PC Graphics

[GC85]

Hi

Was wondering if someone could help provide some advice as to how to fix an audio bug I have been having for a few months now and it seems to be increasing in frequency.

Currently running Windows 10 Pro on a ASUS ROG Strix X570E-Gaming board, Ryzen 3900X CPU and an ASUS Radeon RX 5700 XT all bought in June 2019 and all connected via HDMI cable to a HiSense 55" 4K HDR TV I have been using as my main monitor since day one. Everything had been working perfect until around August 2020, where I started noticing slight audio crackling via the speakers of the TV. I updated the graphics drivers which seemed to have resolved it, but in it has slowly started coming back, and now with the latest driver version 20.12.1 it seems to be getting very bad.

This audio crackling happens at complete random times and it is always while watching a video or listening to music in Windows, it does not seem to affect gaming sound as of yet, just Windows. As I watch all my videos through VLC I first thought it was a problem there, but I have now tried multiple video applications with no success, and it also affects streaming Netflix through the browser or watching YouTube. It seems whenever there is a change in audio pitch, the crackling starts, sometimes it goes away after a few seconds, sometimes it just remains and I have to reboot the system to get rid of it.

I have tried multiple HDMI cables, I have tried multiple applications, this problem just seems to be getting worse as I can now not even watch a single full length TV series episode without the audio bugging out, let alone a movie.

Does anyone maybe know what could be a possible problem or something I could to to resolve this issue please?

Thanks.

[GC85]

Hi

Was wondering if someone could help provide some advice as to how to fix an audio bug I have been having for a few months now and it seems to be increasing in frequency.

Currently running Windows 10 Pro on a ASUS ROG Strix X570E-Gaming board, Ryzen 3900X CPU and an ASUS Radeon RX 5700 XT all bought in June 2019 and all connected via HDMI cable to a HiSense 55" 4K HDR TV I have been using as my main monitor since day one. Everything had been working perfect until around August 2020, where I started noticing slight audio crackling via the speakers of the TV. I updated the graphics drivers which seemed to have resolved it, but in it has slowly started coming back, and now with the latest driver version 20.12.1 it seems to be getting very bad.

This audio crackling happens at complete random times and it is always while watching a video or listening to music in Windows, it does not seem to affect gaming sound as of yet, just Windows. As I watch all my videos through VLC I first thought it was a problem there, but I have now tried multiple video applications with no success, and it also affects streaming Netflix through the browser or watching YouTube. It seems whenever there is a change in audio pitch, the crackling starts, sometimes it goes away after a few seconds, sometimes it just remains and I have to reboot the system to get rid of it.

I have tried multiple HDMI cables, I have tried multiple applications, this problem just seems to be getting worse as I can now not even watch a single full length TV series episode without the audio bugging out, let alone a movie.

Does anyone maybe know what could be a possible problem or something I could to to resolve this issue please?

Thanks.

[fsadough]

1. Check the audio settings on your TV: PCM or BitStream
2. Try another HDMI port
3. Check the audio settings on your PC

[GC85]

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@fsadough wrote:

1. Check the audio settings on your TV: PCM or BitStream
2. Try another HDMI port
3. Check the audio settings on your PC

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1. Check the audio settings on your TV: PCM or BitStream -  My TV does not have any of those setting options available.
2. Try another HDMI port - Tried all the HDMI ports on the TV and multiple cables, same result.
3. Check the audio settings on your PC - What settings am I looking for to adjust? I have "Realtek Audio" and "AMD High Definition Audio". Obviously using "AMD" one as it's connected via HDMI.

[mackbolan777]

Might be a newer system but RAM can cause this. MemTest Manual (hcidesign.com)

Try running that. It has a free or paid version, I bought the Deluxe so I could boot from CD/DVD/USB and to unlock the entire test. It's comprehensive and checks all the system RAM plus the CPU cache.

I would say try the 20.8.3 driver, but you said this happened over time. You could try reinstalling the driver using DDU in safe mode or AMD's "factory reset" option to clear out any leftover registry entries.

If you want to try the 20.8.3 driver, I recommend using DDU over the AMD tool. Also, when installing the driver, be disconnected form the internet and after install go into settings to disable the automatic update feature or switch it to search but not install new updates. This way you can read the release notes prior to updating the video driver to see if anything you need is in the newer package. Since the 5000 series is marked as EOL, there probably isn't anything new past 20.8.3. 

You can also experiment by disabling the AMD audio and try using the motherboard's audio to see if it still happens. That will eliminate the card or driver as an issue. 

