Best alternative to onboard audio for gaming?

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 08:18

I have an occasional crackle and pop issue with my audio on an ASUS prime pro X370 board that I can't seem to fix, fresh copy of Windows, multiple drivers, even new pair of headphones. It only occurs in some games but things like this really bug me so I'm now looking into alternatives but it seems the days of PCI soundcards are no more?

Can anyone recommend a good alternative?

yashiro · 22 Jul 2021 at 12:53

Try picking up a Soundblaster Play! 3. It's cheap and works well for a Creative product. It's not the best solution but it will let you see if a USB sound device eliminates your problem.

You could also check that the motherboard has the latest bios. Popping audio really shouldn't happen on a modern machine.

bazzabear · 22 Jul 2021 at 13:00

Best depends on your wants.

There will be one answer (which no-one will agree on) for best sound quality.

But there will be a handful of others for usability / features.

For instance, I have the Sennhesier GSX 1000, what I really love about it is how seamlessly I can swap from headset to speakers and back. Before that I had a Soundblaster ZX which was excellent except for that particular element. It was a right pain to swap - often needing the game you were playing to be restarted.

There's quite a few external solutions these days, and I'm sure you'll find the one which matches your usage plans the best.

Psycho Sonny · 22 Jul 2021 at 13:17

Creative x7 user here.

It's fantastic but overkill if you don't also want to use passive speakers.

I'd go for any external creative sound blaster option personally and the more you spend the better it will be. The x7 is their top end.

If you don't want to go conventional then schiit have 2 usb DAC amp and they are much much better than anything else and blow everything out of the water for value for money one is called fulla 3 and the other HEL.

These are more expensive than the cheaper creative options but a lot better one is focused on portability and runs off usb only and designed for laptops but that doesn't mean you cannot use in desktop. The other requires a plug and therefore suited to desktop use.

External soundcards are much better than internal. They have their own clean power source in the best options.

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 13:18

Cheers both. I'm running the latest BIOS and agree popping audio is a little strange and I don't remember it being an issue with the cooler weather so there is a small chance the chip on the board is getting hot maybe? Not sure.

Anyhow, after a bit of research I've gone with a budget USB replacement in the way of Creative Sound Blaster G3 USB-C DAC Amplifier. Cost me £35 delivered tomorrow, should do the trick! I only have HyperX Cloud 1's (blasphemy in this section I know).

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 13:18

Psycho Sonny said:
Creative x7 user here.

It's fantastic but overkill if you don't also want to use passive speakers.

I'd go for any external creative sound blaster option personally and the more you spend the better it will be. The x7 is their top end.

If you don't want to go conventional then schiit have 2 usb DAC amp and they are much much better than anything else and blow everything out of the water for value for money one is called fulla 3 and the other HEL.

These are more expensive than the cheaper creative options but a lot better one is focused on portability and runs off usb only and designed for laptops but that doesn't mean you cannot use in desktop. The other requires a plug and therefore suited to desktop use.

External soundcards are much better than internal. They have their own clean power source in the best options.

Cheers Sonny

EsaT · 22 Jul 2021 at 15:50

ceaton88 said:
Cheers both. I'm running the latest BIOS and agree popping audio is a little strange and I don't remember it being an issue with the cooler weather so there is a small chance the chip on the board is getting hot maybe? Not sure.

Could be also caused by some driver update you did, or Wintoys10 force installing bad driver.

Monitoring DPC latency can give hints of the cause it it's caused by software.
https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

Quartz · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:01

ceaton88 said:
I have an occasional crackle and pop issue with my audio on an ASUS prime pro X370 board that I can't seem to fix,

Are you using the front audio jacks on your PC or the rear? Because you'll get better sound from the rear. I forget the details why.

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:21

EsaT said:
Could be also caused by some driver update you did, or Wintoys10 force installing bad driver.

Monitoring DPC latency can give hints of the cause it it's caused by software.
https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

Unlikely to be drivers, I used to wipe drivers clean with DDU whilst disconnected from the internet plus I formatted and still the same sadly.

I ran the latency test and was well within threshold it seems.

Is it mad that I feel its got something to do with the warmer ambient temperature?

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:21

Quartz said:
Are you using the front audio jacks on your PC or the rear? Because you'll get better sound from the rear. I forget the details why.

I use the rear but have tried both, same results

EsaT · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:27

ceaton88 said:
Unlikely to be drivers, I used to wipe drivers clean with DDU whilst disconnected from the internet plus I formatted and still the same sadly.

Unless explicitly disabling automatic driver updates, Wintoys10 force installs what ever drivers it wants after getting online.

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:34

EsaT said:
Unless explicitly disabling automatic driver updates, Wintoys10 force installs what ever drivers it wants after getting online.

I'm fairly sure this isn't happening in my case, the driver installed within device manager matches what I expect to see

Psycho Sonny · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:40

ceaton88 said:
I'm fairly sure this isn't happening in my case, the driver installed within device manager matches what I expect to see

What headphones are you using. No point spending £300 on a dac/amp for £20 headphones and alternatively no point spending £20 on a dac/amp for £100+ dedicated headphones

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 16:49

Psycho Sonny said:
What headphones are you using. No point spending £300 on a dac/amp for £20 headphones and alternatively no point spending £20 on a dac/amp for £100+ dedicated headphones

See above Sonny

Psycho Sonny · 22 Jul 2021 at 17:07

ceaton88 said:
See above Sonny

should be a good match for them. hyper x clouds are actually very good for what they are. they are the better product from hyper x range. them and the cloud 2 are the only ones worth buying IMO and for the money nothing is better.

I game in AKG K702 which are only £100 now but RRP of £600 and sold for £300 on amazon at one point in time. the fact they are 1/3rd of the price from 6-7 years ago is astonishing.

breathe3asy · 22 Jul 2021 at 17:30

Psycho Sonny said:
should be a good match for them. hyper x clouds are actually very good for what they are. they are the better product from hyper x range. them and the cloud 2 are the only ones worth buying IMO and for the money nothing is better.

I game in AKG K702 which are only £1200 now but RRP of £600 and sold for £300 on amazon at one point in time. the fact they are 1/3rd of the price from 6-7 years ago is astonishing.

yeah ngl I do love them and stubbornly hang onto them until something much better comes along without falling into the rabbit hole of audio. I recently bought a new set of pads which enhanced them further.

Your headphones sound the nuts!

EsaT · 22 Jul 2021 at 21:02

ceaton88 said:
Your headphones sound the nuts!

For competetive FPS gaming to pick up details like foot steps etc AKG K702 is one of the best.
Though don't expect much "fun factor" from neutral bass for casual/balanced gaming.

Zeebedy · 23 Jul 2021 at 15:13

hmm..I was considering changing my headphones..the AKG K702 seem really good value tbh..

How would they stack up against my current cans? (Philips SHP9500).

david25 · 24 Jul 2021 at 12:21

Thread hijack, would an external device like the Soundblaster Play! 3 or even a X model deliver improvements for Zoom and compressed audio?

Cadder · 24 Jul 2021 at 12:31

david25 said:
Thread hijack, would an external device like the Soundblaster Play! 3 or even a X model deliver improvements for Zoom and compressed audio?

Do your speakers pop on Zoom when nobody is talking? Mine do, which is the main reason I'm here.
The same applies for anything that would normally output sound but goes through a quiet moment. Just pops away.