[FFmpeg-user] gdigrab just capturing a still frame when using window title

[Kenn Sippell]

Hello!  I am attempting to use ffmpeg to record some video games. In this
scenario I'm recording Dota 2 from my PC (working great) and from my laptop
(having some problems).

ffmpeg -f gdigrab -i desktop output.flv

This command works fine on both my PC and my laptop.

ffmpeg -f gdigrab -i title="Dota 2" output.flv

This command works fine on my PC but does not work on my laptop.  On my
laptop, I'm often seeing either a) the game window is transparent, and I
can see the desktop or other windows beneath it, or b) a single random
frame from the game. In all cases the mouse is capturing accurately.

My laptop has two graphic cards:

   - Intel HD Graphics 4600
   - nVidia GeForce GTX 860M

I thought this might just be a manifestation of this sort of issue --
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/laptop-black-screen-when-capturing-read-here-first.5965
But I've tried configuring ffmpeg.exe as described with no results.

Is this a well understood issue or one I can work around in gdigrab?
Is there an alternative to gdigrab that can capture the game in Windows?
I'm very performance conscious for my scenario (minimize CPU), is there an
alternative to gdigrab that is less CPU intense?

Bonus round lol --- Can anybody explain (or direct me to some reading
material which would explain) what is happening under the covers here?

Cheers!
Kenn