Ugly hissing noise from audio card, motherboard or GPU?

[jaime74]

Hi everybody!

 

I am struggling with an ugly background hissing noise, which is probably produced either by my audio card or by my motherboard or by my graphics card (at least I suppose so, but I am not sure).

This issue does not only occur inside games (like Oblivion), but generally (also when working on the desktop, e.g. whenever opening menus, moving sliders, resizing program windows etc.).

 

Inside games, however, the effect is worst of all. In general, I have the impression it gets stronger whenever the system is running on higher performance (which is naturally while playing). That's the reason, why I also suspect the mainboard/processor or GPU to be causing it (initially, I suspected only my audio card).

 

I have checked lots of configurations and did a lot of google research, but still could't solve it.

I'd be happy if anyone having experience with such issues could help me.

 

Here are some facts about my hardware:

 

- Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P with an Intel i7 Quad Core processor

- GPU: NVidia GTX 285 2GB

- Audio: Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Titatium Fatal1ty Champions Edition (all drivers up-to-date and working fine)

- My previous audio card was an onboard Realtek HD Audio, and I had similar issues with it (so the Creative alone can't be the reason!)

- All microphone ports are disabled (I checked this right from the start, because it is the most common reason for such hissing noises)

 

Here's how the issue behaves:

 

- whenever I plug in the headphones to the Front Panel of my Creative, I HEAR the noise

- when I plug the headphones to the line-out jack of the back panel instead, I do NOT hear the noise

- however (that's where things really get weird), if I plug my stereo amplifier to the line-out of the back panel, I DO HEAR the noise again

- if I have both devices plugged (headphones to the front, amplifier to the back), I can hear the hissing from both!

 

Is there anything else I could try to find the root of this?

 

Thanks a lot for hints!

[HeyYou]

First thing I would check is wire routing inside the case. Since it doesn't appear to be as prevalent on the rear output.... check the wires for the front headphone jack, and see if they run past/near anything that might generate electrical noise. (Fans are a BIG culprit here.....)

[jaime74]

First thing I would check is wire routing inside the case. Since it doesn't appear to be as prevalent on the rear output.... check the wires for the front headphone jack, and see if they run past/near anything that might generate electrical noise. (Fans are a BIG culprit here.....)

 

Hey HeyYou :)!

 

Thanks for the answer!

I must admit: The Soundblaster (i.e. the card itself) is currently installed directly above the fan!

I know that this sounds like the answer to my problem, but I am afraid that it isn't: At first I had it installed directly above the Nvidia graphics card, which was far away from the fan. When I heard the noises, I suspected the GPU to be the reason, so I moved the sound card to the only other possible slot on my Mainboard (which is next to the fan).

Strangely, the amount of hissing is exactly the same in both positions. So I doubt that the fan can make a big difference, unless its interference is able to affect the whole interiour of my PC case.

 

Concerning the wires to the Front Panel:

They are currently running away from the fan, passing the rear ends of the GPU and the CPU and then end at the Front Panel.

When the card was installed in the first position (above the GPU), they ran along the same way (exept for the GPU, of course), all the time not coming near the fan at all.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to place them in any other way than they are running now. I have already taken care to ensure that they're not unnecessarily touching anything else.

 

However, I'll open up my case anyway and check again if there's anything I can improve!

[Iv000]

I suggest cleaning the fans.

Maybe it's some dust, or something got into the fan.

That's the most reasonable answer I can think of.

Also, maybe there are some loose screws that need to be tightened.

Or you have little trolls in your GPU and when the fan gets faster, they start hissing louder because it is hitting them.

You should place some mouse traps inside your PC case, and leave it like that over the night.

Edited April 30, 2011 by Iv000

[jaime74]

What I don't understand about all this fan talk:

 

I am hearing those noises only(!) whenever I do something on my PC (mouse movement, mouse clicks, opening/closing windows).

It's only a matter of miliseconds.

And what I should point out clearly as well: I am not hearing this from inside the PC case (through real air)! I am hearing it only through the headphones and the line-out/amplifier (i.e. though the audio card).

 

In general, my fans (both the main fan and those for the GPU) are constantly running at the same speed.

So, if any fan should be causing this (including dust in the fans or loose screws or whatever), I'd expect to hear a constant hissing noise. But that's not what I am experiencing!

 

The only exception from this is when I am inside the game, and the system (be it the CPU or the GPU or both) is currently doing something stressful: Then the noise may become somewhat more constant temporarily. But even then my fan speed is still the same, and still the noise get's stronger temporarily while doing something (clicking, opening the inventory, scrolling over inventory or menu items etc.).

