Save a Realtek Newbie - Earn free passage into Heaven
So I just got a new PC rig installed, I'm loving the extra performance, RAM, better frames, etc.
Voice and mic functionality have gone to sh*t though.
I bought an nForce 780i SLI MoBo and decided to stick with the integrated sound.
I've been playing some CSS and yesterday some TF2 and I have to yell at the top of my lungs to be heard through the mic. I've tested the mic and the mic works fine. So I'm looking through forums and it seems everyone seems to be blaming driver incompatiblity and bad configuration for their woes. So... I start looking for drivers, but I'd really hate to start installing over drivers without being sure of what I'm doing.
According to nVidia, the latest driver pack for my MoBo is 9.46, released in December, so it seems a bit outdated. Feedback welcome.
Now I'm trying to get my head around the difference between a MoBo and realtek drivers. Is the integrated sound built by realtek and assembled by the MoBo manufacturer? If so, then why does the 9.46 driver pack not include Sound Drivers?
So I take a look at my system config (Device Manager in the Control Panel System Icon, WinXP SP3) and the only hint I can find is "Realtek High Definition Audio" under "Sound, video and game controllers".
So I look in the internets for the latest "Realtek High Definition Audio" drivers, and find this in Realtek's driver section. At least it was released last week.
Now I really would like anyone's input before I overwrite drivers and go to conflict and buggy OS Hell; is this what I should be doing? Because I've tried to adjust the volume through realtek's HD Audio Manager and I can't seem to get anywhere, and when I try configuring it through the "Sound and Audio Devices" within the Control Panel, I'm mocked by my own computer: the Bar moves all they way up by itself whenever it feels like it.
I'd really appreciate anyone's help either about the drivers (recommend please whether I should reinstall, leave it alone, another place where to find correct drivers) or how to get the volume to work correctly.
Giving Cosole Gaming an excessive amount of consideration since 1978.
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Hobbes2099
"Hubris, thy name is Graduate" -- Mine. That's right, I didn't steal from .Alex "Spaz" Martinez .
Well, where do I start:
- In most cases, motherboards that contain integrated audio like Realtek usually also have their own specialty drivers under their support site, but not all of them do. Unless they forgot to mention it in the notes, it looks like Nvidia doesn't follow that.
- The other drivers in that package probably are fine and not outdated. Things like the network connections or the BIOS for a long-established OS hardly need many constant revisions, barring unforeseen incompatibility with newer GPU or CPU chipsets. That said, if they're newer then what your mobo came with, it wouldn't hurt to upgrade.
- You said it was an Nforce, but was it made by a chipset manufacturer other then Nvidia? They're usually made by many different companies, just as their video cards are, such as Zotac, eVGA, XFX, BFG, etc., so you might want to check that company's websites first to see if they have the driver available.
- Barring that, no, the worst updating the generic drivers from Realtek will do is also not work properly, at which case you can just install the old ones again. Just make sure you choose the correct codec which should be listed in the manual for your board. You also might want to use a product like Driver Sweeper to make sure you're fully changing the drivers.
- As you're discovering, the 780i series has a history of awful audio integration. Sorry.
I would think the first rule of PR is to ignore forum people, because they vacillate between crazy and liar. - Elysium
Really your best bet is to get an actual sound card for your PC. Integrated audio is truly terrible in sound quality, performance and features.
Even a cheap SB Audigy 2 would be leaps and bounds better.
My days of not taking you seriously have certainly come to a middle.
Whoa!
My Gamercard
Unless you're running Vista, in which case you're just screwed as far as soundcards go. Sound in Vista is a f*cked-up mess.
I don't know how well it'll work in Vista, but I've been very happy with an outboard USB headset adapter I got from Sennheiser. The actual headphones fell apart in, like, no time, but the adapter's been fantastic. With replacement headsets, it's definitely been the way to go.
Thanks for the posts,
Haven't built a system in about 4 years and just realized how much I've forgotten. The board is built by eVGA (any opinion about that brand of MoBo?) and am now proceeding to DL the generic driver pack.
Also I'm running WinXP 32bit; I've decided to stay away form Vista until SP2 (ie, Win7).
A last round of advice would be great:
Any idea why the volume bar for the mic moves on its own? I'll try the cheapest solution first; buy a new mic.
KK, thanks guys!
Giving Cosole Gaming an excessive amount of consideration since 1978.
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Hobbes2099
"Hubris, thy name is Graduate" -- Mine. That's right, I didn't steal from .Alex "Spaz" Martinez .
I have no idea why your volume moves on it's own, unless the volume control dial on the mic is broken somehow. Also I'm a big fan of eVGA's video cards but I've never used their motherboards. Regardless, the onus on the tech for the audio is on Realtek, which can be hit and miss depending on the board.
I would think the first rule of PR is to ignore forum people, because they vacillate between crazy and liar. - Elysium
Hobbes
Check this thread out, this guy had the same problem with the same mobo. He solved it by downloading the newest drivers (link is in the thread) and changing a setting in the mic properties. Good luck.
http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=279523&mpage=1&key=񄏣
wordsmythe wrote: