Help! Is this a Video/Audio driver or Hardware problem?

[mgsvr]

My motherboard is a Soltek SL-K8AV2-R, video card is BFG Geforce 6800nu, CPU is AMD64 3400.

Back then (couple months ago) I still have my nvidia driver 6x.xx, and the audio is using from the Nforce driver. Then I played Far Cry, however, sometime randomly the video just freeze for a couple seconds and the sound is lag a lot. So I found out that my motherboard use a AC'97 as audio, and so I uninstall the audio driver from Nforce and install the Realtek AC'97 audio. So the problem in Far Cry is solve, no more lag.

Recently I updated my Nvidia video driver to 78.09 version, and my Realtek audio to the latest. Now the problem is back, the video freeze for couple seconds and the audio make lag noise whenever I play any game. Halo to Fable to Indigo Phrophecy....couple minutes and it lag the video and audio.

I wonder if it's causes by the hardware or the driver. Thanks

 

[LED]

Prolly the drivers...revert back and check.

 

[mgsvr]

I don't think I can reverse my Audio driver back anymore since I can't find the older version anywhere else. If I reverse back the nvidia Driver, then Fable will give me some problem like freezing and crash. But when I update to the lastest version, it freeze the video and the audio make laggy sound for couple seconds randomly.

 

[LED]

You can't go to the CP and ask the Drivers to go back?

 

[mgsvr]

No, I can't roll back to the previous driver. I have a habit that whenever I install the latest driver of something, i must uninstall the current driver for that hardware (audio/video). I know it's a stupid habit, that's why I can't roll back now. (will never do it again, I've learned my lesson) Well, do you know any stable and good version of nvidia driver? I think the 78.09 is the one that causes it.

 

[LED]

K..lessened learned but you do have the orginal CD with the Drivers so try them

EDit= The you may be able to go to Winblows update to see if there is ant certified updates to em.

 

[Anubis]

a 10$ SB live PCI sound card will solve all your issues

 

[mgsvr]

Are you sure it's my on-board audio that causes the problem? I still don't know if it's the Video or the Audio hardware/driverthat causes most of the problems. Anyone experience with this type of freezing/sound lag noise for couple seconds in any game?

LED: I don't want to use the original CD for driver since those drivers are very dated.

 

[Anubis]

everyone i have known that had that same issue with games, was running the onboard sound, getting a sound card, didnt matter which one, fixed it

 

[mgsvr]

So it's the audio hardware problem. Well thanks a lot man, you saved me.

I'll get one cheap card from newegg right away. Thanks again.

 

[LED]

mgsvr...If you wanna diaginois the problem sometimes these things may be neccessary. It's not a bad thing because Windows update will install (or should) the latest certified drivers and you can always go back.
Another method is Realtek should have their previous drivers on their site not to mention Nvidia in the Archive section...

 

[mgsvr]

Hmmmm...thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to hunt down Realtek's older driver and Nvidia's driver to see if the problem still occurs. I believe a week ago when I still has my previous drivers, Fable gave me that problem though (but not as much as now). That's why I went and update my drivers, and found out it even worst.

If nothing work, I'll get a sound card.

 

[LED]

Good luck ...just to LYK I would go with Anubis
suggestion just for the fact it'll tax the CPU less...I always go seperate sound.

 

[mgsvr]

Hey again, I think it's the Audio that causes the problem. I've read some reviews on those sound card at newegg, and people seem to have problems with AC'97 on-board audio as well. I guess I'll get a Sound card instead of upgrade/degrade drivers...

Anyway, thanks guy.

I wonder if this card is good: It got many reviews too...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829120102

 

[mgsvr]

hey guys, I just bought a PCI sound card. Install and stuff already. But Fable still give me that same freeze/sound lag. Ofcourse the sound lag lesser now. Do you think it's the nvidia forceware driver (78.01) that causes it? I even use the 77.77 and 77.72 version, still the game give me lag. Or maybe it's Fable itself?

 

[mgsvr]

anyone?

 

[mgsvr]

please help...

 

[Katzen]

I feel your pain, I've been having the same problem here too. I think it's an issue with the nVidia drivers or the game, or some combination of the two. I'm playing it on my laptop with an X700 card at high res, and it runs fine. I had the same problem with Vampire:Bloodlines, and lowering the sound acceleration seemed to fix that, but if you do that with Fable, it will crash to the desktop pretty quickly. I tried the new 81.84 drivers, but that seems to exacerbate the problem. Now I can't even get past the FMV. I'll keep looking, but we may have to wait for a patch for this one.

 

[Katzen]

I just tried the 66.93 drivers today, and that *seems* to have fixed the issue. I hope I'm not being overly optomistic though. Hopefully that will work for you as well!