G906 - Ethernet driver and sound popping problems

FabularAzul

Hi all, got myself a G906 last week to replace my old system that unfortunately died on me, and I love it for the most part, looks good, plays games great, however I'm worried I might have a quasi-lemon on my hands in regards to the ethernet and sound components of the motherboard. For the ethernet, in the event that somehow the ethernet cable accidentally gets pulled loose from its slot (the slot seems really loose, seriously, I brush my hand against the cable while plugging in something else and I gotta be wary I don't somehow pull it out), there's usually a good chance the system starts fritzing out and stuttering, and outright crashing one time it did it. Checked Event Viewer and it seems its due to the ethernet i/o controller driver crashing and the system straining itself to restart it.

For the sound, thankfully the issue is not as severe, though still concerning are these popping sounds I'm hearing when gaming or watching youtube. They don't occur every other second but they often accompany smaller sounds it seems. Planning on doing a stress test of sorts with a few different games to see where they occur during the week. I initially thought it was due to my longtime Logitech Z130 speakers that I swear by finally hitting the end of their rope, but noticed it still occurred with a pair of Z150s I picked up to test things out with, albeit to a lesser extent.

For troubleshooting, I've tried updating drivers for both components. Seemed to have worked for a few days with the ethernet, but after accidentally knocking the cable loose again last night, well, fritzed out and had freezes once more. Thankfully uninstalling the two drivers and associated software I saw for it and rebooting so they reinstall with native drivers stabilized it for the time being. As for the sound, well, no luck with drivers on that front. Computer's working fine otherwise, but these two problems make me wonder if there's something up with the MB. Thankfully I got the two year warranty on it, so if needs must I can take it back for repair/replacement. I appreciate any suggestions on what to do from here.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

Unless the clip on the ethernet is damaged, it shouldn't be easy knock out of the socket like that. It sounds like the ethernet port is physically damaged and is probably moving on the PCB when it's disturbed which causes all your symptoms. Given that this is pretty close to the audio, they're probably directly related. We would need to pull the I/O shield to confirm, but I'd say it's a physical defect of the board. We apologize, lets go ahead and get this replaced at the store for you. They'll move your extended warranty over to the new system for you.

FabularAzul

Yeah, I was afraid that was the case. Thankfully the store here in Mass isn't too far. Would they replace the computer wholesale, or just the defective motherboard?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

We'll replace the system.

FabularAzul

Good deal, I'll see if I can't get it over tomorrow night after work. Thank you Mike!

FabularAzul

So, got the replacement, and unfortunately this new system still has the popping issue. As an attempt at a workaround, I went out and got a headset (an Artis Nova Pro Wireless), installed its respective drivers, and lo and behold, despite having its receiver plugged into one of the front USB ports on the case, I still got the popping sounds. Based off of some research, I got half a mind to wonder if some installs of Win 11 just don't play too nice with audio, or I somehow ended up with another sorta-lemon.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

No ethernet issues though with this new system, correct?

You're having the audio 'popping' issues. You're having them with both a 3.5mm speaker set and a USB audio device? Are you noticing the sounds on certain apps or just with any audio on the system, even the test sounds?

FabularAzul

So far so good on the ethernet front, though I saw both the regular and 2.5g slot don't clip in, but it seems like safe, snug fit. Knock on wood I don't get anymore fritz outs.

As for sound, its on any form of audio, games, youtube videos, the test sounds, those annoying little popping sounds are still coming up randomly. Tried changing audio format to a lower channel (16 bit, 48000 Hz), pulling the realtek drivers and letting them use Windows' High Definition Audio device driver, disabled all sound devices besides the speakers and headset, still get pops. Very vexing.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

Audio controller on this board is USB. Is there anything connected to the system via USB besides that mouse and keyboard that may be causing a problem?

FabularAzul

Nope, keyboard and mouse are the only usb devices connected at the moment.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

Have you checked DPC latency with a tool like Latencymon just to confirm it's a quality rather than a latency issue? Or are you able to test the device via HDMI to a TV with speakers. See if the issue occurs on HDMI audio out as well.

I'll look at our unit in the lab tomorrow, but I've never seen that issue. We've built three models with this board going back to August of last year. I've heard of a handful of issues with audio on resume with specific headsets, but nothing quite like you're describing. I have a BIOS update for the board you can try that I'll upload.

FabularAzul

I'll try out Latencymon and see if I can't get an HDMI cable from my computer to my TV tomorrow to test things out. Appreciate all the help with this Mike, its definitely a weird one.

