Hello. I have been getting an error with my new card when I try and play Counter-strike Global Offensive and Starcraft 2. The screen in game flickers sometimes, or shows desktop thru it for a millisecond, or also now just went completely black and didn't come back and I had to reset the computer.
 
I have updated my BIOS to the latest version (1304), and have tried both geforce video drivers (344.11 & 344.16) with  the same problem occurring. It is a completely new computer, I have installed a new Windows 7 - 64 bit ultimate o/s, and updated it completely. I have tried a different cable to my monitor and the problem still persists. I am not overclocked, and not running high temperatures. Currently my temps are; CPU @ 26C idle, GPU 31C idle. In game the highest I have seen the GPU get is 64C. It seems to me like a driver issue, especially since the frame rate is very stable and ridiculously high in games and not stuttering at all, even when the screen is flickering or going black. It is also not happening on desktop after restarting several times, until I game then get the problem (unless I have just been lucky so far). Also one last thing, I have set the Physx in Nvidia control panel to CPU instead of auto and its still happening, and I have switched Power Management Mode to "prefer maximum performance" from "adaptive" with the same issues. Thanks for any and all help, its much appreciated!
 
Specs:
Cpu: Intel Core i5-4690K w/ CM Nepton 140XL Liquid Cooling
Mobo: Asus Z97-A LGA1150
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB DDR3-1866
GPU: EVGA GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX
SSD: Crucial MX100 512GB SSD
PSU: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Fully-Modular
Case: Corsair Air 540 Cube
Oper Sys: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit SP1

Greetings, and welcome to the eVGA forums! 

Your spec list is thorough, but you didn't say what kind of monitor and cable you're using (DVI, HDMI). Are you using a computer monitor, or a television as your monitor? Have you experimented with the different antialiasing options in your games? Does the problem persist when you switch between full screen and windowed mode? Lastly (and I'm sure this next question is unnecessary), when you downloaded the NVidia drivers, were they the GTX 970 Windows 7 64-Bit specific drivers?

EVGATech_JamesR
In order to try and narrow this down a bit more, could you install this card in another computer and see if the issue follows with it? Typically, if the issue does follow, then the card itself might have an issue and may need to be replaced, a process we're happy to help with. If the problem disappears in the second system, I would suggest re-installing the card in your system and making sure that the card is seated properly in the PCI-E slot. It should be screwed in at the bracket so as to prevent it from drooping in the slot. If that doesn't fix the issue, try testing your system wit a spare power supply.

I don't know if I can install the card on my older computer because the specs are pretty old. It is a Xeon 3350 Quad Core @ 2.66GHZ (same as Q9450), 4GB DDR2-1066MHZ ram, and a Coolermaster 850W Silent Pro Modular power supply. It currently is running an EVGA GTX 460 - 768MB GPU. I tried reseating the card, and it did nothing. It was also screwed in very snug so it definitely was not drooping.

 
 

markd76
Greetings, and welcome to the eVGA forums! 

Your spec list is thorough, but you didn't say what kind of monitor and cable you're using (DVI, HDMI). Are you using a computer monitor, or a television as your monitor? Have you experimented with the different antialiasing options in your games? Does the problem persist when you switch between full screen and windowed mode? Lastly (and I'm sure this next question is unnecessary), when you downloaded the NVidia drivers, were they the GTX 970 Windows 7 64-Bit specific drivers?

Hello and thank you both for the replies! I was using a DVI cable and had the problem, so tried a brand new HDMI cable, and it still persisted. I switched back again to the DVI and it happened yet again. It is a 27" Asus gaming monitor I have used for the past 2 years with my other computer without a problem ever, so I can rule that out I believe. The problem happens at both full screen and windowed mode, and the drivers are the correct versions for the GTX 970 - Win 7 64 Bit.

I was advised from another forum to try "Kboost" and see if the problem is still there. So Ima go ahead and give that a shot now. Also the screen in the last few attempts, has went from flickering real quick, to black screen for 4-5 seconds, then permanently until resetting my computer with the front panel switch.
 

dingo_boy99
In addition to the previous two answers, if you're using evga Precision X 16, disable it and see if the issue persists.  Plenty of threads out there complaining about it causing issues in a multitude of games - crashes, missing cursors in some games, etc.  My idle GPU temps on SLI 560 Ti was ~50*C with X 16, while they sit at ~32*C with precision X 4.2.1.

Ok thank you, I will try uninstalling Precision X16 it if this Kboost feature does not work and report back.

Apathetik

dingo_boy99
In addition to the previous two answers, if you're using evga Precision X 16, disable it and see if the issue persists.  Plenty of threads out there complaining about it causing issues in a multitude of games - crashes, missing cursors in some games, etc.  My idle GPU temps on SLI 560 Ti was ~50*C with X 16, while they sit at ~32*C with precision X 4.2.1.

Your suggestion to remove EVGA Precision X16 worked! That apparently was the entire problem. Since I uninstalled it and restarted, I haven't had a problem now. We played games (CS:GO, BF3, and Starcraft 2) last night for about 8 hours without a hiccup or problem. Thanks for the wise words and help everyone, especially you Dingo_boy!

Congrats! Glad the problem was solved!