Q: Can I run 3DMark05 on Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
A: 3DMark05 is not supported on 64bit Windows XP versions. On most systems the benchmark should run correctly, but you may encounter unexpected problems. Ensuring that you have the latest display- and motherboard chipset drivers installed will yield best results.

Q: With dual graphics card systems 3DMark05 seems to becoming more CPU bound. Why is this since 3DMark03 isn't? Can the Game Tests be used as CPU tests?
A: Though 3DMark05 is very heavy on the graphics side of things, it also scales with different CPU's if extremely fast, or dual, graphics cards are being used. Since 3DMark05's engine handles all materials, shaders and other rendering related tasks, they add quite a bit of work to the CPU and memory as well. The engine in 3DMark05 is heavier on the whole system than the engine used in 3DMark03. However, 3DMark05's Game Tests are not recommended to be used as pure CPU tests since 3DMark05's Game Tests do not entirely represent the role of the CPU in gaming environments. The Game Tests were never designed as CPU tests, and thus Futuremark can not guarantee the validity of the Game Test results if they are used as CPU tests. For CPU benchmarking with 3DMark05, we recommend using the CPU tests.

Q: Why do I get an "out of memory" error when running 3DMark05 Build 1.2.0 in loop-mode? This usually happens during loop #34.
A: We have received some reports about this issue and we've been able to reproduce it ourselves in our testlab. This is most likely a memory leak in 3DMark05 Build 1.2.0 and will be fixed in later patch.

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: When I rotate my desktop 90 degrees, I get the following error message when I try to run the CPU tests "IDirect3D9::CreateDevice failed: Invalid Call(D3DERR_INVALIDCALL)". What is causing the problem?
A: Desktop rotation is not supported by 3DMark, as the rotation changes the benchmark default resolution. It is not recommended to have a rotated desktop when benchmarking with any of our products, as any such results are not comparable.

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: My shader model 1 hardware starts 3DMark05 just fine and claims it is capable of pixel shader 3.0. When I start the benchmark run, I get an error about creating shaders
A: 3DMark05 requires shader model 2 hardware for all game tests and demo parts. We will most likely add in an upcoming patch a notification if 3DMark05 is started using shader model 1 hardware.

Q: Why does the bump mapping show a moire type artifact in game test 1 on ATI hw?
A: This seems to be a bug in 3DMark05 on how the anisotropic filtering is programmed. The DirectX Reference Rasterizer shows the same pattern, so the ATI drivers are doing what they should.

Q: Why doesn't the water splash of the monster diving in game test 3 look the same on ATI hardware as on other hw and ref.rast?
A: We are aware of this and are working on it with the ATI people.

Q: The demo in 3DMark05 was really short!
A: The registered versions (Pro and Business) have the full demo. The full demo has extended versions of all game tests, just like demo part 1 is an extended version of game test 1.

Q: Why does the bump mapping show a moire type artifact in game test 1 on ATI hw?
A: This seems to be a bug in 3DMark05 on how the anisotropic filtering is programmed. The DirectX Reference Rasterizer shows the same pattern, so the ATI drivers are doing what they should.

Q: Why doesn't the water splash of the monster diving in game test 3 look the same on ATI hardware as on other hw and ref.rast?
A: We are aware of this and are working on it with the ATI people.

Q: The demo in 3DMark05 was really short!
A: The registered versions (Pro and Business) have the full demo. The full demo has extended versions of all game tests, just like demo part 1 is an extended version of game test 1.

Q: Why are my CPU tests running so slow?
A: They run at 1-3 fps on most systems. The CPU tests run the game tests at low resolution using software vertex shaders. No currently available CPU can handle over 1 million software vertex shaded vertices per frame faster than that. The measurements are still reliable and comparable.

Q: I get an error message Direct3DCreate9 failed.
A: Please make sure DX9.0c is successfully installed on your system. If you have had Beta-versions of DirectX9 installed previously on your system, a cleanup may be required before re-installing the release version of DX9.0c. Please also ensure that your display drivers are up-to-date.

