I am using an Alien17, i7 laptop. this is a game machine. I have never had a game continually screw-up as GC3. I suffered for 9hrs with the wrong info screened and messages that are cut-off. Silly AI tactics like, building 30 tiny ships and parking them on a planet. When I attack with 10 cruisers and frigates the graphics get all squarely. Then to my horror the cheap-ass game locks-up. Then goes to a black screen. NINE HOURS!!! GONE.
It would help to know what options you took on your Dell Laptop. Did you go with the NVidia or AMD graphics? Have you updated your graphics drivers through the manufacturer and not the Dell or MS sites? Dell and MS have been known to be behind the times as far as those updates go.
It would also help to know what resolution you're using and what UI size you've selected. What size map and difficulty? You know the drill.
Your main issue looks a lot like a graphics card problem, most likely a driver. Some info can help us help you.
