How to test your computer's performance to see what it can do. What does Windows System Experience Index mean? What is Performance Index?
Windows Experience Index determines the configuration capabilities of the computer's hardware and software and displays them as a number called the baseline value. A high base value usually means that the computer will perform better and faster, especially when performing complex tasks that require a lot of resources, than a computer with a lower base value.
Each piece of equipment receives its own sub-value. The base value is determined by the smallest. However, sub-scores show how critical components are performing and help you decide which ones need to be updated.
A computer's overall rating can be used to purchase programs and other software that meet that rating. For example, if your computer has an overall rating of 3.3, then you can buy any software designed for that version of Windows that requires an overall rating of 3 or less.
Current Score Range Matters from 1.0 to 9.9. The Windows Experience Index is designed to take into account the continued development of computer technology. As hardware speed and performance improve, the range of estimates will increase. The standards for each index level remain generally the same. However, new tests may be developed that will lower the scores.
To view your computer's base index
- Open the Performance Tools dialog box.
- See base value and subvalues Windows Experience Index for your computer. If you recently installed new hardware and want to check if the overall rating has changed, select Repeat assessment. If subgrades and overall grade are not displayed, select Rate this computer.
About the Basic Computer Performance Index
The score reflects minimum system performance based on the capabilities of various components of the computer, including random access memory (RAM), central processing unit (CPU), hard drive, overall desktop graphics performance, and 3D graphics capability.
Below is a general description of the capabilities of computers with the specified base values.
Computer performance with an overall score from 1.0 to 2.0 is usually sufficient for most general computing tasks (for example, running office productivity programs and searching the Internet). However, a computer with this overall rating is generally not powerful enough to run Aero or handle the advanced multimedia features available in Windows.
Computer with an overall rating of 3.0 can work with Aero and many Windows 7 tools at a general level. Some additional Windows 7 features may only work in reduced functionality mode. For example, a computer with an overall score of 3.0 can display a Windows 7 theme at 1280x1024 resolution, but will have difficulty running the theme on multiple monitors. Or it can play digital TV content but has difficulty playing high-definition TV (HDTV).
Computer with an overall score of 4.0 or 5.0 can run new Windows 7 applications and support multiple programs running simultaneously.
Computer with an overall score of 6.0 or 7.0 has a fast hard drive and can handle graphics-intensive computing (such as multiplayer gaming, large game graphics, and recording and playback of HDTV content).
If a particular program or Windows 7 system operation requires a higher value than your computer's existing base value, you can raise the value by upgrading your hardware. To check if the baseline value has changed after installing new hardware, select Reassessment. To learn more about the hardware on your computer, select View and print details.
Computer index subvalues
Sub-scores are the results of testing the RAM, CPU, hard drive, overall desktop graphics performance, and 3D gaming graphics hardware components on your computer. If the overall score is not sufficient to run a particular program or Windows experience, you can use sub-scores to determine which components need to be upgraded.
The baseline value is a good indicator of the overall performance of the computer. Using subvalues, you can determine the level of computer performance when performing individual tasks:
- Performance of Microsoft Office programs. If the computer is used primarily for office applications (such as word processing, spreadsheets, email, and web browsing), then high sub-ratings for CPU and memory are needed. For desktop graphics and volumetric graphics, subscores with a value of 2.0 or higher are sufficient.
- Graphics-intensive games and applications. If the computer is used for games and graphics-intensive programs (such as digital video editing programs or realistic first-person games), then high sub-ratings of RAM, desktop graphics, high-volume game graphics, and CPU are needed. A sub-rating of 3.0 or higher is usually sufficient for a hard drive.
- Media center features. If the computer is used as a media center for additional multimedia tasks, such as recording HDTV programs, high sub-ratings of the CPU, hard drive and desktop graphics are required. For memory and large graphics, 3.0 or higher is sufficient.
Why Windows doesn't update hardware ratings
The circumstances listed below may prevent update Windows Experience Index.
- Battery powered. Windows automatically tries to conserve power when using battery power only. So, if a computer is running on battery power, performance ratings will not reflect its true capabilities. Connect your computer to an electrical outlet and start the assessment.
- Not enough free disk space. The Windows Experience Index tool creates a test file on your hard drive. If there is not enough disk space to create the test file, the evaluation will fail. You can use the Disk Cleanup tool to free up disk space.
- Evaluation is already in progress. If the Windows Experience Index estimator is already running, the scores cannot be updated.
- Display driver is out of date. If your computer is using an older version of the display driver, the ratings may not be updated.
- No multimedia support. If your computer doesn't have multimedia support, you won't be able to update your ratings.
For the first time, the performance index was introduced in the operating system, after which it was introduced in Windows 7, but in Windows 8.1 they decided to abandon its graphical shell, but the program itself was still in the system.
