full image - Repost: 120ms audio lag on 13900K, RTX4090, Z790 (from Reddit.com, 120ms audio lag on 13900K, RTX4090, Z790)
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Here's an illustration of the problem: https://youtu.be/PGb_vfpO0EAHere's a summary of the things I tried by the recommendations of GPT-5 (high reasoning):Symptom: Persistent, fixed audio lag estimated ~120 ms (audio late vs. visuals/input) in all games (e.g., CS2) on a high‑end Windows 11 system.Key finding: System is real‑time capable per LatencyMon (no DPC/ISR bottleneck). Delay behaves like a constant buffer added in the playback path rather than CPU/driver stalls.State: Large portion of software causes ruled out (APOs/effects/overlays/network). Issue persists on a minimal baseline: Microsoft generic HDA driver, clean boot, only Realtek analog output enabled.System overviewHardware: ASUS Z790, Intel i9‑13900K, NVIDIA RTX 4090, 32 GB RAMAudio devices present historically:Universal Audio Apollo Twin X (Thunderbolt)Onboard Realtek analog out (rear/front jacks)LG Ultragear monitor audio (HDMI/DP)OS: Windows 11 (x64) 23H2, build 26100BIOS: 1801Symptom detailsType: Constant audio lag (~120 ms), audio is late relative to mouse input and on‑screen events. Video and input appear in sync.Scope: All games (e.g., Counter‑Strike 2). Not reliably noticeable in non‑interactive Windows apps.Channels tested: Apollo WDM and onboard Realtek analog; delay persists across both.Reproduction (current minimal baseline)Clean boot: all non‑Microsoft services disabled; all Startup apps disabled.Only one render device enabled: “Speakers (High Definition Audio Device — Microsoft generic HDA)” on the motherboard analog jack.All other endpoints disabled: NVIDIA audio, NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (WDM), monitor HDMI/DP audio, USB audio, S/PDIF.Playback device properties (mmsys.cpl): Enhancements disabled, Spatial Sound off, 24‑bit/48 kHz, Exclusive mode enabled.Game’s output explicitly routed to the active device via Windows Volume mixer.Result: ~120 ms late audio persists across games.DiagnosticsLatencyMon — initialReported problems: DPC spikes from ndis.sys (network), Wdf01000.sys.Conclusion: “Your system seems to be having difficulty…”LatencyMon — after remediationConclusion: “Your system appears to be suitable for handling real‑time audio and other tasks.”Highest ISR: HDAudBus.sys ≈138 µsHighest DPC: ntoskrnl.exe ≈918 µs; dxgkrnl.sys with highest total DPC timeTotal DPC time ≈0.054%Interpretation: DPC/ISR is not the cause of the fixed ~120 ms offset.Actions taken and outcomesGlobal OS / overlaysXbox Game Bar, Background Recording, overlays (e.g., GeForce Experience In‑Game Overlay) disabled.Clean boot executed → lag persists.Audio endpoints & effectsMonitor HDMI/DP audio endpoints and NVIDIA audio devices disabled.Replaced Realtek driver with Microsoft generic HDA driver to eliminate vendor APOs.Enhancements/APOs disabled; Spatial Sound off; Exclusive mode enabled; 24‑bit/48 kHz set.Per‑app routing enforced to the active device.Result across the above: lag persists.NetworkNIC(s) disabled during tests → no change (rules out network‑related DPCs for fixed offset).Apollo Twin XGames use WDM (not ASIO). Even when testing with onboard analog only and generic HDA, lag persists.Current working hypothesisHidden/ghost render path or stale endpoint configuration still participating in the Windows audio graph despite generic HDA and clean boot.Expected target after resolutionEnd‑to‑end latency: 5–20 ms total.Hardware codec (onboard analog): 1–3 msWASAPI Exclusive path: 2–5 msGame mix‑ahead: 2–10 msPerception: audio within 1–2 frames of muzzle flash at ≥144 Hz.AppendicesA) Known low‑latency practicesUse onboard analog or dedicated PCIe sound card (avoid Bluetooth, USB wireless, and monitor jacks). ✅WASAPI Exclusive; enhancements/spatial off; fixed 48 kHz. ✅Keep audio device list minimal; avoid virtual devices. ✅B) Useful artifacts on handLatencyMon initial report: network/WDF spikes present.LatencyMon current report: real‑time capable; no blocking DPC/ISR.Device Manager (initial) showed multiple endpoints (monitor/NVIDIA/Realtek APO component); later disabled/removed for tests.StatusDPC/ISR eliminated as a cause.Large software surface removed (APOs/overlays/network).Issue points toward Windows endpoint graph/ghost device/profile corruption or a misrouted physical path.
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