7970: Overdrive+Dual Monitors+Hardware Acceleration = Flicker?

[Brokenstorm]

After some testing, I isolated this problem to the memory clock change back to the default values that occurs when using hardware acceleration.
This change in memory clock causes the flicker on the second screen.

Anyone know how to fix this, it's driving me nuts. (beside disabling overdrive and/or hardware acceleration)

[Activate: AMD]

Can you give more details about the usage cases that are causing flickering? Are you talking about automatic OC'ing overdrive or LCD panel overdrive (I assume the former)? I've got a 7970 with 3 monitors set up. memory downclocks itself to a low-power mode regularly without me seeing any flickering, but I don't have overdrive enabled.

Have you tried manually overclocking using something like Trixx or MSI afterburner to reach the same values that overdrive sets? I've manually overclocked my cards and haven't seen this either.

[Brokenstorm]

Can you give more details about the usage cases that are causing flickering?

Any program that uses hardware acceleration such as Flash or some media player, but games are fine (at least 3D ones). The brief flicker only occurs when hardware acceleration starts or stops.
I'm talking about overdrive from Catalyst Control Center.

Have you tried manually overclocking using something like Trixx or MSI afterburner to reach the same values that overdrive sets? I've manually overclocked my cards and haven't seen this either.

This is the next thing I'm going to try. I've read some conflicting reports on whether it fixes the problem but it can't hurt to try. I just hope it's not a driver problem.

[Activate: AMD]

Any program that uses hardware acceleration such as Flash or some media player, but games are fine (at least 3D ones). The brief flicker only occurs when hardware acceleration starts or stops.
I'm talking about overdrive from Catalyst Control Center.


This is the next thing I'm going to try. I've read some conflicting reports on whether it fixes the problem but it can't hurt to try. I just hope it's not a driver problem.

Interesting, I'll have to see if I can re-create. Do you have the most recent driver?

[Brokenstorm]

Yes, 13.1

[Activate: AMD]

Huh. It does happen. I used MSI afterburner to change clocks with Overdrive disabled in drivers, then fired up MPC-HC with DXVA enabled. I'm using the 12.11 betas that are basically the same as the 13.1 WHQL version. Does not occur when core is overclocked, only memory, and looks like tearing on the screen. Interestingly, it only occurs on 2 of my 3 monitors: the one on dual-link DVI and the one on the HDMI->DVI adapter. The one of the miniDP->DVI didn't exhibit the flicker. I'm not sure I can give you advice about fixing it, but if I can recreate it so easily that points pretty strongly to either a driver issue or a hardware design issue, not something else going on with your software.

[Brokenstorm]

Thanks, I guess I'll just disable hardware acceleration for now.

[Activate: AMD]

Thanks, I guess I'll just disable hardware acceleration for now.

Another alternative would be kind of a kludge, but might work: create two different profiles in your overclocking tool of choice. MSI afterburner will let you do this. Create 2 profiles that are basically identical, but where one has no memory overclock, or is not overclocked at all. Switching to the one without memory overclock before using a hardware accelerated program should allow you to use hardware acceleration without the flicker, then simply flick back again afterwards. Of course, its possible that applying the memory overclock could cause the flicker too.

Or, you know, you could simply deal with it since its predictable and not causing any real harm