I refuse to flash my card's BIOS unless its an official Leadtek BIOS update because I don't want to void the warranty. I think I may have found my problem though....my PSU is running only 10.9 volts on the 12v rail. Running it with the full factory OC may just be too much on my PSU therefore causing artifacts.
P.S. I am able to run it at 430/1050 with no artifacts. Just not 450/1050.
