, at least until i found this thread, among a sea of other "help" websites, that don't help anyone but themselves with ad revenue. I already had "never sleep" on both pc and monitor, so went ahead and unchecked fast boot as well, because why not. Its been 3 days since, have not heard a crackle or any popping, and i can now play a video game or watch hour long YT videos without having constant interference with sound, having the PC sound like something is dying / malfunctioning.

So thanks again for posting, much appreciated. That, and Windows 10 is kind of rubbish, i keep havin to do all these gymnastics to have it working properly.

 

[hofik1979]

TL;DR the solution in this thread has helped me aswell. Thank you for posting hofik1979.


ASUS Z170 pro gaming (Realtek ALC1150 audio)
i5 6600k @ 4.5 Ghz v1.245
Gigabyte GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 6GB @ 2100/9200 Mhz
Kingston HyperX DDR4 8GB 2666 Mhz
WD Blue 1TB HDD / 850 EVO 250GB SSD
Seasonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze
Windows 10 64-bit build 1709 (latest fall update)

...and had this problem as of recently as well. To me the problem would some times, even tho only on occasion, stretch to video games, i would be playing, and sporadically, the audio would crackle. On Youtube i would often get popping and crackling.

Tryin to narrow down the problem, thinking it might be hardware and i needed somethin replaced, i thoroughly tested my memory with memtest86, 0 errors after 3 hours and 8 passes, CPU with prime95, 0 errors on all 4 cores after few hours, cpu max temps under torture were still only 71º, VRM temps never crossed 59º, then moved to graphics card, ran firestrike extreme loop overnight, didn't even break a sweat. Disks, both HDD and SSD passed error and performance testing with flying colors.

Was left thinking it might be the motherboard, at least until i found this thread, among a sea of other "help" websites, that don't help anyone but themselves with ad revenue. I already had "never sleep" on both pc and monitor, so went ahead and unchecked fast boot as well, because why not. Its been 3 days since, have not heard a crackle or any popping, and i can now play a video game or watch hour long YT videos without having constant interference with sound, having the PC sound like something is dying / malfunctioning.

So thanks again for posting, much appreciated. That, and Windows 10 is kind of rubbish, i keep havin to do all these gymnastics to have it working properly.

Thanks for your feedback. Glad to hear it works for you! You really made me laugh with that “gymnastic” thing I know exactly what you´re talking about.

 

[Meat5000]

Sounds strange but my Answer to this is to replace your BIOS button cell. When my cell approaches 7-8 months of age I experience a whole range of problems which I never would have thought to happen. These include Audio issues and random BSOD, improper sleep, shutdown and startup issues, all which go away when I replace the battery. Hope this helps someone.

 

[Guest]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

Hey man thank you so much i just registered here to say you that your solution is actually working i had this strange sound crackling issue in games and any other audio apps like YouTube and Spotify and so on and the only way to "fix" it was just to restart the PC after the initial boot. I tried every possible solution to fix this problem - from changing sound frequencies, different audio drivers, bios upgrade/downgrade i even was convinced that my PC's audio system is malfunctioning so i bought a new speakers system but the problem still persisted.

Your solution is the only way to "fix" this problem other then restarting the PC all the time. i think this issue is related to Windows since 1803 feature update and until Microsoft fix it we will have to disable the Fast Startup feature.
(No major user facing differences in boot time anyway)

Thank you very much for sharing this info. I broke my head trying to find solution for this issue.
i hope this will help for other peoples that looking for solution for the problem.

 

[Colif]

its likely a driver to blame as turning fast startup off is a way to allow drivers not written for win 10 new power schemes to load normally. What fast startup does is saves a copy of kernel + drivers into ram at shutdown so when you restart they leap into action. It can mess with older drivers not written to cope with feature.

So it works for older computers but driver updates should fix it on newer PC.

 

[ron_damon]

I think I might have a workaround (I wouldn’t call it a solution). The problem lies deeper and its over my head but until someone provides a proper solution this workaround will hopefully do the trick for some of us experiencing audio crackling/popping while gaming and YouTube desync – while surfing on the internet. (Windows 10 and Realtek onboard audio)

Like many of you I tried similar things such as reinstalling drivers, etc. I also tested my RAM with MemTest86 (24 hours test with no errors). I thought that the problem is that my computer is overclocked (CPU, GPU and RAM), but I was experiencing this issue even on stock/default settings.

Anyway, I was thinking why is that, that after a reboot is the audio fine and after a shutdown is the audio messed up. So, I looked into the Windows power options and tried to disable the Fast Startup feature (Windows 10).

The thing is - when Fast Startup is enabled, your computer doesn’t perform a regular shut down (it is more like a hibernation or sleep mode). I assume that the sleep/hibernation mode is part of the problem - at least for me.

If you are not familiar with the „Fast Startup” feature and you don’t know how to disable it, here is an article which describes it all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/

Nevertheless, with that feature disabled the audio crackling/popping YouTube desync issue has disappeared. (no need for a reboot anymore).

As regards the boot time - I don’t see any difference with or without the Fast Startup feature enabled (my system is on SSD).

In order to test it - I have been using it (Fast Startup disabled) for about 3 days and since than I haven’t had any audio issue what so ever -well, until today.

What happened is - my PC is set to enter into the Sleep mode after 50 minutes of inactivity and when it wakes up the annoying issue is back. (I suspected that my RAM might be faulty but as I said 24 hours MemTest86 with no errors). That is why I do think that the Sleep mode is part of the issue - but I do not know why is that or how is that possible - I’m not an IT expert.

The “workaround” (so far and works for me) is:
1. Fast Startup disabled (this feature is hidden under the Windows 10 power options control panel).
2. Set computer to never sleep (power options control panel). - which I don’t like but yeah that´s how it is.

(This may help you if your audio issues disappear after a reboot, if you are experiencing any sort of audio issues after a reboot this workaround won´t be most probably useful to you)

I hope this will be helpful to some of you. However, this is not a proper solution and I strongly believe that - I do not know who (Microsoft, Nvidia, Realtek, or just someone clever) will come up with the fix asap.

My specs:
ASUS Z170 Maximus VIII Ranger (onboard Realtek audio - 6.0.1.8158)
i7 6700k@4,7 GHz
Nvidia EVGA GTX 1070 SC (388.13 - no GeForce Experience installed)
RAM DDR4 Kingston 32 GB
SSD 500 GB
HDD 3 TB
HDD 1 TB
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Windows 10 Home (1709 - the Fall Creators Update)

Came here to thank you as well. I found another temporary (and worst, compared to yours) solution to the popping sound: Here, if I open the "Sound" window (with all the in and outputs), the crackling just stops. Yeah, it's odd and probably just happens here, but if I open the "Sound" thing, the problem stops here. If I close it, it begins immediately. Windows things...