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Author Topic: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.  (Read 27947 times)

Euphytose

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Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« on: July 27, 2016, 12:57:21 PM »

I got a new PC a few months ago, installed Starsector and noticed flickering in certain location during certain events. I got a bit annoyed and left the game. An hour ago I decided to upgrade my drivers, and the issue is still here. The previous ones were months behind.

On the main menu, when I open the codex, sometimes the planets in the background appear first instead of the black background. During gameplay, when I'm in a choice screen (attack, retreat etc), the screen will flash white for one frame periodically. When I'm in a shop, some items will flicker, always in the same locations regardless of what items they are.

In combat, when I open the map, it will sometimes flash white. If I move the map the flashing moves as well, it's limited to the map. If I move the map so that it takes like 10 pixels wide on one side, then only this will flash white.

This could be a GPU failure, but it was here when I first got it, and I played loads of game since then, very graphic intensive, and even ran a few benchmark tests that brought the GPU to its knees at 10 fps, but no crash/freeze/flickering here.

Previously I was using a GTX 460 with very old drivers and the game ran flawlessly.

I cannot downgrade drivers to the ones I was using previously, the card doesn't support them. I tried using the oldest available, no luck. The latest is the one I'm using and the issue is here. Either it's a GPU failure, or the GPU has something that's not compatible with transparency.

In Overwatch, when I inspect a profile while playing, there's also the same kind of transparency, black with things moving behind, and the same type of "background takes over" thing happens every now and then. So it's not totally limited to Starsector, but so far only these two games have shown that kind of behavior.

If somebody is using a GTX 960 with this game then please tell me what drivers you're using, if you OC'd (I haven't), etc...

Other than that, the game still runs flawless, no crash no freeze no framerate drops or anything. Just this flickering but it's really annoying.

Thanks in advance.
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Alex

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2016, 01:27:30 PM »

Hmm. Can you try going to your NVIDIA control panel and trying difference values on the performance/quality slider to see if that makes a difference?
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TJJ

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2016, 02:06:29 PM »

For completeness it might help to know your full specs, along with Windows version, and driver version.
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Euphytose

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2016, 04:48:50 PM »

Hmm. Can you try going to your NVIDIA control panel and trying difference values on the performance/quality slider to see if that makes a difference?

I'd rather not mess with something that affects every application. I can change the settings specific to the game though, if you know what could be causing this. I'm already using no v-sync (no change), and forced single monitor profile (no change either). The transparency stuff is turned off, I'm not forcing any kind of AA or anything that the game doesn't have.

For completeness it might help to know your full specs, along with Windows version, and driver version.

i5 4590 3.7ghz, 8gb ddr3, gtx 960, Windows 7 SP1, 368.69 for the drivers. One version before the latest because they create BSOD according to many people.

The system is pretty much bare bones, I have the strict necessary programs, nothing that I know of could interfere with the GPU. I'm not even using Nvidia experience, just the basic driver. Starsector is one of the first programs I installed because it's light, so I tested it before anything else. I thought it was just a driver problem but apparently not. But the GPU is stable and so are all the games so I find that strange.
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Alex

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2016, 05:11:15 PM »

I'd rather not mess with something that affects every application. I can change the settings specific to the game though, if you know what could be causing this.

I just meant to test and see if that helps, and then set back to whatever value it was on to begin with afterwards. I'm not sure what specific settings might be involved, because...

I thought it was just a driver problem but apparently not. But the GPU is stable and so are all the games so I find that strange.

... this still does sound like it's likely a driver issue - unfortunately, having the latest version doesn't mean "no issues". So it might really be anything, as far as what setting might help push the driver down a different code path.
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Euphytose

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2016, 05:51:53 PM »

The idle indicator can go up to 104% when nothing is happening. There's something wrong here but could it be related? The flashing happens independently though.
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Alex

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2016, 05:57:38 PM »

Possibly something to do with double/triple buffering, perhaps? I'm sorry I'm not being more helpful - this sort of thing is just very difficult to diagnose remotely.
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Euphytose

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2016, 06:14:29 PM »

I'm not using v-sync so there shouldn't be any issue with this. I forced it off through control panel, I'm getting 63 fps which I assume is a limit you set. I was getting this as well on the previous rig.

I really don't know what could cause this. I'm sure it has to do with transparency. I'd rather have huge texture corruption and stuff like that at this point so I'd know for sure that the card was "dying on arrival". But after running benchmarks it would have shown signs.

I know that some cards were completely unable to run a few games, but it was mostly when ATI was still around instead of AMD so it was a long time ago.

