[ra-chan]

I tried to use the benchmark for my laptop and got this error... does it have something to do with my graphic card? i dont know anything about laptops i just got this brand new... is it easy to install a graphic card on laptops like it is on pc? or do i need a professional to install it?

thanks,, and pls again i need to know what the error msg means,, thanks (pic attached)

[Typ0 Ex0r]

Yeah it's your graphics card, or you need the newest version of Direct X, which you can get at www.directx.com. If it doesn't work, then I suggest you get a new video card, and no, laptop vid cards are very diffrent from PC ones, so it's better to get a professional install.

[xephyris]

Literally, the message means

"Failed to initialise Direct3D. (-1)"

I think it's commonly caused by incompatible video card (if it's some form of Intel Integrated Onboard Graphics which doesn't support directx 8.1...)

[ra-chan]

thanks guys!

...yes i think it is an intel graphic card...sez "digital flat panel on intel(r) 82846G/GL/GE/PE/GV graphics controller"

thing is i already intalled pol n' ffxi both fully patched... i can run pol but when i try to load ffxi, gives me an error msg (���̎q��final fantasy xi hardwaretnl?@���̂̂͂�) i just made up the japanese words..

anyhooo this bites lol, but i did a search here so i should get a geforce or a radeon mobility graphic card rifght? (i guess its right but i also want to hear from ppl who use a laptop playin this game)

[ra-chan]

update: well i just downloaded directx 9b, ran "dxdiag" and tested Direct3D and works perfectly

"...D3D7 Test Result: All tests were successful.
D3D8 Test Result: All tests were successful.
D3D9 Test Result: All tests were successful. ..."

i know its the video card but still i was hoping it wouuld work since the error msg accdg to translation sez "failed to initialize Direct3D" and yet when tested twas ok... o_0; oh well...

[DJplaeskool]

yeah...

even though your DirectXD3D tests passed, those are merely aliased tests to check primitive rendering...they, more or less, assume that if you can render simple objects, the rest of the D3D API is compatible...which really isn't true with D3D TnL...there's a quintessential difference between ability and compatibility...

Transform and Lighting algorithmic rendering is the prefered method for creating 3D applications with a high polygonal counts. This is because instead of outputting calculations as pixels to be rendered (software and older hardware rendering), it outputs as vertices to be transformed. Vertex calculations occur much faster than pixel positioning, since it's not bound to any one refresh rate, so only the newer GFX cards can handle the massive amounts of calculations that are needed for any TnL based graphical system...also, the unbound interface allows for many complex Lighting (the 'L' in tnL) algorithms, otherwise incalculable by other means...