 

My impression is that the noise correlates to the momentary workload of either the CPU or the GPU (or both). It always goes exactly together with my interactions.

The sound appears very "digital", not "analogous". It's a dry scratching noise, like from scratching on vinyl LPs, but it sounds much more "mechanic" and regular.

 

All of this makes me believe that it has nothing to do with my fans! Still it's possible that I am wrong, but it's hard to believe.

[jaime74]

In addition to the last thoughts, there's something else that comes to my mind:

The hiss could correlate all the same to the I/O reads on my hard disc (which is an SSD).

 

Thinking again about HeyYou's comments about the wires above, maybe I should check this, because the wires are also passing the SSD inside the case.

I'll try this at once and be back soon.

[Iv000]

Ooooh, so you are hearing it only in digital audio form.

Hmm, that's a bit more complicated.

If it is on the speakers too, then try pluging the headphones in the Motherboards audio adapter, so you can tell if it's the Audio card or the headphones/speakers w/e.

My headphones are doing a loud hissing noise when a specific window is opened, the strange thing is, they began doing this when I got a new LCD monitor. Yes, that doesn't make sense. It could be anything really.

I am not an expert in audio, can't help you anymore with that issue.

Good luck.

 

EDIT: Maybe the audio card isn't getting enough power?

Try checking if the cables on the audio card are plugged in enough.

And check if the audio card is pushed as far as it can in the Motherboard. Just don't break it.

It could be radio interferance. Well, that is highly unlikely, but still could be a possibility.

Edited April 30, 2011 by Iv000

[HeyYou]

Found this possible solution on another board:

 

There IS another thing you can do. I had this problem before, and I think it was caused by static. Does it happen when the PC is really working hard? Like in gaming? I also found that if I turned up the speakers really loud, when I moved my mouse around the screen the squeaky static noise would alter with it....strange... anyway-

 

Go into the sound panel in control panel, and MUTE the AUX, LINE-IN, MICROPHONE and/or any other thing you don't need to have. Personally I found it was my uneeded aux that was the problem.

[jaime74]

My headphones are doing a loud hissing noise when a specific window is opened, the strange thing is, they began doing this when I got a new LCD monitor.

Yes, I think that describes exactly my problem. I have an LCD all the same, BTW ;)

 

If it is on the speakers too, then try pluging the headphones in the Motherboards audio adapter, so you can tell if it's the Audio card or the headphones/speakers w/e.

Before installing the Creative device, I had my headphones plugged into the front panel jack of my onboard audio card. As far as I can remember, it worked without noise. However, the back panel jack of my onboard card HAD the noise.

To make it even more strange, my new back panel jack (from the Creative) now works WITHOUT noise if plugging the headphones into it, but plugging the amplifier into it WILL produce the noise. I am slightly getting confused by now... :wacko: ;)

 

EDIT: Maybe the audio card isn't getting enough power?

Try checking if the cables on the audio card are plugged in enough.

And check if the audio card is pushed as far as it can in the Motherboard. Just don't break it.

It could be radio interferance. Well, that is highly unlikely, but still could be a possibility.

Yes, that's exactly what I still have to double-check (still working on it).

[jaime74]

Does it happen when the PC is really working hard? Like in gaming? I also found that if I turned up the speakers really loud, when I moved my mouse around the screen the squeaky static noise would alter with it....strange... anyway-

Yes, exactly like this!

In the meantime, I could identify 4 situations causing the issue:

1.) mouse movement

2.) opening or scrolling through windows, especially when they contain large white (blank) areas (has this something to do with the display drivers??)

3.) booting or starting large, consuming programs (high workload on CPU and/or GPU and/or Hard Disc?)

4.) gaming (same as above: high workload on CPU and/or GPU and/or Hard Disc?)

 

2.), 3.) and 4.) seem to add up with 1.), i.e. I guess that mouse interaction is causing additional resource consumption, thus increasing the hiss. Best example is opening the inventory inside Oblivion and scrolling through the items (this results in a hissing "staccato" with a short digital buzz for each list item touched by the mouse cursor).

 

Go into the sound panel in control panel, and MUTE the AUX, LINE-IN, MICROPHONE and/or any other thing you don't need to have. Personally I found it was my uneeded aux that was the problem.

That's exactly what I have done. I have muted really everything that could be muted (I cross-checked both in Windows's Sound Cotrol Panels and in Creative's Console Launcher Panels).

 

I had this problem before, and I think it was caused by static.

Does this mean that you could solve the problem? Did it just vanish at a certain point without obvious reason?

Are you using an LCD, too?