Audio crackling

EmeraldArcher · Feb 2, 2021

Hi! I've got problems with audio crackling on my computer since it was build in April 2018. LatencyMon shows storport.sys is responsible for highest DPC routine. I've done a lot of searching about this but every solution I found didn't solve the crackling. As far as I remember I tried: changing SATA cable for SSD and HDD, changing power management plan (loading default, switching off Link Power Management), sfc /scannow, DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth. I've probably tried even more solutions but over a year ago I gave up on fixing this so I forgot.

OS: Windows 10 20H2 x64
What was original installed OS on system: Windows 10 x64
OS is from Microsoft Dreamspark, I've installed it myself
Age of system: April 2018
Age of OS installation: about 2 years ago
Have you re-installed the OS: yes
Laptop or Desktop? Desktop
MotherBoard: ASRock AB350 Pro4, UEFI 5.80 (newer isn't recommended for Raven Ridge on this MOBO)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
RAM: GOODRAM IRX3000D464L16S/8G, slots - A2, B2
Video Card: MSI GTX 1070
Power Supply: SeaSonic Focus Plus Gold 550W
Is driver verifier enabled or disabled: I think I disabled it
What security software are you using: Malwarebytes scan once a month
Are you using proxy, vpn, ipfilters or similar software: I'm not
Are you using Disk Image tools: hardly ever Windows 10 built-in disk image tool
Are you currently under/overclocking: XMP profile to run my RAM @3000MHz
Are there overclocking software installed on your system? no

trace.etl

speccy

britechguy · Feb 2, 2021

What driver is in use for the Realtek Speakers/Headphones device? Here's what shows up in Device Manager for mine, and I've never had issues with the MS drivers for this device in particular.

EmeraldArcher · Feb 2, 2021

Here are screens from Device Manager. I checked ASRock site and there's newer version of the driver. I downloaded it and I'll test if it changed anything.

EmeraldArcher · Feb 2, 2021

It didn't fix the problem. I wasn't playing any audio so I didn't hear the crack but the screenshot from LatencyMon speaks for itself

SpareChange · Feb 3, 2021

How does your PC run otherwise all ok? if so then try isolating the issue with a cheap soundcard or USB sound adaptor, or any USB headset. If your PC runs ok otherwise and sound is ok with other devices at least you know it's an issue solely with your onboard sound and go from there. Not sure what your memory voltage is set at it's DDR4 3000 right? should be 1.3-1.35v. Another isolating measure would be to remove your GTX 1070 and run your 2400g APU.

EmeraldArcher · Feb 3, 2021

SpareChange said:
How does your PC run otherwise all ok?

Yeah, it runs okay. There are 2 minor problems but it's nothing compared to crackling.

SpareChange said:
Not sure what your memory voltage is set at it's DDR4 3000 right? should be 1.3-1.35v.

Here are my RAM settings in UEFI:

After taking this photo I changed 'Load XMP Setting' from auto to XMP Profile 1 and saved the change.

SpareChange said:
Another isolating measure would be to remove your GTX 1070 and run your 2400g APU. I know you think it might not make any difference but I have been doing this stuff forever.

I probably should've mentioned this - originally I had just this APU and that's when audio cracks first appeared. It really ticked me off that there's a problem on a new PC. After a few months I decided to buy GTX 1070 but the problem remained.

Another thing I should've mentioned is that I kept Windows 10 1803 for very long time. In recent days I decided to update it to 20H2. Although there are still problems with high ISR and DPC routines, the audio doesn't crack anymore. As far as I remember similar thing happened after updating to 1803 but the crackling returned after a few days.

SpareChange said:
if so then try isolating the issue with a cheap soundcard or USB sound adaptor, or any USB headset.

I think I might start with a fresh Windows 10 20H2 installation. I'll try to stop Windows Update from installing drivers it wants and I'll install them on my own.

britechguy · Feb 3, 2021

EmeraldArcher said:
I'll try to stop Windows Update from installing drivers it wants and I'll install them on my own.

Still done easily enough, and still works, at least up through the last time I used this technique: Preventing Windows Update from Updating Device Drivers

Personally, I stopped using that technique a while back, since the various hardware makers mostly all seem to have contributed, and continue to be contributing, updated device drivers for Microsoft to include in The Great Microsoft Driver Library in the Cloud. The days of Windows Update driver choices routinely breaking things is long gone. It's not that it never, ever, happens, but the advantages of keeping drivers up to date without having to do anything for me far outweighs the occasional need to replace a suboptimal choice.

EmeraldArcher · Feb 3, 2021

britechguy said:
Still done easily enough, and still works, at least up through the last time I used this technique

I think I had them blocked using this method but now that window shows 'Yes' option selected. Maybe updates to 1809 and 20H2 have something to do with it. I use combo of this and gpedit to block driver updates.

I'd like to block driver updates just for the installation process. I'll probably integrate drivers with ISO using NTLite or I'll make offline installation. I'll let WU download driver updates right after I had installed every driver I want. A couple months ago I had a problem with WU installing wrong Ryzen 3500U APU drivers on a laptop. The result was black screen. I had to delete drivers in safe mode using DDU and block installing them also via DDU. Yet Windows Update kept installing that wrong driver. Somehow I managed to download and install driver from AMD website and problem was solved. So that's why I'm cautious with installing drivers right after fresh Windows installation.

EmeraldArcher · Jul 1, 2021

I did a fresh install of Windows 10 and get rid of the crackling by disabling HPET in Device Manager (System devices > High Precision Event Timer) and typing these commands in cmd:

Code:

bcdedit /set useplatformclock No
bcdedit /set disabledynamictick Yes

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Audio crackling

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