Audio crackling, popping, and micro-stuttering in games and videos
Sound pops, stutters, and glitches whenever moving the mouse, launching games, or watching videos.
Internal desktop parts run on harmless 12V DC voltage and cannot shock you. Simply unplug the wall power cable first, then touch the unpainted metal case frame to ground static electricity.
Common Symptoms & Tells
- Audio pops or crackles during gaming or YouTube playback
- Micro-stutters coinciding with audio drops
- LatencyMon reports high DPC routine latency in ndis.sys or nvlddmkm.sys
Interactive Fix Checklist
0 of 3 steps completedRun LatencyMon to identify the faulty driver
Download and run LatencyMon. Click the green Play button and reproduce audio pops for 3 minutes. Check the 'Drivers' tab to see which driver has the highest execution time (e.g. Wi-Fi, , or Audio).
Change Power Management mode in GPU control panel
In Nvidia Control Panel -> Manage 3D Settings -> set 'Power management mode' to 'Prefer consistent performance' (or 'Prefer maximum performance'). Rapid power state switching causes audio pops.
Disable Wi-Fi Roaming Aggressiveness and Energy Efficient Ethernet
In Device Manager -> Network adapters -> right-click your network card -> Properties -> Advanced. Set 'Energy Efficient Ethernet' to 'Disabled' and 'Roaming Aggressiveness' to 'Lowest'.
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