Windows 10: Tutorial for updating DCH/UAD drivers

Admin: please put this in the stick.

People have asked me to do a tutorial on how to update Realtek UAD drivers, so here is a brief outline on how I update my Realtek UAD driver.

1) The proper name for Realtek UAD driver in Microsoft's language is DCH driver. Legacy drivers are hundreds of MB in size vs. new DCH/UAD drivers are tens of MB in size. It is meant to create a core driver which can be tested quickly and widely by Microsoft's WHQL lab, so that it can be distributed by windows update quickly. This is a Microsoft security mandate that every hardware manufacturer has to follow. It is not Microsoft's job to test Realtek's software that make you sound like you are in the sewer pipe.

Here is Intel's FAQ on DCH driver:

Frequently Asked Questions about Windows* DCH Drivers for Intel(R)...

The most important part of the FAQ is:

During the transition from Legacy drivers to Windows DCH Drivers you can only use the Installer (.exe) provided by Intel or your computer manufacturer. Refrain from using any other installation method such as "INF/Have disk installation." Failure to do so may result in minor to catastrophic issues or system instability.

2) There are 3 parts in a DCH driver. The driver portion itself contains only the driver. The "meat" of features like equalizers are housed in "software components" The "face" or UI of the configuration tool is an app (which in Realtek's case is called Realtek Audio Console) downloaded from the Microsoft Store. You can only get the Realtek Audio Console app if you have the requisite realtek software components.





3) Motherboard and computer makers bundle each computer model with separate software packages. One Dell budget computer may contain Realtek's ALC892 audio chip with the bare generic audio software. Another Dell computer from their premium lineup may contain the same Realtek ALC892 audio chip with Dolby Atmos.

You have to remember the fact that Realtek doesn't own Dolby, Dell doesn't own Dolby and Microsoft doesn't own Dolby, but somebody needs to pay Dolby a licensing fee for that PARTICULAR Dell computer model. You can look at your hardware ID by going to device manager.





So each computer model's ALC892 chip has a distinct hardware ID, which is listed in the driver's inf installation file and you can simply look at the inf file by opening it with the notepad program.

HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_1458A182 means you get the basic generic stuff
HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_1458A18E means you get the premium Dolby Atmos

Since this is a MONEY issue, Microsoft locks these hardware ID and driver packages down.

4) Because Dell driver packages only list Dell's computer models and their distinct hardware ID, you cannot install a Dell realtek driver package on a HP computer.

5) However, it MAY be possible to install a driver from a newer computer model from the SAME computer manufacturer on your older computer model. A 2018 model laptop driver may contain a 2017 laptop model from the same computer manufacturer. Try it within the same product range --- if you have an older laptop, try a newer laptop driver (desktop to desktop, motherboard to motherboard). Besides myself, I have helped 3 other people by doing this.

Latest Realtek HD Audio Driver Version [2]

Latest Realtek HD Audio Driver Version [2]

My Acer computer came with Realtek HDA driver and I installed a Realtek UAD driver from a newer Acer computer model. Asdsss's situation is the same --- he has a asrock 970a-g/3.1 with 7614 HDA driver and he installed an 8750 UAD from asrock x570 aqua. So check your Realtek hardware ID and compare it with some newer driver package from the same computer manufacturer.

5) Remember the first rule of DCH driver --- use the INSTALLER EXE. This ONLY applies to the INITIAL installation of the OEM DCH driver. This does NOT apply to subsequent MUC updates.

6) Microsoft has an official depository for all their patches and driver updates --- Microsoft Update Catalog (MUC). Spend 5 minutes and try to search using a dozen combinations of realtek, OS nicknames (1903, vibranium), year (2020), type (media, usb, card reader), actual name of the file (realtek audio effects, realtek audio universal service, realtek hardware support)... Spend 5 minutes now will save you hours later.

