Q: Sometimes while benchmarking I get a message saying "Display Window lost focus", and the benchmark run stops. What's causing this?
A: The "Display Window lost focus" message means that some other application running in the background takes the primary focus, which means that the benchmark run may be affected and thus quits. To "fix" this problem, please close any open applications, background programs and automated tasks such as antivirus utilities, email software, online chat applications etc.

Q: I've lost my registration code, how can I get it back?
A: If you have used the ORB with your registration key, you can find all of your registration details from the ORB Profile Manager. You can access the Profile Manager from the ORB left navigation bar. If your registration key is not listed, please contact Futuremark Support using the support form and include your full name and all purchase details.

Q: After updating 3DMark03 to the latest Build 350 I get an error message 'Direct3D initialization failed'.
A: Please update to DirectX 9c as 3DMark03 Build 350 requires DX 9c in order to work.

Q: I just installed a new ATI X800 or NVIDIA GeForceFX 6800 graphics adapter and now 3DMark03 won't start! How can this be corrected?
A: 3DMark03 may require a small hotfix to be installed in order to operate correctly with the latest graphics adapters. More details about this hotfix can be found here: http://www.futuremark.com/download/hotfix/3dmark03/ Please note that the hotfix corrects a problem related to the System Info component in 3DMark03, so it does not affect test results in any way.

Q: I can't publish my project, what gives?
A: Check your project. There is a possibility that SystemInfo has partially failed and your CPU or Display Adapter information was incomplete. This is seen by the user that CPU/DA information is either displayed as "Unknown" or the field is blank. This is unfortunate, but you still can submit your project. Unfortunately, since the projects details are incomplete thus making the project invalid, you can't publish it.

Q: Why can't my PC run the 3DMark demo in looping mode for more than a few days?
A: We know both private persons and professionals use the 3DMark looping mode for system stability testing. This is probably a good test, but it is not what 3DMark was designed for. 3DMark was developed for single benchmark runs, or a few repeated benchmark runs in batchrun mode. We are aware that 3DMark does not loop the demo or the benchmark forever. After a few days of continuous looping the system might exit to desktop or abort the looping in other ways. Even though this has been thoroughly investigated, we do not know if the limited looping time is due to problems in the benchmark code, the graphics drivers, Microsoft DirectX, or the Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Q: I have a Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB display adapter, but 3DMark03 says that the card is "out of memory" when I try to run the benchmark in 1600x1200 with 6xFSAA and 16xAF + post processing. Is my card broken or what's the problem?
A: No. All those settings are very demanding for your card (any card) that it runs out of memory, causing it to quit the test. Unfortunately there's currently no work-around for this.

Q: I have the Radeon 9600 Pro, and 3DMark03 doesn't show me the core & mem MHz. What's wrong?
A: This is a known issue, and will be fixed in a possible future update to 3DMark03.

Q: When I run the 3DMark03 Demo with my GeForce FX 5800 Ultra, the ground is black in the "Wings of Fury" part where the airplane crashes. I am using the latest Win2k drivers from NVIDIA!
A: This is most likely a display driver issue under Windows2000. Please visit NVIDIA for possible new driver updates.

Q: Why can't I run 3DMark03 with Anisotropic Filtering (instead of the default "Optimal") with my GeForce FX 5800 Ultra? The screen flashes white and nothing happens! I am using the latest official drivers (45.43) from NVIDIA.
A: You need to set the Quality Settings to "Application" from the NVIDIA display properties. The "Quality" or "Performance" settings do not work. The default setting that the driver uses is "Quality" and this does not allow AS filtering.

Q: I have the Radeon 9600 Pro, and 3DMark03 doesn't show me the core & mem MHz. What's wrong?
A: This is a known issue, and will be fixed in a possible future update to 3DMark03.

Q: When I run the 3DMark03 Demo with my GeForce FX 5800 Ultra, the ground is black in the "Wings of Fury" part where the airplane crashes. I am using the latest Win2k drivers from NVIDIA!
A: This is most likely a display driver issue under Windows2000. Please visit NVIDIA for possible new driver updates.

Q: Why can't I run 3DMark03 with Anisotropic Filtering (instead of the default "Optimal") with my GeForce FX 5800 Ultra? The screen flashes white and nothing happens! I am using the latest official drivers (45.43) from NVIDIA.
A: You need to set the Quality Settings to "Application" from the NVIDIA display properties. The "Quality" or "Performance" settings do not work. The default setting that the driver uses is "Quality" and this does not allow AS filtering.

Q: Why is the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra core and mem MHz detected as 300/600? Shouldn't they be 500/1000?
A: The GeForce FX 5800 Ultra slows down to 300/600 in 2D mode, and since 3DMark03 checks the MHz in 2D mode, the MHz are shown accordingly. Link to this FAQ entry: http://service.futuremark.com/support/search.jsp?cid=9&fid=1211

Q: When launching 3DMark03 I get "Failed to open file \3DMark03\data/fonts/color_tahoma.pcx", any ideas?
A: This issue has been fixed in the latest 3DMark03 patch. You can download the patch from here or the full 3DMark03, version 320, from here.

