# "Quake Wars" won't start up- help
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [October 3, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469 "2009-10-03T18:30:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/1 "2009-10-03T18:30:08Z")
My son just bought Enemy Territory: Quake Wars for his Mac laptop. He can load it, but when he goes to start the game up he gets a “blue screen” and then it returns him to the finder.
His computer seems compatible based on box info, except-
his video card is a GMA X3100. On the box it says Video Cad ATI Radeon X1600 and Video Card NVidia Geforce 7300
Can someone translate and maybe have an idea if this is equivalent? Another trouble shooting advice?
Thank you!!!
Mods- please move if this is not the right forum.
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/2 "2009-10-03T18:42:02Z")
Integrated graphics chipsets are fairly notorious for having compatibility and/or capability problems with 3D games. On a desktop, the solution would be to add a new video card card, but since it’s a laptop, your only hope may be to look for a more recent driver for the X3100.
There’s a good chance it still won’t work; I see a lot of complaints about the X3100 online. If it runs, it may only run on the lowest settings. Good luck, though.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/3 "2009-10-03T19:10:37Z")
From Wikipedia…
> [@](#):
>
> Modern gaming
>
> The Intel GMA products are designed to allow Intel to offer a full system platform that includes graphics hardware. However, due to the GMA’s nature as a highly cost-sensitive product, performance and functionality are limited relative to more expensive discrete graphics components. **Some games and 3D applications will not recognize support for some hardware functionality** because of the simplification of parts of these graphics accelerators. The GMA X3x00’s unified shader design allows for more complete hardware functionality, but the line still **has issues with some games and has significantly limited performance.**
> **[Intel GMA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_GMA)**
>
> The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) is a series of integrated graphics processors introduced in 2004 by Intel, replacing the earlier Intel Extreme Graphics series and being succeeded by the Intel HD and Iris Graphics series.
> This series targets the market of low-cost graphics solutions. The products in this series are integrated onto the motherboard, have limited graphics processing power, and use the computer's main memory for storage instead of a dedicated video memory. They were common...
It is my understanding that Quake Wars is a pretty high-end game. I think you’re asking a lot if you want it to run on that graphics chipset. Sorry ☹
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/4 "2009-10-03T21:09:22Z")
Thanks for your input- He’s going try a new driver, but it requires he upgrade to the new OS. Maybe we’ll upgrade the video cards on teh desktop and he can play here.
Of course he has his XBOX 360, PS3 and PSP, so I’ don’t cry too much for him…
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2009, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/5 "2009-10-04T07:00:27Z")
He may be able to say he doesn’t agree with the EULA and return it. (If he’s underage, he technically can’t even agree to it. They have to let you do that somehow, or the license is unenforceable.) And maybe get a version for the 360 or PS3.
His video chipset is not going to handle much in the way of newer games. Encourage him to always check online to see if the game supports it. As for equivalence, it’s about equal to the NVIDIA 6100 Go or Radeon Express 1250.
Don’t be in awe of my video card skill–I got it from [here](http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html).
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2009, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/6 "2009-10-04T12:14:05Z")
**BigT** - I’ve always said that it’s less about the info you know than it is about the info you know how to find!
That is a great website. The game was an impulse buy at the Apple Store the other night. He was going to pay us back, but we’ll prolly just eat this one.
He was so disappointed when it didn’t play…
Thanks for all the advice!
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quake-wars-wont-start-up-help/512469/7 "2009-10-04T15:28:06Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#):
>
> **BigT** - I’ve always said that it’s less about the info you know than it is about the info you know how to find!
>
> That is a great website. The game was an impulse buy at the Apple Store the other night. He was going to pay us back, but we’ll prolly just eat this one.
>
> He was so disappointed when it didn’t play…
>
> Thanks for all the advice!
How old is your son? If it were me I’d encourage him to learn about computer hardware and what’s hot and what’s not. And so on.
For a growing boy who likes computer games it’s stuff worth knowing.
Also. GET A PC!