Microphone popping/clicking

Hey, I've been having this issue with my recordings where it will pop right at the beginning or if there is a break in the audio. I'm trying out the whole gaming commentator thing on youtube but this pop that occurs in the audio is really a problem. I can speculate what the source of the problem is, but that doesn't give me any solutions. I found this thread through google: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/329100-28-microphone-... and it looked as though this person was having the same problem I am but it never got resolved. I guess it can be narrowed down to latency, but I couldn't even begin to know how to go about fixing that. I hope it doesn't involve getting a new motherboard or anything. I spent 2 grand on this pc I have, it's a beast and a half, and yeah I put it together myself but I have no clue what is going on with this popping noise. Here's some examples of what I'm experiencing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbxsJzIzhE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHAWwWditXY

The popping sound is prominent when wearing a headset or earbuds, but it's noticeable through speakers as well. You can also pause the video repeatedly to hear it over and over. I've tried listening to it through my laptop too, speakers, headset, everything. Part of me wants to run out and get a pair of astro a40's and a blue snowball, but before I spend $300 I want to understand why this is happening and how to fix it. Please, there has to be somebody out there who know's what's going on with this popping sound/latency. If you need any info from me regarding system specs and whatnot, I'll definitely provide that. I really would appreciate the help.