Fortunately, we can still find out the performance index from Windows Vista to Windows 10.
If anyone doesn’t understand what kind of index this is, I’ll explain. This function in the system calculates the performance of the hardware and software of a computer or laptop, and then displays a numerical value (score). The range of these values is different in different OS versions:
Windows Vista (1-5.9);
Windows 7 (1-7.9);
Windows 8.1 (1-9.9).
There is also a program called WinSAT, which shows the numerical value of important hardware parts of the computer, for example, processor, RAM, graphics core, and more. After calculating all the component values, the overall score is calculated, which is determined by the smallest number, in the end, the higher the overall performance value, the better.
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How to find out the performance index in different versions of Windows?
As I already said, in Windows 8.1 the performance index utility does not have a graphical part, so you can find out its value using the command line or graphical interface.
If you don't want to enter any commands, but want everything to look like it did in Windows 7, then there is a program called WSAT, which replicates the same interface as in the Windows 7 index. Download from here.
You can find out the performance value without using utilities. For example, in Windows 8.1 you don’t even need to do anything, since the system itself has already calculated the performance index and written it to a special file located in the folder: C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore.
In this folder there will be a file called “Formal.Assessment (Initial).WinSAT.xml”, which can be opened with a text editor, but it is better to open it with Notepad. Open this document and find the tag in which information about the performance index is stored.
If you cannot open this file or it does not start, then the command line comes to the rescue. Launch it and enter the command Winsat formal. Press Enter and wait for the process to complete.
In this simple way we were able to find out the system performance index, there is nothing complicated.
Experienced Windows users will remember that the Performance Score ( Windows Experience Index - WEI) first appeared in Windows Vista. The performance index is calculated based on an assessment of the performance of the following computer subsystems: processor, memory, 2D graphics, 3D graphics and storage device (hard drive). For each of the subsystems, based on the results of evaluation testing, its own performance index value is calculated, and a general index for the entire computer ( Base Score) is equal to the minimum value among all subsystems.
The performance index is a certain number that evaluates system performance for the user - Windows Experience Index (WEI). In different OS versions, WEI can be in different ranges:
- Windows Vista: 1 to 5.9
- Windows 7: 1 to 7.9
- Windows 8: 1 to 9.9
Assessing the performance and speed of a computer is carried out by a special utility - WinSAT (Windows System Assessment Tool). This utility is already included in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.
WinSAT is a Windows performance assessment tool that is a set of tests that check various Windows components. It is important to note that WinSAT is not an application-based or synthetic test. This is a test of how Windows “feels” on a specific hardware. WinSAT contains five different groups of tests, called "scores" by Microsoft:
- Direct3D evaluation. GPU performance test that generates several frames per second and shows how fast games will run on a computer
- Video coding evaluation. Test to evaluate the quality of high-definition video playback (Windows Media HD codec, or other installed codecs)
- Graphics evaluation. The rating of your graphics accelerator affects whether Aero will be enabled by default or not (how you can enable Aero using winsat)
- Storage Device Evaluation
- Processor rating.
WinSAT Command Options
How can you use the WinSAT utility to evaluate the performance of an individual subsystem or the entire computer?
Full performance evaluation (all tests) is performed by the team
Winsat formal
You can evaluate the performance of the disk subsystem (disk writing/reading speed, disk queue length, etc.) with the command:
Winsat disk
Sequential read performance for drive C:
Winsat disk -seq -read -drive c
Random write performance for drive C:
Winsat disk -ran -write -drive c
CPU performance is measured by performing encryption/decryption, or compression/decompression operations.
A general assessment of processor performance can be performed with the command:
Winsat cpuformal
A detailed overview of the performance evaluation results obtained can be obtained using the command:
You can evaluate RAM bandwidth using a test that copies a large memory buffer from one memory sector to another.
Winsat mem
Let's run an assessment of system performance used in compiling the WEI index. We will redirect all assessments and testing results to the file C:\winsat.txt. This report, unlike the WEI value, is quite detailed and allows you to learn a lot of interesting things about the performance of computer subsystems.
Winsat formal -v >> C:\winsat.txt
An example of a WinSAT report is shown below.
