weird GPU-related audio problem

[Moridam]

hey folks, hoping someone here might have an idea as to what might be causing this

basically, whenever i run games, there's a persistent humming/buzzing sound. thought it might be something to do with my bad, old cables/radio, but i recently upgraded my whole stereo setup with some fancy new speakers & amplifier and all new cabling, but the problem is still there.

this isn't normally a huge deal as in most cases, there's enough background noise where it isn't that big a nuisance. however! i snagged RE7 yesterday, and in a game with little to no BGM/persistent sound, it sticks out in a major way.

some things i have noticed:

the output of the interference definitely seems tied to what the GPU is doing, as the frequency changes under a number of scenarios -- for example, it's very subtle on the mostly-black splash screens as the game loads, but as it gets to the title menu where it's actually rendering stuff, the pitch goes up and is much more noticeable.

changing in-game settings tied to the framerate also has a very noticeable effect. for example, changing vsync or locked vs unlocked framerates -- vsync locked @30fps reduces the frequency of the noise considerably so it's just inside perceptible range, while with vsync off and an unlocked framerate (160+ FPS) the frequency goes way up (& is extremely perceptible).

fullscreen vs windowed makes no difference

some things i have tried:

varying the sound equipment -- cables, speakers, headphones, and so forth. no change there.

varying the output device -- thought it might be something to do with the onboard audio, but there was no change when i swapped all output to a scarlett 2i2 USB recording interface.

i've tried going in thru the control panel and disabling all output devices save the one that's actually in use, no change there either.

relevant specs, in case that's important:

asus GTX970 strix
MSI Z97 board
intel i5-4460
win7 ultimate

anyone ever encounter a problem like this? any suggestions on what else to look into would be greatly appreciated!

[Zetanio]

Just to confirm, this buzzing is actually coming from the speakers and not the card itself right?

[Zetanio]

Because it sounds like you're describing coil whine, which is definitely a possibility with the 970

https://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-...Whine-Concerns

[Moridam]

yeah, the signal is ultimately making it thru to the speakers, and i think i've fairly exhaustively ruled out the possibility of any of the audio gear being the culprit.

edit- just noticed, i completely cut the output volume on my external audio interface, and the interference signal is still making it thru to my amplifier, so i guess it has to be some kind of electrical/grounding problem. would that be consistent with coil whine?

[Zetanio]

So it happens with:

HDMI output
Direct Audio Output
USB Output

[Zetanio]

Make sure to update all audio drivers. It may be an issue with NVidia's HD audio among other things.

[Galkaeater]

I had similar problems with whining through my head phones, that was related to how hard my GPU was working just like you, it was solved by using an external dac instead of any on board audio.

but it sounds like you've already tried that with the scarlett 2i2 which i assume has a DAC in it right?

otherwise idk

[Gryffes]

Fix audio fuzz with one weird trick!


Go to recording devices, find your mic, open the properties tab. See the listen tab up there as well? Clicky.
There's a checkbox "listen to this device" tick it, apply > untick > apply.

Happens to me occasionally usually on fresh installs etc.

Unlikely to be the cause in your case, though , I'll have a think about it some more tomorrow.

[Moridam]

@galka- it does have a DAC. right now i'm running all of the system audio output through it (signal chain from there is 1/4" TRS to RCA into an audiosource amp100vs powering a pair of monitor audio bronze 2s), but the noise is still there.

@gryff- tried that trick out but no change unfortunately. appreciate the suggestion though!

weirdly enough, running my headphones from the output from my recording interface seems to solve it, but if i have the same output running into either of my stereo setups (the aforementioned, & my cheapo cambridge soundworks table radio) it's still there. there's no active noise cancellation or filtering on the headphones either, they're just plain old sony MDR7506s. i'm thoroughly baffled.

[Krandor]

If it's going away when you use headphones, you're possibly looking at a ground loop.

If they're not already, try moving your speakers (which I'm assuming are powered) to a different outlet from your computer and see if the problem persists.

My other quick thought would be wondering how close your speakers are to your computer, and if they're unshielded they may be picking up interference in direct relation to the power draw of your computer. Neither of these situations are all that likely, but audio shit can get weird.

[Moridam]

nah, the speakers are passive (and shielded) and while the PC and amplifier are on different outlets, they're definitely on the same circuit so i assume grounding issues could still be in play. pretty sure the next room over is on a different one though, i'll see if i can dig up an extension cord and run the amp from there to see if it makes a difference.