Q: I have onboard AC97 soundcard and when launching 3DMark03 I get a BSOD/my PC reboots. What gives?
A: Your soundcards drivers are outdated. You can get the latest ones from your motherboard manufacturer, or you can try these generic AC97 compatible drivers that have fixed this issue for many of our users.

Q: I can't install 3DMark03 because I have so little free space on C: What to do?
A: This issue has been fixed in the latest 3DMark03 patch. You can download the patch from here or the full 3DMark03, version 320, from here.

Q: I have a Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card, and yet my fps counter is above 30 the scene is it still stuttering. Why?
A: It is most likely some driver issue. There is a temporarily solution for this though. Open your Display properties, go to the Settings tab, click on Advanced, click on the Troubleshoot tab, and move the slider one notch to the left. It should fix it. Also future driver releases from ATI should fix this.

Q: I have a ATI FireGL X1 card which is based on the same core (R300) as Radeon9700 Pro, but I can't run the Mother Nature test (GT4). Why?
A: The current drivers for the ATI FireGL X1 seem to support DX8 features only. Please check www.ati.com for any updated drivers.

Q: If I try to run 3DMark03 without DirectX9.0, I get some error about some missing "DLL". Why is this?
A: The installer checks your DirectX version, and gives you an error message if you have any older version installed. However, it still lets you install 3DMark03. 3DMark03 does check that all the needed resources and features are correctly installed when benchmarking, so you can not run the benchmark without having DX9.0 installed.

Q: If I run GameTest2, GameTest3 or the RagTroll tests in DirectX Debug mode on, I get some error message! What's wrong?
A: The shadow texture projection is done using DirectX fixed function, and DirectX gives you an error in debug DX. It is most likely an issue in DX. Avoid using debug DX with 3DMark03.

Q: Why does 3DMark03 try to send something to the net when the splash screen appears? It seems to contact Microsoft!
A: It is a Microsoft WHQL signature check, and has nothing to do with 3DMark03. You can disable it by running the dxdiag, and uncheck the "Check for WHQL digital signatures" checkbox.

Q: I have a new motherboard with onboard soundcard. I checked the manual and it says "6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board", still I can't run the sound tests in 3DMark03. What's wrong?
A: If your motherboard has a AC 97 sound system onboard, it doesn't natively support hardware 3D sounds. In order to get the sound tests to run, you need to get yourself a soundcard that supports 3D sounds in hardware.

Q: I have a GeForce4 MX card! I can run the 1st game test in the benchmark but I can't run the demo. Why?
A: You need a DX7.x compliant card to run the GT1, but you need a card that is capable of PixelShader 1.1 in order to run the demo. Such cards are GeForce3, 4 Ti series, Radeon 8500 and 9700 series.

Q: I have a SoundBlaster Live! soundcard, and when I run the 60 sound test, it gives me an error. What's wrong?
A: The SoundBlaster Live! isn't supposed to run that test. The card doesn't support 60 3D sounds in hardware. It has been corrected in later drivers. Please visit Creative and download the latest drivers.

Q: The demo is very much like the benchmark. Why is it still looking a bit different (in the favour of the demo)?
A: The post-processing effect is on in the demo. It is as an benchmark option in the settings, but only for Pro users. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: I have a Xabre graphics card. It says in your min requirements that I need a PixelShader 1.1 compliant card to run the demo. As far as I know, the Xabre supports 1.1 pixel shaders. I can't use the post-processing filters either. Why?
A: Both problems relate to the fact that the Xabre can not render to texture unless the target size is 2 potency. It still manages to run the default benchmark.

Q: I have the ATI Radeon 8500, and my system locks up in the beginning of game test 2.
A: Please update your drivers. You can download the latest from ATI.

Q: I have the ATI Radeon 8500, and the screen is completely black in the demo. Help!
A: Please update your drivers. You can download the latest from ATI.

Q: All tests & demo jerk a lot with my GeForce Ti 4600. What's wrong?
A: You most probably have old drivers installed. Please head over to Nvidia and download the latest drivers.

Q: I have a new motherboard with onboard soundcard. I checked the manual and it says "6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board", still I can't run the sound tests in 3DMark03. What's wrong?
A: If your motherboard has a AC 97 sound system onboard, it doesn't natively support hardware 3D sounds. In order to get the sound tests to run, you need to get yourself a soundcard that supports 3D sounds in hardware.

Q: I have a GeForce4 MX card! I can run the 1st game test in the benchmark but I can't run the demo. Why?
A: You need a DX7.x compliant card to run the GT1, but you need a card that is capable of PixelShader 1.1 in order to run the demo. Such cards are GeForce3, 4 Ti series, Radeon 8500 and 9700 series.

