Absolutely NOTHING I do is fixing my microphone

[redfrost482]

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, restarting my computer, adjusting levels and everything else. Despite this, my mic only gets up to one percent and it detects environmental sound but won't respond to my voice at all.

However if I'm using a software like audacity I can hear (for example) fan noise very clearly and if I turn the audio volume all the way up in a recording I can kind of hear myself talking but not distinctly due the audio being distorted from being raised too high from it's very low input.

The waveforms in any recording software are always close to being completely flat.

even if L and R are visibly shown to be picked up.

The PC I'm having this issue on is a intel i5 2500 with a AMD r7 graphics card installed.

I'm wondering is there any other method I haven't tried (excluding the generic ones that are frequent in YouTube videos) that could fix this issue?? Like maybe older drivers that windows that can't find or recognize? Is it a bad motherboard/sound card????

**For further reference***

1. The mics I try to use are newer and work on my 2020 PC and smartphones
2. I can hear audio just fine when wearing headphones
3. I switched from a 3.5mm panel mic to a USB one and the problem persists
4. The audio when I'm not wearing headphones does sound distorted when coming from the PC itself. It's like distant and static-y. Almost like an old timing radio or receiver.
5. Troubleshooters don't detect any issues with the mics input level at all
6. The USB ports on my computer work just fine for other connected devices

[Andres_Intel]

Hello redfrost482,

Thank you for posting on the Intel communities. I am sorry to hear that you are having sound issues with your Intel® Core™ i5-2500 Processor. 

Due to this product being discontinued, Intel Customer Service no longer supports inquiries for it, but perhaps fellow community members have the knowledge to jump in and help. You may also find the Discontinued Products website helpful to address your request. Thank you for understanding.

Regards,  

Andres P. 

Intel Customer Support Technician