[GC85]

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@mackbolan777 wrote:

Might be a newer system but RAM can cause this. MemTest Manual (hcidesign.com)

Try running that. It has a free or paid version, I bought the Deluxe so I could boot from CD/DVD/USB and to unlock the entire test. It's comprehensive and checks all the system RAM plus the CPU cache.

I would say try the 20.8.3 driver, but you said this happened over time. You could try reinstalling the driver using DDU in safe mode or AMD's "factory reset" option to clear out any leftover registry entries.

If you want to try the 20.8.3 driver, I recommend using DDU over the AMD tool. Also, when installing the driver, be disconnected form the internet and after install go into settings to disable the automatic update feature or switch it to search but not install new updates. This way you can read the release notes prior to updating the video driver to see if anything you need is in the newer package. Since the 5000 series is marked as EOL, there probably isn't anything new past 20.8.3. 

You can also experiment by disabling the AMD audio and try using the motherboard's audio to see if it still happens. That will eliminate the card or driver as an issue. 

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I have 32GB of RAM installed on my machine, 2 x 16GB G-Skill RAM, and the free version of MemTest only allows max 3GB of testing at a time, so that is going to take a very long time to test all of it, but will try run it overnight.

I have done the AMD factory reset with no success. What is DDU? As I play some of the more newer game titles, won't having older drivers cause problems?

I have used my headset with both the front and rear audio jacks and no problems, so the motherboard sound seems to be okay, but somehow there seems to be a problem with the AMD Audio Driver.

UPDATE:

Okay I downloaded and installed DDU, went into safe mode and removed everything, then installed version 20.8.3 and also prevented automatic updates. Loaded up a movie and within 60 seconds the audio was crackling again. I see there also seems to be intermittent sound drops recently as well. So even an older driver does not seem to be working. So all I can think of now is 2 possible problems, either the card is slowly malfunctioning which is ridiculous as it's not even 18 months old yet, or the HDMI is going for a loop.

[mackbolan777]

Run the audio to the using a 2.5mm speaker wire or optical cable from the PC to the TV and test it. That will eliminate any issue with the TV's audio decoder.

You can also try running the PC audio from one of the unused GPU HDMI ports to an A/V receiver (not video passthrough) to test audio from the card. This method bypasses the TV's audio out completely as well and will put sound out through regular speakers. Like run one HDMI to the TV for video and one to the "BluRay" HDMI audio input on the A/V receiver as an example. 

Memtest X86 is another testing option that might go further. I bought the CD Deluxe version of MemTest Manual for $14, way cheaper than the paid version of Memtest x86 of $44. You can use the free version of that as well, but there are some limits. $14 to test your RAM for life is a good deal, the $5 version is limited to running it within the OS, defeating the purpose of finding the issue if one exists. Here's links to both options:

MemTest Manual (hcidesign.com)

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

No, running an older driver on the EOL (End Of Life) RX 5700 XT won't make running newer programs or games any less possible, as AMD hasn't updated playability issues since the 20.8.3 driver for 5000 series cards. There may be a tiny performance increase with the 20.9.2 version but nothing from that date on was improved as they were getting ready for the release of the 6000 series cards. 

You've tried the AMD "factory reset" which removes the audio driver which has been the same since 4/16/2020. The audio driver itself isn't the issue here, there's no newer version and it reinstalls each time you install the GPU drivers.

It's either the HDMI cable, TV's audio controller/decoder or speakers themselves, RAM, or in a rare case the card itself. 

[GC85]

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@mackbolan777 wrote:

Run the audio to the using a 2.5mm speaker wire or optical cable from the PC to the TV and test it. That will eliminate any issue with the TV's audio decoder.

You can also try running the PC audio from one of the unused GPU HDMI ports to an A/V receiver (not video passthrough) to test audio from the card. This method bypasses the TV's audio out completely as well and will put sound out through regular speakers. Like run one HDMI to the TV for video and one to the "BluRay" HDMI audio input on the A/V receiver as an example.

Memtest X86 is another testing option that might go further. I bought the CD Deluxe version of MemTest Manual for $14, way cheaper than the paid version of Memtest x86 of $44. You can use the free version of that as well, but there are some limits. $14 to test your RAM for life is a good deal, the $5 version is limited to running it within the OS, defeating the purpose of finding the issue if one exists. Here's links to both options:

MemTest Manual (hcidesign.com)

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

No, running an older driver on the EOL (End Of Life) RX 5700 XT won't make running newer programs or games any less possible, as AMD hasn't updated playability issues since the 20.8.3 driver for 5000 series cards. There may be a tiny performance increase with the 20.9.2 version but nothing from that date on was improved as they were getting ready for the release of the 6000 series cards. 

You've tried the AMD "factory reset" which removes the audio driver which has been the same since 4/16/2020. The audio driver itself isn't the issue here, there's no newer version and it reinstalls each time you install the GPU drivers.