Q: I have a SoundBlaster Live! soundcard, and when I run the 60 sound test, it gives me an error. What's wrong?
A: The SoundBlaster Live! isn't supposed to run that test. The card doesn't support 60 3D sounds in hardware. It has been corrected in later drivers. Please visit Creative and download the latest drivers.

Q: The demo is very much like the benchmark. Why is it still looking a bit different (in the favour of the demo)?
A: The post-processing effect is on in the demo. It is as an benchmark option in the settings, but only for Pro users. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: I have a Xabre graphics card. It says in your min requirements that I need a PixelShader 1.1 compliant card to run the demo. As far as I know, the Xabre supports 1.1 pixel shaders. I can't use the post-processing filters either. Why?
A: Both problems relate to the fact that the Xabre can not render to texture unless the target size is 2 potency. It still manages to run the default benchmark.

Q: I have the ATI Radeon 8500, and my system locks up in the beginning of game test 2.
A: Please update your drivers. You can download the latest from ATI.

Q: I have the ATI Radeon 8500, and the screen is completely black in the demo. Help!
A: Please update your drivers. You can download the latest from ATI.

Q: All tests & demo jerk a lot with my GeForce Ti 4600. What's wrong?
A: You most probably have old drivers installed. Please head over to Nvidia and download the latest drivers.

Q: Why is the default benchmark resolution still 1024x768?
A: 3DMark03 is heavy enough on your graphics card in that resolution. You can change the resolution in the Pro version. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: Why is the demo resolution 800x600?
A: Because we wanted everyone to get the best possible fps in the demo. Upping it to 1024x768 would have caused a significant fps hit with some older graphics cards, and we thought 640x480 was too low. You can change the demo resolution in the Pro version, and the demo is infact designed to be viewed in 1024x768 resolution. That is the resolution we recommend, if you hardware is up to it. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: The Online ResultBrowser is giving me a hard time when submitting results. I get all kinds of warnings and stuff. What's wrong?
A: Free version users have a limit of 5 results in the ORB, plus only 1 can be published simultaniously. You need to delete your old results in order to submit more, or then go for the Pro version to get unlimited results in the database. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: Why can't I select any tests, and change any settings?
A: Most settings and features are disabled in the free version. For all options, tests, features and online services, purchase the Pro version. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: I noticed that there is an option in the right-click menu that says "Skins". Can I make my own skins and apply them to 3DMark03?
A: Yes! You can now (from version 320 onwards) make your own skins. This feature is available in the Pro version only. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: The "Open Result In Excel" is disabled (or greyed out). How do I enable it?
A: You need 3DMark03 Pro in order to get it enabled. You will also need MS Excel and IE6 to be installed. For more information on 3DMark03 Pro, click here.

Q: I click on the System Info, but the window is blank. What's happening?
A: You need to have Internet Explorer 6 installed in order to view the System Info. Please check here for updates.

Q: I downloaded DirectX9.0 SDK in order to use the Reference Rasterizer, but when I try to take screenshots the display goes all black. Why is that?
A: Ref. rast. renders the 3D frames completely in software, which is very slow. When the screen is black, the system is rendering the frame you requested, but it can take from a couple of seconds up to several hours.

Q: I downloaded DirectX9.0 SDK in order to use the Reference Rasterizer, but when I try to take screenshots with FSAA on using Ref Rast, I get some error messages. Why is that?
A: Ref. rast. supports only 4 and 9 sample AA. If you try any other modes, you get errors.

Q: I just purchased 3DMark03 Pro (which is great!), but I can't enable the Image Quality Ref. Rast. Why?
A: Purchasing a Pro license is a very clever choice, but you still need the DirectX9.0 Software Development Kit to be installed in order to get to the Ref Rast to be optional. Please visit Microsoft for more information.

Q: I have a Radeon 9700 Pro, and if I benchmark using resolutions like 1600x1200 and have all AF & AA on, I get an error message saying "not enough memory". Sometimes some textures also start to disappear. Is my card broken?
A: Your card is most probably not broken. We have reproduced this in our test lab, and it seems that DirectX doesn't inform the display driver when the card's resources are running out. Hopefully new drivers will fix this.

Q: I used the Fixed Frame option, and got myself a totally different 3DMark score than when not using the Fixed Frame. I wasn't able to upload it to the ORB though. What's going on?
A: The Fixed Frame score is not comparable with scores achieved with normal time based rendering. You can compare this setting to the resolution selection. Change the setting and the score changes with it. The ORB doesn't accept Fixed Frame results.

Q: When I save a 3DMark03 result, I can see the icon and that the file is a .3dr file, but when I double-click it, nothing happens. Why?
A: The .3dr files need both MS Excel and IE 6 to be installed. That's why we decided not to implement an automatic launch for the .3dr files. View the 3DMark03 result files in MS Excel or submit them and view them in the ORB. Both these functionalities can be found in the right click menu.