Solved Audio (music) will stutter/distort after 10 min with no user input but correct if mouse is moved

Hello, I just built my pc and have an issue. If I play music for example and not touch the computer at all, after 10min, the sound distorts and stutters until I either move the mouse or touch the keyboard. Then it will be fine again for another 10 min. I could be using Spotify, Winamp, VLC Player etc. I have all sleep, hibernate, monitor settings off so the computer should never change states. I followed all the steps to fix an audio problem from the internet including reinstalling the driver, turning off enhancements, changing the data rate, run troubleshooter etc. I’ve conducted A clean boot and could not find a conflicting program that interfered. Otherwise the PC runs great! Even watching videos causes problems with the audio after 10 min of not touching the computer.

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks, Gary

Hello @Gary A and welcome to ElevenForum.



Since the problem seems to recur every 10 mins, maybe Event Viewer will give you a clue?
Note the exact time the problem occurs and see what happened at the same time in Event Viewer.


Also, you mention that the "sound" distorts and stutters.
Where is the sound coming from? Headphones, discreet speakers, monitor speakers?

If it's the monitor speakers... do you have the display set to turn off after so many minutes?

I am using the optical output, but it also occurs if I use the front headphone jack. I’d doesn’t matter what audio port I use.

Problem I think solved. I after everything I tried, I just cleared the CMOS and the issue went away. I think the problem was that I undervolted the CPU with Intel XTU but my adjustments reverted back (it says it reverted back). I then I installed the program and undervolted directly in the bios. I think the XTU adjustments were somehow still applied and I compounded the issue by going into the bios. So when the pc was idle and background processes started up, it wasn’t stable and gave me the issue I was having. Of course I’m just guessing and I hope the problem doesn’t come back.

Gary A said:

I think the problem was that I undervolted the CPU

Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused as to why you would build a top of the line rig, and then undervolt the CPU.
ANY over/under clocking can affect stability.

If... in the future, you start a topic about computer problems, be sure to mention any over/under clocking.
One of the first things we recommend when dealing with computer issues, is to remove any "clocking" and see if the problem goes away.

If you absolutely have to over/under clock things, make sure to stress test the computer, to be sure it's still stable.

Good job, troubleshooting the issue though.