It's either the HDMI cable, TV's audio controller/decoder or speakers themselves, RAM, or in a rare case the card itself. 

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Run the audio to the using a 2.5mm speaker wire or optical cable from the PC to the TV and test it. That will eliminate any issue with the TV's audio decoder. - The TV does not have inputs for Optical Cable or 3.5mm Speaker wire. Only 3 HDMI Ports (Tested all 3, same result), the standard TV Signal input and the old Coaxial cable inputs.

You can also try running the PC audio from one of the unused GPU HDMI ports to an A/V receiver (not video passthrough) to test audio from the card. This method bypasses the TV's audio out completely as well and will put sound out through regular speakers. Like run one HDMI to the TV for video and one to the "BluRay" HDMI audio input on the A/V receiver as an example.  - GPU only has 1 HDMI port and 3 DisplayPorts, so there aren't any unused HDMI ports, I also don't have any other HDMI devices available. I also do not have access to anything with a DisplayPort, so I am unable to test the 3 DisplayPorts on the card.

You've tried the AMD "factory reset" which removes the audio driver which has been the same since 4/16/2020. The audio driver itself isn't the issue here, there's no newer version and it reinstalls each time you install the GPU drivers. - I have been looking around some more and I see a lot of people complaining about the AMD HD Audio Driver, in older versions of AMD Drivers there was an option to not install it, but the new Adrenalin Drivers does not allow for any customization anymore, could that be a problem?

It's either the HDMI cable, TV's audio controller/decoder or speakers themselves, RAM, or in a rare case the card itself. - I have tried 3 different HDMI cables (different manufacturers and lengths), and watching TV normally or casting directly to the TV, no PC input, does not give any audio problems (tested for multiple hours), so it is definitely coming from the card itself.

[amd_hardware_owner]

Accidentally posted my reply twice.

[amd_hardware_owner]

I am having the same issue with my Radeon RX 5700XT. I connect the display port to my monitor and connect my speakers to the aux output from the monitor. I don't have any issues when using the audio (aux) outputs from my motherboard directly. I definitely think it's my graphics card. This sound crackling issue occurred maybe within a couple of months of owning the RX 5700 XT. I just assumed it was my motherboard the whole time since I could not find any information on this situation in 2020. It is definitely aggravating to say the least.

SPECS

Motherboard: ASROCK X570 PRO4

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 Eight-Core Processor 3.20 GHz

RAM: G.SKILL16.0 GB 3200MHz

MONITOR: LG 32GK650F

VIDEO CONNECTION INTERFACE: DisplayPort 1.2 

 SOUND CONNECTION INTERFACE: Aux audio output from monitor. Sound from PC to monitor through DisplayPort 1.2

[RPX100]

@GC85 @amd_hardware_owner hey guys! - RX 5700 XT owner here - with some insight / solution for you.
I hope you guys are still active in AMD community to receive this message. *fingers crossed*

The problem you are experiencing is not related to your GPU, but rather the bad driver installer from AMD.
The issue is that the driver can not seem to recognize (some) of the default monitor/audio devices properly.

I have encountered this issue several times directly after switching drivers (clean install with DDU).
And I know how to fix it and what is causing it:

solution/information to fix HDMI (and DisplayPort) Audio crackle:

1. open windows sound settings (right click on the speaker symbol in tray area)
2. (on the top right) select sound control panel
3. you should see a list of your sound devices there (headset / all HDMI displays, TVs, etc.)
4. look for "AMD High Definition Audio Device" (which are your displays connected to the GPU)
   - symbol for that device should already be a monitor/display/TV
5. now right above that text is the default name of that device (if you did not change it)
6. this name should be the exact name (make/model) of your connected display
7. it should not look like "HDMI audio device" or "HDMI audio output" or "HDMI generic adapter"

So if you do not see your actual display make/model in that list, you are missing the correct driver.
Even if your display is able to play sound (but most likely with crackling): install the correct driver.

How to install the correct driver to remove the crackling:

• first of all check windows update -> optional drivers -> check that list for audio / HDMI devices
• if windows update does not show any generic drivers for your displays, check device manager
• within device manager you need to look for Audio inputs / outputs
• This device's name should match the one shown in sound control panel
  - most likely something like "HDMI generic" or "HDMI adapter", etc.
• right click on that device and select the "update driver" option
• you can now choose to let windows update find a driver - try that first!
• if windows update does not find one, use google to get the display driver for your make and model

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As I said: I have had that audio crackle myself, several times after switching to a new driver.
It just seems like the default Radeon driver installer is still not very good at detecting (some) displays/devices.