I have a GeForce 7900 GT (not GTX). I reinstalled Windows a few days back and after I reinstalled my default video drivers (disk) I started getting graphical artefacts while playing SC2. It also gave me a warning when the game started that my video drivers were out of date. I didn't remember off hand which ones I had prior to the fresh install, so I just updated them via Nvidia's website (version 197.45 for the GeForce 7-series). But these new drivers seem to cause a problem: when Windows loads my screen goes black 3 times. each time is very brief, and they occur right after one another. However, the same thing happens when I try and click on the Nvidia "Control Panel" from the system tray, only that one only occurs once, as soon as I click. Anyone have any suggestions to a better driver? Or perhaps another way to resolve the problem? Much thanks!
First question I'd ask is, are you sure that Starcraft 2 can run on the 7 series? I'm assuming you're not running Windows 7 as the 7 series cards have major issues with it correct?
So it seems your card can support the game so long as you play on minimum settings. If it's still artifacting your card is more than likely going bad. Is this card brand new or has it been in you box for 5 years?
only had the card for about 3 years. im pretty sure its just a driver issue though because none of this happened until i reinstalled windows. when i said artefact i didnt mean it in the strictest sense, i just meant that the graphics were goin a little wild when i hovered over certain objects(almost looked like the screen was a piece of paper and it began to fold in on itself at various angles at super-speed). now the artefacts are gone, but the black screen thing is happening. sometimes when i get in a big attack in Starcraft i get a tiny bit of graphical lag too (nothin serious, but i dont think it was there before and itd be nice to be rid of it). again id be really hesitant to say it was a hardware issue just because NONE of this happened until i reinstalled windows and, subsequently, the drivers.
You may want to make sure the fan on the card itself is clean. I remember the 7950's used to get filthy on a regular basis. And a game like SC2 will probably be pushing it fairly hard.
I cleaned the fan today, not that it was that dirty. But I made sure there was very little dust in it, so there's nothing that would be slowing it down or overheating it. The problem is still occurring, though. I'm going to try an earlier driver version.
it could be static do you have your computer on the carpet? If you do try putting it on a desk and grounding it. If you don't think that is the problem you can always test your card by switching to onboard video and trying to access that panel you were having difficulty with. ALSO check your power chord if you are using an old power cord that is not thick enough to actually support your PSU correctly this can cause problems just like this (trust me it happens)
You should replace your power cords every year. Same goes for power strips. It's amazing how much of a difference the cords make. If you buy a good power cord, then slap it on your HDTV the difference is astounding.