I didn't hear the audio defects in GTA:SA on my computer on Win11. Yeah, they were quite noticeable on XP, I'm sure I'd notice them before if XP was my main gaming OS.

The game is quite glitchy, interestingly, I can pick 1920x1080 on Win11. SilentPatch also makes it remember the monitor you want to play the game on, stock game asks you every time you launch it. It also makes it so the dropdown lists the monitor name rather than just listing your GPU multiple times. Judging by the imported APIs, this might be one of the reasons SilentPatch doesn't work on XP.

Max Payne 1 and 2 could use a similar patch, these games have totally broken D3D adapter selection, can't pick non-secondary monitor at all, despite having a dropdown to select it. Maybe it only worked for selecting screen on a different physical GPU?

UCyborg wrote on 2025-07-13, 08:20:

I didn't hear the audio defects in GTA:SA on my computer on Win11. Yeah, they were quite noticeable on XP, I'm sure I'd notice them before if XP was my main gaming OS.

The game is quite glitchy, interestingly, I can pick 1920x1080 on Win11. SilentPatch also makes it remember the monitor you want to play the game on, stock game asks you every time you launch it. It also makes it so the dropdown lists the monitor name rather than just listing your GPU multiple times. Judging by the imported APIs, this might be one of the reasons SilentPatch doesn't work on XP.

Max Payne 1 and 2 could use a similar patch, these games have totally broken D3D adapter selection, can't pick non-secondary monitor at all, despite having a dropdown to select it. Maybe it only worked for selecting screen on a different physical GPU?

I did hear them (when honking) even on Windows 10. I still have to test my unmodded 1.0 version on my other rig.
For EAX... I can confirm it does have it, but it's very limited. Only guns/explosions and only working in a "outdoor/indoor" kinda of way.
Same thing Assassin's Creed: EAX works on sound effects and voices but only in the Abstergo lab and Al Mualim's palace. I have yet to find other interiors where EAX effects do work.

This EAX support is a far cry from what Quake 4 is doung TBH.

A note about those patches on Windows XP: The Ultimate ASI loader, officially, doesn't work on XP, and its creator doesn't intend to provide that compatibility. There's a fork that make it work on Windows XP, but then you'll clash with incompatibilities in the mod itself. Silent Patch does load with the fixed ASI loader on Windows XP, same thin SkyGFX. But not the "limit adjuster" mod.
Same thing with NFS games. All mods by Thirteen AG won't work even with the fixed XP ASI Loader.

Strange things with pops in GTA: SA...

I doubt there is a pressing need for newer APIs in patches to old games. Probably just developer convenience when it comes to using certain libraries / language features and newer compilers generating incompatible binaries.

Did you use older SilentPatch for San Andreas? The new one doesn't load on XP.

UCyborg wrote on 2025-07-14, 19:38:

Strange things with pops in GTA: SA...

I doubt there is a pressing need for newer APIs in patches to old games. Probably just developer convenience when it comes to using certain libraries / language features and newer compilers generating incompatible binaries.

Did you use older SilentPatch for San Andreas? The new one doesn't load on XP.

Yes I did. That one works when you use the XP fork of Ultimate ASI loader.
this evening I'll remember and test the sound on my main rig with an unmodded 1.0 version of the game.

Got one of these cards for practically free a couple weeks ago. It had a couple ripped off caps because of bad shipping, so I went hog wild and re-capped the whole card. It was also an excuse to test out my new Hakko desoldering gun.

https://imgur.com/a/Z2s1XMX

I even went so far to replace the standard op amps with burr browns. Card works perfectly, no issues in windows 7. Didn't even need to change the bitrate like I suggested earlier.

I still need to use a ground loop isolator otherwise you can hear the USB mouse polling, but that's not the cards fault, it's the cheap motherboard and mouse I'm using to test.

Nice recap!

luckybob wrote on 2025-07-30, 22:54:

I still need to use a ground loop isolator otherwise you can hear the USB mouse polling, but that's not the cards fault, it's the cheap motherboard and mouse I'm using to test.

It's interesting, my stock X-Fi Fatal1ty (SB0460) doesn't make any noise on the cheap mobo, but Audigy 2 ZS is noisy on the same mobo.
How to build a PCI ground loop isolator?