In Overwatch when I stay on the screen that triggers the flashing and moves stuff around I can occasionally get it to glitch a bit, corrupting the text and such. That's when I thought the card was defective. But then again it would be very specific and when a card is dying it usually shows signs. The previous one actually died on me when I was playing Starsector, screen got "warped" in wave shapes, almost like an EMP went off in a movie, went black, and after reboot I was greeted with a BSOD until I deactivated the GPU... Anyway, I hope it either breaks now or I find where the issue is because it's really annoying. I've actually not been playing the game because of this. I can play but the flickering is way too annoying. If it only happened in the main menu I'd have ignored it. Since it happens in Overwatch in that specific screen, it's not Starsector, it's clearly the driver or the card, or even the slot on the mobo. Other games have transparency and didn't flicker so it's just that one type that seems to trigger it.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 06:16:17 PM by Euphytose »
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Alex

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2016, 06:22:46 PM »

:(

This is super weird, actually, because afaik Overwatch (like I'd say the majority of games) uses DirectX, while Starsector uses OpenGL. If it was another OpenGL game, then they'd have that in common and it'd make sense why other stuff might have been working properly, but they don't, and so it doesn't.

Have you tried fullscreen, windowed undecorated fullscreen, undecorated windowed, and regular windowed modes? That might possibly make a difference.
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Euphytose

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2016, 06:34:08 PM »

Yeah, tried that as well. I'm also really puzzled by this. The best solution would be to buy another card but it's also a very expensive solution and I really don't have money to spend in that right now. :-\

I wish someone here were using the same card so at least I'd know what drivers they're using and could try using them as well. Although I doubt that it's going to work since I tried every major driver branch and the old and latest both have the issue so if it's in the drivers it's something I'm going to be stuck with until they decide to fix their stuff.

PS: Going to sleep so I won't be able to answer for a bit, apparently it's only 1pm where the forums are located so... Have a nice day! :)
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 06:38:38 PM by Euphytose »
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Alex

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2016, 06:37:06 PM »

I guess another option would be to take a chance on the maybe-BSOD-causing driver version? (Though I'd hesitate to recommend that, as BSODs aren't something to trifle with.) Or returning the card for a refund, if that's an option. That it's not working w/ Overwatch is concerning, Blizzard tends to be very good about their stuff running everywhere etc.
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Euphytose

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2016, 06:43:24 PM »

Heh, going to reply to this. It is working with Overwatch, I've played more than 150 hours already. It's just that when I inspect profiles while playing, there's a transparency effect, so it triggers the flashing. It's the only place in the game that has it, it works flawlessly otherwise. Just like Starsector works flawlessly, but the transparency effects trigger this. It would probably happen in every game that uses the same effect which is why I find it strange, even after trying various drivers.

The BSOD risky driver is the same main branch, I really don't think it's worth it. The main changes are for virtual reality. On Reddit a lot of people are reporting crashes with various games (and BSOD) which is why I stayed away. These days you have to wait until the guinea pigs try the drivers before you use them, the quality has really gone down. A few years ago you could install all recent drivers with no issue. Sigh.
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Gothars

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2016, 02:21:14 AM »

I wish someone here were using the same card so at least I'd know what drivers they're using and could try using them as well.

I do have the same card, actually. Or, more precisely, the 4096MB MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GD5T OC. I've been always just using standard drivers with standard settings and at no point did I notice any flickering.

Sounds to me like it really might be a hardware issue with the card.
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The game was completed 8 years ago and we get a free expansion every year.

Arranging holidays in an embrace with the Starsector is priceless.

Euphytose

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2016, 04:43:44 AM »

 :-\

I've been using it since March, this would be the most "amazing" hardware error I've seen. But then again my previous card showed texture corruption at some point and worked for another year so...

What driver version are you using?
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Weltall

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Re: Flickering on a GTX 960 with latest drivers.
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2016, 04:50:52 AM »

Only because recently I thought my GPU was ready to be thrown out of the window, and if things go south with the drivers, I would suggest trying to remove it from your PC, clean it's connection and put it back in.

Randomly my GPU started giving me artifacts and errors and the PC would get stuck. I tried removing the static a handful of times, holding the power button while the PC was not connected, but sadly it did not work.

I just then took it off, cleared the dust and when I put it back on, it was as if it never had a problem. It was weird cause if I did not try to play a game or watch a video, it would not have problems. As soon as I did, it would show artifacts and eventually get stuck. That feminine part of the computers, that I will never understand..
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Ignorance is bliss..
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