Many new computer motherboards and processors have varying forms of CPU Throttling and Power Management Utilities that are designed to reduce the speed of the CPU to preserve energy whenever the system load allows this. Unfortunately, these utilities can have a negative effect on any active audio playback- or recording task which will be audible as noise bursts, pops & clicks, or distortion.  Most computers allow these features to be turned off from the BIOS.

Some examples of these CPU Throttling and Power Management Utilities to look for and disable include: 

• AI Tweaker
• CPU C-State (Disable CPU Idle State for Power Saving)
• C1E
• Intel EIST
• Intel Speedstep (sometimes just called "Speedstep")
• HPET (High Precision Event Timer)

Please refer to your motherboard’s documentation for specific information about the available CPU Throttling and Power Management Utilities, as well as how to access and make changes to your computer’s BIOS.

HP Computers: Users with an HP computer should go into their BIOS, select Power Settings, then select Idle Power State.  If this is set to "High", change it to "Normal".  Note that not all HP computers will have this setting.

Please check the following links for tips on this subject:

http://www.bay-wolf.com/speedstep.htm 

http://www.diefer.de/speedswitchxp/index.html

RM Clock for Windows XP

RM Clock for Windows Vista/Windows 7

If you are unsure about any of these concepts, features, or suggestions, please consult with your computer manufacturer’s tech support or a qualified PC repair technician.