You can buy them from the jungle site for $10. The internals are just a pair of 1:1 transformers. Anything more than $20 is an idiot tax.

luckybob wrote on 2025-07-31, 03:29:

You can buy them from the jungle site for $10. The internals are just a pair of 1:1 transformers. Anything more than $20 is an idiot tax.

Sorry, I meant hardware mod on the sound card to reduce static noise from PCI slot - if that's even possible.
But if a cheap 3.5mm jack isolator helps, I'll keep it in mind, thanks.

It's not an issue with headphones, obviously. But I have to use isolated inputs on my studio monitors. You dont hear any noise when something is playing, but its super annoying between songs, or just idle.

Id have to buy a soundcard with a balanced output to combat this properly, but I hookup multiple outputs to these speakers, so that not really viable.

luckybob wrote on 2025-07-30, 22:54:

so I went hog wild and re-capped the whole card.

Very strange arrangement of capacitors.
It looks like you sorted them by color, not by function.
Polymer - in analog circuits, electrolytic - in digital.

luckybob wrote on 2025-07-31, 03:29:

You can buy them from the jungle site for $10. The internals are just a pair of 1:1 transformers. Anything more than $20 is an idiot tax.

It would be great if this were true. Unfortunately, measuring the harmonic distortion of transformers at low frequencies allows them to be ranked unambiguously by price.

shevalier wrote on 2025-07-31, 06:04:

Very strange arrangement of capacitors. It looks like you sorted them by color, not by function. Polymer - in analog circuits, e […]
Show full quote

Very strange arrangement of capacitors.
It looks like you sorted them by color, not by function.
Polymer - in analog circuits, electrolytic - in digital.
It would be great if this were true. Unfortunately, measuring the harmonic distortion of transformers at low frequencies allows them to be ranked unambiguously by price.

just the opposite actually. I picked high quality caps that matched the originals. At least in terms of voltage/capacitance. The exception is the large electrolytic to the right of the "cpu". I found the biggest cap i could fit into that spot. That did mean, I got some of the fancy aluminum ones for the power sections. But the choices for the caps are REALLY limited if you keep to the 16v rating that practically all the caps have. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As for the cheap transformers... I've tried the super cheap ones, and some of the more expensive, and they worked identically TO MY EARS.

Bob Pease, who invented those 78xx regulators, is against...
Who am I to resist his love of beard and cognac?
A great man, of all ... RIP...

I'm not a whiskey/cognac guy, but if you put tequila and/or sake in front of me, i'll be half in the bag signing karaoke within the hour.

shevalier wrote on 2025-07-31, 15:47:

Bob Pease, who invented those 78xx regulators, is against...
Who am I to resist his love of beard and cognac?
A great man, of all ... RIP...

Robert A. Pease
Troubleshooting Analog Circuits
https://archive.org/download/bitsavers_nation … rcuits_1991.pdf
Appendix C
Understanding and Reducing Noise Voltage on 3-Terminal Voltage Regulators

Link to the article itself
http://www.acoustica.org.uk/misc/LM317_Dietz.pdf

PS
I myself have experimented a lot with Titanium HD with RMAA measurements.
A low ESR capacitor after the regulator increases noise by 3-12 dB depending on the capacity and this ESR.
For the digital part, this does not matter, durability and permissible currents are more important there.
Re: Audigy 2 ZS Crackle Fix

Interesting... I'll give it a review this weekend.

Considering the largest cap is 100uf, I'm not exactly worried, but I will give it a read. I know the aluminium caps aren't good replacements for normal electrolytics in the dc/dc converters on motherboards. But anecdotal evidence being anecdotal, I haven't had any issues.

luckybob wrote on Yesterday, 15:49:

Interesting... I'll give it a review this weekend.

Considering the largest cap is 100uf, I'm not exactly worried, but I will give it a read. I know the aluminium caps aren't good replacements for normal electrolytics in the dc/dc converters on motherboards. But anecdotal evidence being anecdotal, I haven't had any issues.

figure c.2
The height of the resonance peak on the noise is inversely proportional to the ESR of the capacitor.
That is, the lower the resistance (ESR), the lower the losses at resonance.
A general-use electrolytic capacitor with a capacity of 100 µF will have an ESR of about 1 Ohm.
A polymer capacitor will have an ESR of about 30 mOhm.
We get a wonderful noise peak.
In addition, capacitors with low ESR have worse ESR dependence on frequency. This is probably why they sound unpleasant.