Easy Tweak to Avoid StarCraft II Overheating PC

If you've got StarCraft 2, we don't doubt that you've been enjoying it immensely over the past few days. Of course, like any other new product, there are a number of issues that you should be aware of.

For those of you with exceptionally fast systems but just barely adequate cooling, be aware that there are certain screens that make your hardware work pretty hard, and potentially cause overheating.

Screens that are light on detail may make your system overheat if cooling is overall insufficient. This is because the game has nothing to do so it is primarily just working on drawing the screen very quickly. A temporary workaround is to go to your Documents\StarCraft II Beta\variables.txt file and add these lines:frameratecapglue=30frameratecap=60You may replace these numbers if you want to.

Of course, if you're not having any heat issues, it's nice to know that you're not running with any sort of frame rate cap at all.

Other known issues at present time include:

The installer allows multiple copies of the game to be installedUnlike previous Blizzard installers, this one will always let you install another copy of the game. It does not check for previous installations so be careful of how many folders you end up making.Compatibility Modes will not work properlyAttempting to run StarCraft 2 on a compatibility mode (Windows XP SP3 from Windows 7, for example) will make it crash. Please run the game normally.Black ScreensThere have been multiple reports of black screen issues being related to the use of a Quick Cam webcam.In some cases exiting out of the software has resolved the issue but others have reported a need to uninstall the software for the camera in order to resolve the problem.There are also reports where some security programs like Comodo firewall can cause the game to start and stay on a black screen. We have a list of known bugs that will affect StarCraft II's operations.* A language pack error may occur under certain conditions. - Potential Fix – Ensuring your system clock is correct can help resolve the error. * Players can send voice but do not receive voice in game on Windows 7 machines with Realtek HD Audio sound cards when the Output Device on the Sounds Menu option is set to the Speakers. * Sound does not play properly on some hardware set to 7.1 sound on Windows Vista/Windows 7. - Potential Workaround – Change sound output speaker options to 5.1 or lower. * Changing the OS speaker mode on Windows Vista or Windows 7 while the game is running causes all sound to stop * Players that are attempting to download or install to a Hard Drive using the FAT32 file format will be unable to download or use the digital installer. - Workaround – Download or install the digital client to a NTFS formatted hard drive. * Mac version 10.6 – Occasionally a crash is occurring with Nvidia drivers. * Mac - Using a USB headset will drastically lower in game FPS. * There is a chance where multiple graphic issues may occur for units, structures, terrain, and transmissions. - This tends to be one set of objects (like a supply depot) or level of terrain where textures are swapped or look a bit psychedelic. It doesn't affect the whole game screen or cause any other visual oddities. * Galaxy Editor - Terrain editor lags when dragging the mouse around on the map. * Galaxy Editor - Changing certain values in the Galaxy Editor is causing a crash while in detail view. * Graphical corruption can occur when Paged Pool memory gets low. - Potential Fix – Close unnecessary background applications and restart client.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • fyasko
    better or more case fans maybe?
    Reply
  • Ragnar-Kon
    Mac - Using a USB headset will drastically lower in game FPS.
    HaHahahahaha.... classic.
    How the two are even related boggles my mind.
    Reply
  • xyzionz
    I don't know about all this bugs or whatsoever problems, but I think that starcraft 2 might just become the new furmark lol
    200 units each player in 8 player war hahaha, imagine that
    and clash in the center of big game hunter, wonder that map still around in sc2?
    Reply
  • joytech22
    Fail on blizzards behalf, 11 years to work on a game and it's buggier than Crysis was when released, I think..

    Except it's the opposite, instead of requiring a massive system, SC2 negatively affects high-end systems! :o
    Reply
  • hardcore_gamer
    I'm not having any issues...great game btw :D
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    Is SC2 that much of a graphics intensive game that it is causing overheating problems?The graphics seem dated to me.There is absolutely nothing to justify such performance for what seems like 2 year old graphics.What was twelve years of hype for?SC2 is a good game but nothing as revolutionary as the original was.Maybe the original StarCraft set the bar too high for even its sequel to match.
    Reply
  • bearracuda
    "Sound does not play properly on some hardware set to 7.1 sound on Windows Vista/Windows 7."

    - Potential Workaround – Change sound output speaker options to SUCK or lower.
    Reply
  • Reynod
    Our preordered copy arrives tomorrow morning ... must be the last of the flipping 850,000 preorders I recon ... dead last.

    Jeez Blizzard ... we beta tested for two previous games for you ... you could have given me a freebee this time.

    I still have the music from Starcraft I going round in my head.

    I must have smoked too many cubans with my motorbike helmet on while playing the game eh?
    Reply
  • compprob237
    Graphics intense?
    I got a Pentium IV 2.4ghz (northwood, 800mhz FSB) with 2gb ram and a 6600GT running it without much trouble. Albeit, it's at almost all minimum settings but... that's a 7 year old system (3-4 years for the GPU)?

    Some of these issues I can understand. Some of them though, Some companies just CAN'T test for every single hardware configuration. Hence why they release patches/fixes later on. Think of it like this: if they're releasing patches/fixes at least they're trying to fix the problems. (eyes a certain company that starts with an A that decided to fix the problem only after people started complaining)

    Also, most of these "issues" sound quite minor (except for the Mac issue sounds like driver/interface related and possibly a minor code tweak will fix it).
    Reply
  • on my setup the sound is ONLY in stereo mode. in EACH and EVERY other game i can have 5.1 without any troubles, both analog 5.1 and trough digital dolby pro logic. both do not work in starcraft2. (win7 64, i7, 6gb)

    and yes, it is f.. incredible, that the least pretty the screen, the more fan noise i can hear.
    Reply