X1600 screen flicker?!

I have noticed that when I overclock my X1600 on certain games I get the screen flickering when trying to play. Not really flickering but more like there being a small area of scan lines that move down the screen then begin again.
I have noticed this only on certain games, KOTOR, Doom 3 and FEAR being the ones that it happens on. Counterstrike Source runs perfectly while I'm overclocking.
I think that the 3 games mentioned above are OpenGL games so it seems to only happen for them.
Any ideas on how I can fix this?

 

The reason you are seeing that moving line while you are playing is because your graphics card is producing more frames per second than your screen's refresh rate can handle, so you get image tearing. Turning on Vsync should fix this problem; there should be an option in the game's control panel, or if not, you can change it in Windows.

 

Won't that limit the fps? I mean obviously from what you're saying above they need to be limited for these games but I think I read somewhere else about turning vsync on making my max fps 30. I don't remember seeing a vsync option in Doom 3 (thats the one I'm playing now), so I'd have to do it from windows I guess but I'm a bit too lazy to change ot everytime I play a game, although if needs must...

 

It will cap the FPS at your screen's refresh rate, yes. If your video card is producing significantly more FPS than the refresh rate can handle, then it is probably worth it to enable Vsync for more stable gameplay.

 

Enabling V-sync will eliminate this problem. It will drop the performance some, but that's better than image tearing.

 

Just checked and my screens refresh rate is 60Hz. So if I'm understanding you that means that my fps will be capped at 60 which would be fine.

Doom 3 runs fine on stock settings for my card anyway but I was more curious about this for FEAR so when I start playing that it'll run a bit better when OC'ed. But you're right, lower performance is better than screen tearing.

 

I have the problem too, but I hate V-Sync, it murders performance, so I leave it off and I don't mind the tearing.

I just think of it that im getting 60+fps when it tears and thats good.

 

I don't think it really matters if I'm going to get 60fps. I can tell the difference between 30 and 60 though.
One thing I have noticed though is that if I have fraps running then on cs sources menu screen it says I'm getting 300fps but theres no tearing at all. I'm pretty certain that vsync is off in my source as I get up to 90 fps so I don't think they are being limited. It seems that the tearing is only happening on OpenGL games, I think cs and half life are Direct 3D so those seem to be fine.

 

Nope, ive had tearing occur in BF2 which is Direct 3D.

 

Gaming is a far better experience with vsync enabled and better on the eyes.

 

Ok, I just tried playing with vsync on and overclocking the card and the tearing still happens.

 

I'm pretty sure its the monitor's response time, not anything video card related. I get the same issue depending on the colors being displayed. While monitors may have 8ms White-to-Black response times, the real issue is the grey-to-grey times, which is usually ungodly high on laptop LCD's. That's what the "tearing" you're seeing is. Your monitor can't update the subtle color change fast enough so you see the scan line as it changes the color shades.

Of course, I could also be horribly wrong If I'm right though, there's nothing you can do about it.