I am having a challenge that I cannot resolve myself.

So I've build an overpowered Windows XP system specifically for playing EAX ready games with hardware support (I know of software workarounds for modern Os'ses).
So it is a Windows XP system with 32 bit OS and SP3.
All drivers installed, latest official bios, official Creative 2.17.008 drivers, DX9 (update) installed. OpenAL 1.1 installed.

At random times my Creative XFI Titanium Soundcard will produce an ear deafening / blow your speakers up kind of noise during ID-Tech 4 games.
It seems random because sometimes it happens very quickly, sometimes it takes a very long time to happen.

Sometimes it doesn't happen at all during an hour of gaming.

Prey, Quake 4 and Doom 3 can all cause it (with OpenAL enabled, I did not test it without OpenAL).
I can play Quake 4, have something happen in the game and then the noise starts... it can become louder and louder over time or it can be instantly loud.
If I quit the game and, for example, start Crysis (no EAX/OpenAL!) I have no audio issues whatsoever.
If I then start Quake 4 again the noise can be triggered by the main menu buttoms and becomes louder and louder to the point that I have to disable my sound as to not blow up my speakers (I am not kidding).
I also had it happen right after loading a game, the game music was extremely loud (abnormal loud) and only coming from my left speaker while the game audio was normal.

The same thing happens in Prey and Doom 3.
In Doom 3 I can also sometimes hear a background noise in some of the areas of a certain map and if I then go to the main menu I can hear the same sound in the main menu.

Rebooting the system always solves everything untill it happens again.

I am playing at the lowest possible volume settings in Windows XP.

This Soundcard works fine with Socket 775 hardware and a Windows XP 32 bit environment.

I have a 140mm fan at 1000 rpm blowing directly at the soundcard.
My motherboard is a Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z (non Gen-3... even though HD7970 is running at PCI-E 3.0).
So I only have the bottom PCI-E slot available for the XFI.
The bottom slot is reported as to be running in PCI-E 2.0 speed.
The PSU is a brand new 13 series Be Quiet! Unit.
I installed Windows on this system with the USB stick installation.