A little problem with pro tools first

[azaroth]

Hello there everyone! Its been some time since I used pro tools (LE 8 to be exact) so when First was announced i was waiting to get my hands on it, and now that its here i have an issue.
No matter what i do i can not open the hardware playback option, it just freezes. Then no matter what setting in the playback option i use (interface buffer and all that) i can not get rid of the popping, clicking, and noise that comes with the playback. anyone have any advice?
Rig: Eleven rack current drivers, or asus xonar essence STX, win 8.1, overclocked 3770k, 16 gigs 1866 ram, WD caviar black enterprise edition 1.5 Tb, water cooled.)