Screen flickering when playing games (StarCraft II)

[evanbe]

Hi all,

I built my new rig yesterday and besides some OS installing hiccups everything went well, until I started playing StarCraft 2.

The problem is that the background of the game flickers a lot, like horizontal lines going up and down the screen. When I enable V Sync it is drastically reduced, but still noticeable.

I'm using a sapphire 7870 ghz edition. Other specs are:

cpu: i5 3570k
mobo: asus p8z77-v lx
ram: corsair vengeance 8gb

I've downloaded the latest drivers for the card. I'm also using a vga-dvi adapter, if that makes a difference.

 

[evanbe]

Some extra info (can't edit main post):

It happens in WoW too. When I make all my settings low (both StarCraft and WoW) it stops.

 

[evanbe]

Some updates in case anyone with the same issues come across this thread:

I tried the computer with my TV using a HDMI interface to rule out any problems with the card. It worked completely fine on it, which leads me to believe the problem is the VGA to DVI adapter, or just the analog VGA cable 'incompatible' with such newer cards. I will get a DVI - DVI cable tomorrow (monitor doesn't support HDMI) to see if it stops.

 

[djscribbles]

Glad we could help

 

[maestro0428]

I'm guessing the move to DVI will help. The screws on all of the connections are tight, right? That could be the cause too.

 

[evanbe]

I'm guessing the move to DVI will help. The screws on all of the connections are tight, right? That could be the cause too.

Yeah I've double checked all that. Another thing to note is the flickering doesn't show up in screens or recordings (fraps). Does this just confirm is a problem with the monitor(/cable) and not the computer itself?

 

[djscribbles]

Yes. If you don't see the issue in a screenshot/recording, then the GPU is rendering properly (and the vram is storing the scene properly), and the issue is introduced as it gets shipped to the monitor.

It's possible the GPU has a problem in it's output controller, but it's much much more likely the cable or monitor.

 

[sahaj_pal]

It might be the monitor.
Adjusting screen refresh rate might help