MUC driver update files are in a "cab" file format. You just need to open the file, copy all the contents of the cab file and paste them into a brand new empty folder.

7) As of the writing of this tutorial, MUC has 6.0.8991.1 UAD driver, 11.0.6000.795 realtek audio effects software components, 1.0.0.276 realtek audio universal service software components, and 11.0.6000.225 realtek hardware support application software components. There is also a fourth realtek ASIO software components but it is relatively rare in OEM driver packages.

New Realtek driver/software components updates show up on MUC about once every 2 weeks.

You don't have to download realtek software components 3 separate times. The 11.0.6000.795 realtek audio effects software components cab file will contain all the other 3 software components. Be flexible, one week I may download the realtek audio effects cab file because it has the latest date out of the 3 software component cab files. 2 weeks later, I may download the realtek hardware support application cab file because it has the latest date out of the 3 software component cab files.

In this example, I created an empty folder called "realtek audio 6.0.8991.1" and copied/pasted all the contents of the 6.0.8991.1 UAD cab file. Then using device manager, you update the driver by pointing it to your newly created folder. Don't use "let me pick".









Update ALL the realtek software components using the same method. ONLY AFTER you updated all the software components, run Microsoft Store to download the Realtek Audio Console update. The last 3 digits of the "hardware support application" will correspond to the Realtek Audio Console's version --- so 11.0.6000.225 realtek HSA means 1.14.225.0 Realtek Audio Console.

Your end result will be:





8) premium computer models with a-volute nahimic, icepower, dts and dolby apps also have various software components updates on MUC. In nahimic's case, you also need to search a-volute (which is the manufacturer's name) as well. AFTER you update the various premium software components, then run Microsoft Store to download the latest nahimic/dts/dolby/icepower app updates.

Since computer manufacturers don't want you to have multiple equalizers ruining your sound, premium computer models will "cripple" the realtek audio console and delete all duplicate equalizers, loudness equalization in the realtek app. You cannot get them back because it is written in the inf file that your particular model will come with premium nahimic app that comes with its own premium equalizer.

:)

 

For ASUS UAD Realtek drivers and Sonic Suite

oh lucky ASRock users! *Biggrin

ASRock has just posted the v6.0.1.8619 FF00 HDA driver on their web site (found this listed for an ASRock B365 Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard in the Windows 7 64bit drivers section; the Windows 10 64bit drivers section lists the 8597 UAD driver instead for that board)

8612 recently mentioned on MUC but a UAD driver (not HDA); expect few to no new HDA drivers on MUC as most of the time, new drivers on there are usually UAD

Edit 1/23: Since I had v8606 HDA on most systems, I will definitely update to v8619 FF00 HDA and download the 8619 HDA driver from ASRock, not from Necacom (as what Soxa suggested earlier)

 

Realtek Audio Console REQUIRES a Realtek HD (UAD) Driver!!

actually Hemimax, the only recent "generic" UAD driver version listed on alanfox2000's github page would be v6.0.8827.1 but because the setup files are stored in the XSetup folder, setup won't "find" the driver files and would fail to install the drivers [I may consider "re-packing" this 8827 generic uad driver if I have time later this week].

that's true. Realtek has not made any ASRock specific uad drivers for months. latest ASRock based UAD driver version is 6.0.8750.1 (linked directly to Asrock's web site), which I suggested for Christyles's ASRock board in my older post.

edit: your z370 taichi board has 6.0.8496.1 realtek uad driver listed, Ownsin [typical of Asrock and other board makers to only list new drivers for newer boards and not make them or "catalog" them for some older boards - I found 6.0.8750.1 listed for an Asrock X299 Taichi CLX board]

 

Realtek Audio Console REQUIRES a Realtek HD (UAD) Driver!!

Here's the issue. You saw that driver you linked for my Mobo on the Asrock driver page. It actually doesn't work with the Realtek Audio Console at all. This is why I'm looking for a newer one that would work or figure out the reason it's not working.