[NP9170] Buzzing mic since 13.1 update

When I first started using my NP9170, I had no issues with sound. Earlier today I installed the 13.1 Catalyst driver update, and now my microphone buzzes when the dedicated 7970m is activated (whenever a game or benchmark is started). The sound matches clips I've heard of GPU to soundcard interference.

How do I fix this incompatibility?

To be sure: I listened to my own mic in a while, but haven't gotten any complaints from users in games. Today I attempted to record a gameplay with a voiceover and the buzzing was pretty loud.

EDIT: The sound is also present in my headphones, albeit quieter. I had been assuming they were just crappy headphones, but this has been going on since before the driver update.

 

Here's a sample of the sound coming through the mic (a RODE Videomic, tested on other systems). I turn on the GPU using Kombustor at 0:12. The sound was never this bad before, but the buzzing has been happening for a little under a week in my headphones, who knows how long it's been going on in the mic. I know the mic sounded better than this when I first got the computer, since audio recording was one of the first things I did after unboxing. The buzzing is like a lawnmower when I'm trying to record voice.

https://soundcloud.com/renny-hayes/learnelectricalengineeringplz

also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahKH19iN2SM

 

This is normal. The Clevo EM and HM series are known for their distorted and crappy sound when there is something plugged into any of the sound ports. I would look into getting a USB sound card. I have a Fiio e17 which is great. The sound is that much better than the laptop's onboard anyway so I now have no need for using the headphone jack on my machine. Oh one last thing, I had this same problem as you on day 1, maybe you just haven't noticed it until now?

 

this may be a dumb question but.... have u just tried reverting back to ur previous driver, see if that solves the problem? cuz ull be able to figure out if its really cuz of the driver update

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

I do need new headphones anyway, maybe I should invest in Razers or Astros or something that won't break after six months of gentle use like everything else I've bought. I was sure I had recorded something live with this setup before, but I can't find any evidence of it. There certainly wasn't the same buzz when I used my old headset, but now I'm thinking that's because the response range was terrible.

Yeah, I realized the headphones have been buzzing for longer than this. I shouldn't have blamed the driver. It looks like it's just crappy hardware.

 

Yeah, just get yourself an X-Fi:Go! since it's very cheap now through Amazon or NewEgg etc. And it supports all game features/tech etc. And it has a nice microphone amp on it, enough for gaming. I like it for gaming, if I'm just listening to music, then I'll use my desktop headphone amp setup.

I recommend an X-Fi:Go! whole heartedly for what it does and it's price.