I have the gigabyte 990fx-ud3 board which uses the Realtek ALC889 codec. My motherboard i/o audio works fine, but when I try to use the front panel audio the audio comes out extremely quiet even if i turn the volume all the way up. However when I plug them in it opens up a window where I can select what they are and if i say that the headphones are speakers, they work fine, which leads me to believe that the problem is not something with the front panel but with the drivers. I am running the latest drivers on windows 8.1. Also if you are wondering why I don't just use the headphones in speaker mode, the same problem applies to my mic, my mic is so quiet that in programs like Razer comms it is not even audible. Does anyone have any suggestions, as there is no mic port on the rear i/o. Please help this is very frustrating.
bump..please anyone
Look through all your audio settings (both Realtek AND windows) and see if the front panel has its own volume levels. This would be found in the realtek tray icon, the volume options (right click volume icon) and look though the options there. Also check to see if Windows is automatically setting volume output to 35% due to an input device being detected.
Front panel audio is quite often inferior to rear panel .... unless you have specific high end mobo ... URSOL... so buy a cord ... or.... 200 x more on major upgrade ..... it's how I make do