In case you have encountered problems during your benchmarking experience with 3DMark Vantage, please read through these tips.

Ensure that your computer system is stable

Running a benchmark application on a computer system is a very demanding task by definition, so having a correctly configured and problem-free computer system is required for a successful benchmark run. It is common that a benchmark run may reveal problems in your computer system which may not occur often in light use such as browsing the net etc. This is a very useful feature of a benchmark application as it can be used to reveal hidden problems which may later on cause major problems or even loss of data!

Typical symptoms which may indicate a system stability problem:

• System halts or blue-screens when installing or updating the operating system System crashes when playing games or when using other applications
• Problems with corrupted downloads
• Problems with installing applications
• Visual corruption in games or video-playback
• Unexpected slowdowns
• Severe error messages during system boot or operating system start

These tips may prove useful for system diagnostics:

• Use a system memory diagnostics tool to ensure that there are no hard system memory problems (Windows Vista has a built-in tool, Memtest86 is an another good alternative)
• Ensure that your system is not overheating. For new systems, ensure that all heatsinks and fans are installed and operating correctly. For old systems, check that the system is free from excessive dust.
• Use an up-to-date antivirus scanner to verify that your system is free from possible viruses and/or other malicious software
• For Multi-GPU or Multi-CPU systems, please verify that the power supply in your system meets the recommended power rating for your specific configuration.
• If you have just updated the hardware configuration or assembled a new computer system, these additional tips may prove useful
  • A BIOS-update to the motherboard may be required if you have installed a new CPU, verify correct BIOS version from the motherboard manufacturer documentation
  • Always load BIOS default options after a BIOS update and then customize the settings if necessary Use the latest approved display drivers Using the latest approved display drivers ensures not only that your system operates correctly with 3DMark Vantage but also ensures that the results are as accurate as possible. Please also ensure that other system drivers are up-to-date to ensure correct operation of all system peripherals.

Error Messages

Submitting results failed.
This error indicates that 3DMark Vantage had communication problems with the ORB-service. Please ensure that your internet connection is working normally and any firewalls you have enabled have been configured to allow 3DMark Vantage to access the internet. This problem may also be temporary, so please try submitting your results again at a later time.

Submitting saved results failed.
This error indicates that 3DMark Vantage had communication problems with the ORB-service. Please ensure that your internet connection is working normally and any firewalls you have enabled have been configured to allow 3DMark Vantage to access the internet. This problem may also be temporary, so please try submitting your results again at a later time.

Windows message pump encountered unexpected WM_QUIT with exit code -1.
This error may occur if the benchmark application is being minimized during the benchmark run. Please allow the benchmark to run in full-screen mode. On rare occasions this problem may also indicate that a display driver error has occurred. Please ensure that you have the latest available approved display drivers installed and that your system meets the minimum requirements for the Preset or custom settings currently being used.

User abort.
This message indicates that the benchmark has been aborted due to user request by pressing the ESC-key during the benchmark run.

System Info scan failed. Can't run benchmark.
This error will occur if the System Info was not able to run when the 3DMark was started. When you see a prompt “A Program Needs Your Permission to Continue – Futuremark SystemInfo”, please allow this application to run.

Inaccurate Benchmark Results Detected
3DMark has detected that the results from this benchmark run do not represent the true performance of the graphics hardware. This message will appear if very low frame rates (<2FPS) were encountered during the graphics tests or if the "Flush on low FPS" option was selected. Please re-run the tests using a lower Preset and/or disable the "Flush on low FPS" option.

Application lost focus or display resolution changed. Close all background applications.
This error occurs if an another application or process has activated in the background during the benchmark. Typical examples are incoming instant messages, Windows Update alerts, incoming email message pop-ups etc. Please close all unnecessary background applications and try running the benchmark again.