Display issues

[KatHug]

Hello there!

I'm looking for a bit of help / advice with a desktop which is a year old from PCspecialist.

I keep getting strange graphical issues with it, namely a series of flickering black shapes that appear on textures. I've noticed smaller black / white squares on some games previously (and chalked it up to the older MMOs I mostly play being a bit jank with newer hardware), but upon playing more intensive titles I've just discovered they're actually pretty big.

The very best way I can explain what's happening is with a short video.

Previously, Ive tried updating drivers (up to date) / changing my monitor (I needed an upgrade anyway) and replacing the appropriate cables, and I've read that I should try and re-seat the graphics card. Admittedly, the idea of doing it terrifies me so I got as far as trying to give it a wobble, seeing that it's in very firmly, and deciding that it's good enough- but I think I now need to take this seriously and find out what's up.

Any help or advice (Perhaps there's something that I've missed checking?) would be wonderful.
Thank you so much for your time.

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Hello there!

I'm looking for a bit of help / advice with a desktop which is a year old from PCspecialist.

I keep getting strange graphical issues with it, namely a series of flickering black shapes that appear on textures. I've noticed smaller black / white squares on some games previously (and chalked it up to the older MMOs I mostly play being a bit jank with newer hardware), but upon playing more intensive titles I've just discovered they're actually pretty big.

The very best way I can explain what's happening is with a short video.

Previously, Ive tried updating drivers (up to date) / changing my monitor (I needed an upgrade anyway) and replacing the appropriate cables, and I've read that I should try and re-seat the graphics card. Admittedly, the idea of doing it terrifies me so I got as far as trying to give it a wobble, seeing that it's in very firmly, and deciding that it's good enough- but I think I now need to take this seriously and find out what's up.

Any help or advice (Perhaps there's something that I've missed checking?) would be wonderful.
Thank you so much for your time.

Hiya, can you post your full specs from the order page?

 

[KatHug]

Sure thing! Thanks for responding so quickly!

Case CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU) AMD Ryzen 7 5700X Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.6GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket PCS ARGB GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st Storage Drive 2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR |
530MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA
QUIET
Power Cable 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting 2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card 2.5G ETHERNET PCI-EXPRESS CARD (10/100/1000M/2.5G) (1 x RJ45)
Wireless Network Card WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options 2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads
from Online Account
Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Google Chrome™
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year
Labour)
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Welcome Book PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Sure thing! Thanks for responding so quickly!

Case CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU) AMD Ryzen 7 5700X Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.6GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket PCS ARGB GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st Storage Drive 2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR |
530MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA
QUIET
Power Cable 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting 2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card 2.5G ETHERNET PCI-EXPRESS CARD (10/100/1000M/2.5G) (1 x RJ45)
Wireless Network Card WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options 2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads
from Online Account
Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Google Chrome™
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year
Labour)
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Welcome Book PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

Thanks. Sorry for the delay in responding, am watching a live YouTube stream which is really LONG!

What's the make and model screen you're using and what specific titles is this happening with? Are you adjusting settings or just cranking to max?

 

[KatHug]

Haha, no worries! I appreciate you taking the time to advise on this regardless!

The first monitor I noticed this happening to was an Iiyama G-Master G2730HSU-B1. I figured that maybe the 75hz refresh rate was too low for the card (and AMD Freesync is useless with this machine), so I swapped it out for an ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q at 144hz. No improvement, sadly.

As for the titles this is happening with, I noticed small grey/black/white squares at certain points on FFXI (when I'm capturing it mostly), and more of them on FFXIV. Since XI is a 20 year old game, I imagined that the card just don't play nicely with it given that it's ancient. With XIV, i figured it was just DX11 jank to go with the fact it's so horribly optimized for PC.

I only really noticed the larger squares today, having installed and started playing Baldur's Gate 3, and they happen on DX11 and Vulcan. Weirdly, they don't happen in cinematic cutscenes, only in actual gameplay. Part of me wonders if the shapes are just bigger because BG3 is far more intensive than what I normally play, but the cinematics are super clean even though my computer's trying harder with those.

As for settings, I've experimented with a bunch of stuff. I've disabled subsurface scattering, DLSS, ambient occlusion, even god rays (and reenabled since that did nothing) as well as being desperate enough to change anti-aliasing between SMAA, TAA and DLAA thinking maybe that's it. I've even got desperate enough to limit FPS to 60 just in case it is an issue with refresh rates, but no dice.

I've even, purely out of desperation, opened up the nvidia control panel to take a poke around but most of that's right over my head.

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Haha, no worries! I appreciate you taking the time to advise on this regardless!

The first monitor I noticed this happening to was an Iiyama G-Master G2730HSU-B1. I figured that maybe the 75hz refresh rate was too low for the card (and AMD Freesync is useless with this machine), so I swapped it out for an ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q at 144hz. No improvement, sadly.

As for the titles this is happening with, I noticed small grey/black/white squares at certain points on FFXI (when I'm capturing it mostly), and more of them on FFXIV. Since XI is a 20 year old game, I imagined that the card just don't play nicely with it given that it's ancient. With XIV, i figured it was just DX11 jank to go with the fact it's so horribly optimized for PC.

