Audio not working after installing Graphics Card

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MuffinWoman

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Dec 18, 2013
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Hell everyone, I recently got a GTX 760 and installed it but ever since I have installed it my computer does not detect any headphones or speakers. I've tried updating the drivers and that does not seem to work. I'm not using the front panel jacks so that cant be the problem, i'm just really lost right now and need help.
 
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Paperdoc

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Like most video cards today, that one has its own audio system built in. That way it can send out audio on the HDMI output port. In fact, many cards now also put audio on some pins of the DVI ports, even though those ports originally did not include audio on them. MAYBE the process of installing the card's drivers also installed the audio driver AND set Windows to use that audio output system, rather than the one on your mobo. Windows can ONLY use ONE audio output device at a time. so you can set Windows to use the system in your new vid card, OR to use your old system (I'm presuming it is on the mobo). If it is using the vid card system and your speakers and headphones are connected to the ports on the back panel of your mobo, they will give you no audio signal.
 
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MuffinWoman

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Would this cause the computer to not even read the speakers or headphones being plugged into the jack? The default audio playback device is on Realtek Digital Output but every other thing on the list (speakers, NVIDIA HDMI ports) say they are not plugged in.
 
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Paperdoc

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If your Windows is set to use the Realtek system of the mobo as the audio output device, than what I suggested in not the problem. However, I have another suggestion based on my experience with a Realtek system on my machine.

You MAY have unplugged speakers and headphones, etc. during your changes to your system. On my system if I unplug the speakers, say, from the jack for the Front Speakers and then plug them in again, a message pops up on my screen for a while. If I ignore it it will time out and disappear. What is says is, the audio system has detected that something (unknown) was plugged into that port, and it wants confirmation of what. I have to tell it that these are my front speakers I just plugged in. This is how the Realtek system makes sure it routes the correct signals to each port. BUT, if you do NOT tell it what you plugged in, it sends NOTHING out that port!

So, try this. Start up your system. Unplug your speakers from their jack on the back, wait a few moments, and plug back in. Check the screen for a message prompt, and tell it those are speakers you plugged in. You may have to re-do this for other things like rear speakers and front centre / subwoofer, if you have those. Or maybe you plug headphones into one of those rear sockets, and you can tell it that.
 
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MuffinWoman

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I tried unplugging and plugging them back in but both the front and back ports won't detect anything. No message or anything.
 
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Paperdoc

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ilmanator, what you do depends on what you want to use for sound. But just let's review briefly.

Most mobos have an audio chip on them, and output jacks on the back panel. That is where you plug in speakers. If you have a headphone jack and mic jack on the front of your case, they are plugged into connectors on your mobo that are fed by that same audio chip.

IF you have added a modern video card to your system with an HDMI output, it carries a complication. HDMI cables can carry both video and audio signals to monitors, TV's, etc. But it can be complicated getting the audio signal from the mobo chip to the vid card. So Instead, most vid card makers put their own audio chip in the vid card and feed that chip's signal to the HDMI cable. Now comes the problem: Windows only knows how to use ONE audio output chip at a time. So many of the vid card makers with their own audio chip feeding their HDMI output port have set up their Install routines to make that audio chip the Windows default sound output device. This means that the mobo audio chip is NOT being used, so the speaker jacks on the back panel and the headphone jack on the front are dead.

Now, assuming that you WANT the audio to be fed via HDMI cable to your monitor or whatever, but you still want audio ALSO to be fed to some speakers, you need to find a way to get the audio signals from the vid card to those speakers. For that purpose, SOME video card makers with this feature also provide on the back panel of their card (next to the HDMI connector) a set of standard speaker jacks. IF you have that, plug your speakers in there, instead of on the old mobo back panel. Or, you could plug your headphones in there.

Another plan is available IF you do NOT need to have audio signals on the HDMI cable, and just want to get audio from the mobo's back panel jacks. Then you just have to change Windows' default sound output device back to the mobo's audio chip. To do this, click Start ... Control Panel ... Sounds and Audio Devices, and then choose the Audio tab. At the top where you can choose the Default Sound Playback Device, click the down-arrow beside the drop-down window and choose the mobo's audio chip, often Realtek. It should be clear which one is NOT the one on your video card. Click OK at the bottom and back out.
 
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ilmanator

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Well there's no jacks on the video card so what other way can I hear anything? But anyway the only choices I have to set as default are two digital audio devices, whatever those are, my headphones, my non existent speakers because I just use my monitor speakers, and my monitor. There is no nvidia option or realtek so I just have my headphones as the default. So any advice?
 
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Paperdoc

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Exactly what does it say about those "two digital audio devices, whatever those are"? They have names, or something, right?

If you just use your monitor's speakers, I'm not sure what the problem is. They should be receiving audio via the HDMI cable IF you have set the video card's Default Audio Output Device to the one on the video card.

Now, if you want to have both the monitor's speakers and your headphones as options, here's another possibility. Check the back of your monitor. Some have a jack to plug in your headphones. Often this will automatically shut off your monitor's speakers so you can listen quietly via headphones.
 
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