Q: I see some flickering in the shadows of the canyon walls of game test 3 / I see some odd looking blocky shadows in some game test / I see some shadow artifacts in some game test?
A: 3DMark05 uses a depth shadow map implementation in all game tests. All shadows are dynamically rendered everywhere in all game tests. This is quite an accomplishment, since indoor vs outdoor areas have usually had very different dynamic shadow implementations, or then only partially dynamic or static pre-rendered shadows have been used. It seems clear that most big game developers are either going for depth shadow maps in upcoming titles, or are already using them in their latest titles. Depth shadow maps are suited for all environments and refinements in the rendering method produces high quality shadows both right in front of the camera as well as miles away. Depth shadow maps also do self shadowing and produces correct shadows from partly transparent surfaces (using alpha test, not alpha blend, to be exact). Still, there are certain light vs surface angles that are challenging for depth shadow maps. 3DMark05 uses a 2048x2048 depth map twice for shadow rendering of directional light sources, like the sun in game test 3, but even that resolution isn't quite enough for the canyon wall. The canyon in game test 3 is actually a prime example of a worst case scene for depth shadow maps. We still wanted a fully dynamic lighting solution, so if the sun wound be waved around, the lighting including the shadows would remain correct. In some parts of the game tests, with most difficult light vs surface normal angles, the shadows do get blocky, or show a flickering edge. It is an implementation compromise,not a driver problem.

Q: Which 3DMark version should be used with what hardware?
A: The minimum system specifications for 3DMark05 are: DX9 graphics hardware with shader model 2 support, a CPU with SSE support corresponding to 2 GHz or above, Windows 2000 or XP with the latest updates installed, DirectX 9.0c or later with the latest updates installed. If your system does not meet with these specifications, you should use 3DMark03 or 3DMark2001 instead. Just looking at graphics hardware, here are our recommendations on which 3DMark version to use: 3DMark05: The latest and greatest hardware, second generation high-end or mid range DX9 cards, first generation most high-end DX9 cards. 3DMark03: Second generation value to low-end DX9 hardware, first generation mid-range to low end DX9 hardware, high-end to mid-range DX8 hardware. 3DMark2001 SE: Mid-range to low end DX8 hardware, all DX7 hardware, (and any older hardware you manage to run on it :)

Q: 3DMark05 sometimes interrupts the benchmark run or demo with an error message and asks if an error report should be sent.
A: We have seen this kind of errors on a few systems with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and a lot of background processes running while benchmarking or running the demo. You should always reboot your system and shut down as many background processes as possible when running 3DMark.

Q: Why doesn't 3DMark05 run on CPUs without SSE support?
A: SSE has been around since the days of 3DMark 99 MAX. CPUs ever since Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon XP have supported SSE. A CPU without SSE support is most likely too weak for 3DMark05 anyway. SSE use provides a nice performance addition to 3DMark05, so it is needed for the new extremely heavy game tests.

Q: Why doesn't 3DMark05 run on sub-DX9 hardware?
A: All game tests use shader model 2 extensively. Hardware without shader model 2 support just doesn't have the technical features needed for 3DMark05.

Q: 3DMark05 installs and starts nicely, but when try to run the benchmark or demo, I get an error message saying something like 'create shader failed'.
A: There can be many reasons for this. Your installed DirectX version may be too old, and you should update to DX 9.0c or later. Your graphics card drivers may also be badly installed, or just lacking full shader support, and you should update your graphics drivers. It is also possible that your card just does not support shader model 2.0. You should in that case benchmark your system using 3DMark03 or 3DMark2001 instead, and try 3DMark05 again when you have upgraded your system with a graphics card that supports shader model 2 or higher.

Q: When I install 3DMark I get a message box saying that my CPU does not support SSE, but 3DMark05 still installs.
A: 3DMark05 will not run on your system, even though it installs. You should use 3DMark03 or 3DMark2001 instead, and try 3DMark05 again when you have upgraded your system to one with SSE support.

Q: When I install 3DMark I get a message box saying that my DirectX version is not up to date, but 3DMark05 still installs
A: 3DMark05 will most likely not run on your system, even though it installs. You should install DX 9.0c or later before you run 3DMark05.