The Witcher 3 graphical glitches
The Witcher 3 graphical glitches
I recently replaced my GPU with a GTX 1070. After setting it to ultra settings (Hairworks disabled), I experience this strange flickering issue. It appears only in dim environments like the cave shown in the video, not in brighter areas. The card isn’t overclocked beyond its factory OC limits. I think there might be a memory card problem, though Witcher 3 is the only title with visible artifacts. Other games—Battlefield 1, Far Cry 5, Dishonored 2, Doom, Dark Souls 3—run smoothly. This hasn’t happened with my previous GPU either, but I didn’t use ultra settings then. The card isn’t overclocked beyond factory OC and temperatures stay under control. However, the PCB gets extremely hot to the touch, almost burning me if I touch it. Drivers are up to date. My system uses an Intel Core i7 4770k @ 4.2 GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z97N-Gaming 5 RAM, Crucial Ballistix 16GB DDR3 at 1600 MHz, and the GTX 1070 in a Silverstone Mini Case. Storage is FireCuda 2TB PSU, and I’m using a Philips 243V5LHSB cooler with two PWM fans. The OS is Windows 10 Pro. Is the GPU failing? Are memory modules overheating? Could it be related to the game engine?
It's typical for a GPU's PCB to feel warm when touched. The VRMs generate significant heat while delivering power to the GPU die and memory. Combined with the inherent heat from the GPU and memory, this can cause noticeable warmth. Try reinstalling your display driver using DDU to check if artifacts remain. Run it in Unigine Valley and let it execute a few loops. Avoid using Furmark.
I've tried Valley now and it ran smoothly for over 70 minutes without any problems. There was no flickering or artifacts noticed. However, I noticed the card frequently hits its power target even when set to 110%. The thermal limit wasn't reached. It seems this might be related to artifacting. After playing more Witcher 3, I saw that artifacts consistently appear in the same area—usually on the left side of the screen, upper third. I think a memory issue could be the cause. I looked into it and found articles about GTX 1070 cards with Micron memory experiencing similar instability. It turns out my card uses Micron modules, possibly because they don't receive enough voltage. Zotac hasn't released a BIOS update for this model, and since I bought it used from a friend, warranty support is limited. This was definitely the last Zotac product I purchased.
Attempted the fix but it failed. The game files seemed okay. I looked into the topic and discovered articles about GTX 1070 cards with Micron memory experiencing these kinds of problems. It turns out my card has Micron modules, which might not be getting enough voltage. Zotac hasn't released a BIOS update for that model either.
Sorry to hear that, the issue didn't improve and artifacts remained.
Checked Valley recently and it performed well for over 70 minutes without any problems. No flickering or artifacts were noticed. However, I noticed the card repeatedly approaches its power target even when set to 110%. The thermal target was never reached. After playing more Witcher 3, I saw that the artifacts consistently appear in the same area—on the left side of the screen, upper third.
It appears there may be an issue within the game. It’s hard to tell your location, but checking a YouTube clip from another player in the same area could help. They might face similar problems. I saw a video about encountering artifacting in caves—possibly a widespread problem.