FabularAzul

Ran the Latencymon for a few minutes, says the nvlddmkm.sys NVIDIA Kernal Mode Driver is causing high DPC. I'll try using DDU tomorrow to totally remove the current associated drivers and try a reinstall of the nvidia driver.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

Latest BIOS:

X670ESL1.18.AS12.zip

Note: If you own a G904/905/906, do not flash to the ASRock 1.18 BIOS if you have an August date code on your RAM. It will not POST. This BIOS corrects that, memory training algorithm has been customized in our BIOS.

If you disconnect from the ethernet, are you still seeing the same DPC latency?

FabularAzul

Got it, I got a stick I can throw the BIOS on, so I'll try it as soon as I get home from work today. Does the stick have to be a certain size or any other particulars? Or do I just format it, throw the ROM on there and run it from BIOS?

PowerSpec_MichaelB

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/49607#Comment_49607

Size won't matter, the ROM is typically 32MB. As for the format, I always recommend FAT32 for the BIOS. Some boards can read NTFS just fine, but others require FAT32 so it's best to just use FAT32.

FabularAzul

Still no dice I'm sad to say. Did the BIOS update and nvidia driver reinstall with DDU, and tried updating the realtek drivers one more time. I even disconnected the ethernet, but still got the pops. I'm wondering at this point if I didn't just have a stroke of bad luck and got two machines in a row that had something wrong with an internal component thats causing these problems.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

It's possible. Might be best at this time to have the service department test for the issue in store on their equipment just to rule out any possible environmental cause.

FabularAzul

Good idea, hopefully they can get a figure on what might be happening and avoid having to do another exchange. Will I just be able to just bring it into the store's repair desk to be looked at?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

That'll depend on the location and how busy they are. If they need to take it in to check it out, we do have a 48 hour repair guarantee on our PowerSpec systems.

FabularAzul

Hi there Mike, apologies for necroing this old thread, but a bit of an update since we last spoke. Decided to upgrade to a PowerSpec G471 instead of trying a third G906 and by some awful stroke of luck, this one has the audio popping/crackling as well! Not wanting to make a fourth trip (as despite it not being that far, its still takes the better part of an hour to get to one way) I've spent the past month hunkering down trying to figure this out. Installed updates for chipset, ethernet, audio, and BIOS from the MB's site, disabled unused components, messed about with power settings for the CPU but still get the popping. Even checked with Latencymon and its still reporting the ntsokrnl and Nividia kernal causing latency, which I imagine may be playing a part in causing the pops, but I can't tell for sure. Is there anything else I can try? Kinda wondering if its some weird issue caused by Windows 11.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

Seems statistically impossible for this to be a motherboard defect. There has to be some other factor we're not catching that's causing an issue. Is the distortion always present on this system or is it intermittent?

FabularAzul

I'd say about the same rate as the other systems. Seems to occur more often on sounds on the more louder and softer spectrums. Having Windows play the speaker test sound a bunch is another way to get the popping sound, which is how I confirm its still around after trying some fixes. Tried two other pairs of speakers as well, got the same pop in. Like you said, must be something silly or not normally considered causing it. Maybe I'll try switching out the power cable to the PSU, and I've been using the same one that I did for my old machine that died on me.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

That's something to check. The power cable gauge requirement varies based on the wattage. If the old system was a lower end system, it could have an 18 gauge, versus a 16 gauge with the new system. Cable would get noticeably warm. What you're describing with multiple systems, I would think this is some type of external EMI interference.

FabularAzul

Cable switch didn't work. As for my old system, it was of a similar build to this one, and was sitting in the spot where the G471 is sitting right now with no issue. Was also a Win 10 machine too, so I'm tempted to maybe try downgrading the OS back to 10, see if maybe thats the issue. That, or try an external sound card/usb to 3.5mm adapter.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

That's something to check. However I don't think it's related, this seems like an environmental issue. Test the ground on the outlet or run an extension cord to another outlet with a good known ground and see if the issue disappears.

FabularAzul

Yeah I can try that. Should I have the main tower itself plugged into a wall outlet, and the rest plugged into the surge protector?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

You can try that first, possible the ground on the wall outlet is the problem. You'd want to rule that out as well.

FabularAzul

Tried that, but no dice. Right now I have the tower, monitor, and speakers plugged into the surge protector. Tomorrow I'll try having the protector connected to another outlet. That fails, hopefully the external soundcard does the trick. If not, well, I'll bring it back to have it looked at this time.

FabularAzul

Alright, so quick update, tried setting it up in my kitchen, and same thing with the scratchy/pops/crackling. I actually tried using an older laptop I have around, and it got the same issues with the audio messing up. I do remember Latencymon saying that the Nvidia windows kernel mode driver was causing some bad latency, which may suggest its the GPU, but I'm not sure. Really at a loss with this one.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@FabularAzul

The laptop had the same issue? That's interesting. Disable fast startup on the PC then reboot it and try again. If it's still happening, if convenient lets see if the store can replicate it. That'll tell us where to look definitively at least.