I only really noticed the larger squares today, having installed and started playing Baldur's Gate 3, and they happen on DX11 and Vulcan. Weirdly, they don't happen in cinematic cutscenes, only in actual gameplay. Part of me wonders if the shapes are just bigger because BG3 is far more intensive than what I normally play, but the cinematics are super clean even though my computer's trying harder with those.

As for settings, I've experimented with a bunch of stuff. I've disabled subsurface scattering, DLSS, ambient occlusion, even god rays (and reenabled since that did nothing) as well as being desperate enough to change anti-aliasing between SMAA, TAA and DLAA thinking maybe that's it. I've even got desperate enough to limit FPS to 60 just in case it is an issue with refresh rates, but no dice.

I've even, purely out of desperation, opened up the nvidia control panel to take a poke around but most of that's right over my head.

It suggests a limitation on VRAM, the 3060ti is only 8Gb, which isn't enough for a lot of modern titles even at 1080p. Once you're moving up to 1440p, it's certainly not enough. The only way is to reduce textures in the game settings. The fact it doesn't happen in cutscenes is likely as they're possibly pre-rendered, more of a movie clip display output.

Then if you're factoring streaming, I take it you're using the GPU for the stream? That will be further reducing the available VRAM for the game.

Are you using OBS for the stream?

There are a couple of things you can try just as a test to confirm if it is VRAM allocation, you can use something like GPU-Z or MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner to monitor VRAM usage in game, but this won't show how it's allocated. For a consclusive test, you can temporarily move the stream to the CPU to offload the VRAM so the game is utilising it as much as possible, and then monitor the usage

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[BlessedSquirrel]

If you skip to 19:06 in this video it gives some examples of the issues seen once VRAM is overutilised

Skip to 23:10 for the specific Texture issue that may be similar to your issue

 

[KatHug]

Oh, interesting! Ive downloaded the program you mentioned and yes, I see that the card is stated to have a max memory of 8192mb and while BG3 is running it is chewing through 7346mb... which seems way too close to maximum for comfort. A cursory test on XIV shows 2672mb used, and XI (bless it) shows a paltry 993mb. The strange thing is the flickering still happens on both XI and XIV (in a much smaller scale), and turning down the textures to medium, and then to low, on BG3 made no difference at all. Apologies if I'm sounding stupid, btw!

Also, thank you for the videos! I must admit, I haven't noticed stuttering, and 23:10 seems to show the intended textures rendering slowly? I hate to sound contrary, but that doesn't seem like the problems I'm having at all. I posted a little video in the thread's start showing big black shapes appearing on BG3's textures, but I haven't noticed an issue with delay on the proper textures being loaded.

One more thing bc I overlooked some elements of your response: I don't stream, sadly. I'm just using youtube to host some plot vids from these games!

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

I posted a little video in the thread's start showing big black shapes appearing on BG3's textures, but I haven't noticed an issue with delay on the proper textures being loaded.

Yes, that tends to point to the textures failing to load.

Just out of interest, what setting are you adjusting to lower the textures?

The other thing we can try as a first port of call, as leaving out BF3, the other two certainly won't be reaching any VRAM limitation, is to fully uninstall the GPU drivers and reinstall them.

You can't do this within the normal windows uninstall options, you need to use a program called DDU:

Using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to fully remove graphics drivers

Hi all A very staple part of troubleshooting graphics issues is using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller). Graphics drivers are one of those annoying products that the in built uninstaller doesn't actually fully uninstall it, and so these wonderful developers created DDU which is an industry...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Try that and then reinstall the latest drivers after rebooting. Then we can do some further testing.

 

[KatHug]

Hi again! Sorry about the belated response (sleep and work come first, sadly) but I'm adjusting each game's respective settings in the options for them. (aside from XI, it doesn't even have that) Is there a better way to do it? Apologies if there is, I'm completely oblivious with the technical side of stuff.

I'm going to use DDU now, and I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[KatHug]

Hi there! Bad news. I used DDU to uninstall (clean and restart) the existing drivers and I'm still having the same problems on XI, XIV and BG3.

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Hi there! Bad news. I used DDU to uninstall (clean and restart) the existing drivers and I'm still having the same problems on XI, XIV and BG3.

Another thing is download and install furmark, run it for 10 minutes, at the end take a screenshot of hwmonitor on the gpu and cpu, check for any artifacting while it’s running

FurMark Homepage

FurMark - GPU stress test and graphics card benchmark

geeks3d.com

HWMONITOR | Softwares | CPUID

HWMonitor for Windows® x86/x64 is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, powers, currents, fans speed, utilizations, clock speeds ... The program handles : CPU and GPU-level hardware monitoring...

www.cpuid.com

 

[KatHug]

Hi again Spyder!

I ran Furmark with HWmonitor running, and strangely, I didn't notice any artifacts at all. Sorry this one's turning out so weird!

Here are the HWmonitor logs, hopefully, they're helpful.

Edit: Side question.
Whatever's going on with my GPU, as you pointed out the vram really isn't enough for modern games and I'm now looking for an alternative GPU.

This troubleshooting (and all of your efforts!) will determine whether or not what's going with the card is reason to RMA, or, if it is working correctly and this issue is caused by something else (and I can sell it in good conscience to recoup some of the cost of the new card)

I've seen the RTX 4070ti (12gb) for a really decent price while looking around and I was wondering if you foresee any issues with compatibility with my existing system? Apologies for 2 questions all at once but I'm just trying to get my ducks in a row.