I think my sound card is going bad

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Syko

PCHF Member
Dec 23, 2017
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So, whenever I play video games there is a static noise in the background. It's bare-able while playing and is barely even audible. However, when I record my gameplay, the recording amplifies the noise and at times it is louder than my microphone recording or the audio of the gameplay. From what I understand, this means my sound card is going bad.

I have a couple questions and am looking for advice for handling the situation. First thing is, I'm plugged into the audio and microphone jacks on the front of the tower instead of the ones on the back. The ones on the back do not appear to be working at all and I'm not sure if it's a software issue or a hardware issue. I'm wondering if plugging them into the back ones might fix the problem but I'm trying to figure out how to get them to work. I've been having issues with most of the ports on the front of the computer as well, but the microphone and audio jack seem to work. I think the issues here have been caused when I installed the hard drive inside it shortly after getting it. I couldn't get the thing to boot up and ended up completely taking apart and reassembling the whole thing from scratch and I'm not confident I put all the pieces back together the right way. The second thing I'm looking for is a fairly cheap but reliable sound card to replace it, if I need to. I went looking online and the ones I was finding were $100 - $200. I was hoping I could only pay somewhere around the $30 to $50 range. I don't quite having the money to pay that much for one and would have to save up money for it. I just want something that will work, I don't want anything fancy or expensive. As cheap as I can get while still being reliable is what I'm looking for.

I know you guys need to know the specs for my computer in order to assist me with this. I just bought this computer two months ago off of a buddy of mine. It was his old gaming computer and he built a new one. I do not know what the parts are on this computer. I know there is a way to figure it out but I'm not sure how to do that. Whatever you guys need from me, I can do... I can take photos of the inside of my computer, I can take screenshots of stuff or give you guys more info, however pretend I'm just your average computer user who doesn't even know how to use command prompt. Thank you for your time and patience. I appreciate you taking the time to just read my issue.
 
Hello Syko,

We can get some system info using Speccy which I will get to below but we could do with knowing what PSU you have, you may need to take off the side of the case to get this, with a guide from us would you be ok with this.

I'm wondering if plugging them into the back ones might fix the problem but I'm trying to figure out how to get them to work.
It can depend on if there is an add on sound card fitted but as a general rule using the front audio ports disables the rear audio ports and vice versa using the rear ports disables the front.
Download then run Speccy (free) and post the resultant url for us, details here, this will provide us with information about your computer hardware + any software that you have installed that may explain the present issue/s.
 
Hi Syko, Welcome to PCHF! :)

Running and posting a screenshot of your system using Speccy would be a good place to start but when you plug your microphone into the audio jacks on the back of the computer, what happens? Does the system recognize any hardware device at all?

What version of Windows do you have installed? Before getting a sound card, I would try installing the latest audio drivers for your computers motherboard and see if that resolves the issue. If no change in functionality then we may be looking at a hardware issue and buying a sound card might be the only option in order to get properly working audio on your system without hearing any static.
 
Any update for us Syko? If unreplied to within 48hrs this thread will be closed.
 
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