> Command Line ‘winsat formal -v’
>Running the Formal Assessment
> DWM running… turning DWM off
> System processor power policy saved and set to ‘max performance’
> Running: Feature Enumeration »
> Gathering System Information
> Operating System: 6.1 Build-7600
> Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6400 @ 2.13GHz
> TSC Frequency: 2128300000
>Number of Processors: 1
>Number of Cores: 2
> Number of CPUs: 2
> Number of Cores per Processor: 2
> Number of CPUs Per Core: 1
> Cores have logical CPUs: NO
> L1 Cache and line Size: 32768 64
> L2 Cache and line Size: 2097152 64
> Total physical mem available to the OS: 2.98 GB (3×203×723×264 bytes)
> Adapter Description: ATI Radeon HD 5450
> Adapter Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
> Adapter Driver Version: 8.861.0.0
> Adapter Driver Date (yy/mm/dd) : 2011\5\24
> Has DX9 or better: Yes
> Has Pixel shader 2.0 or better: Yes
> Has LDDM Driver: Yes
> Dedicated (local) video memory: 504.426MB
> System memory dedicated as video memory: 0MB
> System memory shared as video memory: 1271.65MB
> Primary Monitor Size: 1280 X 1024 (1310720 total pixels)
> WinSAT is Official: Yes
> CPU LZW Compression 112.19 MB/s
> CPU AES256 Encryption 63.26 MB/s
> CPU Vista Compression 319.98 MB/s
> CPU SHA1 Hash 522.96 MB/s
> Uniproc CPU LZW Compression 56.15 MB/s
> Uniproc CPU AES256 Encryption 31.31 MB/s
> Uniproc CPU Vista Compression 159.77 MB/s
> Uniproc CPU SHA1 Hash 261.81 MB/s
> Memory Performance 4729.00 MB/s
> Direct3D Batch Performance 88.25 F/s
> Direct3D Alpha Blend Performance 93.79 F/s
> Direct3D ALU Performance 39.27 F/s
> Direct3D Texture Load Performance 42.21 F/s
> Direct3D Batch Performance 89.30 F/s
> Direct3D Alpha Blend Performance 106.10 F/s
> Direct3D ALU Performance 37.84 F/s
> Direct3D Texture Load Performance 39.83 F/s
> Direct3D Geometry Performance 73.83 F/s
> Direct3D Geometry Performance 146.91 F/s
> Direct3D Constant Buffer Performance 57.54 F/s
> Video Memory Throughput 2398.55 MB/s
> Dshow Video Encode Time 6.94628 s
> Media Foundation Decode Time 1.21153 s
> Disk Sequential 64.0 Read 63.00 MB/s 5.8
> Disk Random 16.0 Read 1.21 MB/s 3.4
The above is not the entire arsenal of capabilities of the WinSAT utility for assessing system performance. A complete list of command parameters and capabilities can be found using the built-in help:
Winsat.exe /?
WinSAT utility logs are located in the directory C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT, detailed results of computer performance assessment in the form of .xml files. contained in the catalog C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore
In Windows 7, there is a standard scheduler job that runs the WinSAT utility every week. The purpose of this job is to update the index in a timely manner when any configuration changes occur. When you run this task, you may experience a decrease in computer performance. If the WEI index is not important to you, this task can be disabled.
WinSAT on Windows Server 2008
Server Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 do not include WinSAT, but nothing prevents you from simply copying them from the client OS to the server OS.
To be able to run WinSAT in Windows Server 2008/200 R2, just copy two files - WinSAT.exe And WinSATAPI.dll from the catalog %windir%\System32 client OS to a similar server directory. 
However, keep in mind that different versions of WinSAT are used for x86 and x64 bit systems, so if the server OS is 64-bit (and Windows 2008 R2 is the only one), you will need a version of WinSAT, for example from 64-bit Windows 7.
Note that the utility will also work in Windows XP, although due to differences in testing methods and system architecture, the results of such testing cannot be compared with the results of newer operating systems.
If your computer is slow, you have problems using programs or watching videos, it makes sense to check your computer's performance. The performance index is used by the Windows 7 operating system to visually and understandably evaluate its own performance. The higher it is, the faster and more powerful the computer, the more complex programs and games it can handle.
What is a performance index
Windows Experience Index (WEI) is a Windows operating system service that allows you to test your computer's performance.
How to find out the performance index
There are several ways to find out your performance index. Let's look at the two simplest ones.
Via "My Computer"
Via the Start menu
As you can see, both methods are quite simple and do not take much time.
What categories are presented in the table
The Performance Index table includes five components:
What do the numbers mean?
The WEI of a computer is determined by the lowest score. The maximum score in Windows 7–7.9, the minimum is 1.0. Let's look at the Performance Index indicators using the example of graphics evaluation.
Table: Performance Index scores and computer functions that correspond to them
Ways to improve computer performance
For a modern desktop computer, the normal performance index starts at 5.0. Please note that the latest drivers must be installed on graphics devices, otherwise the performance may be underestimated.
Most often, the WEI will be 5.9 when using an HDD (hard drive), even if the scores in other categories are significantly higher. This is due to the low access speed of the main hard drive. When replacing an HDD with a solid-state SSD, the HDD performance score rises to 7.9 and becomes the highest in the category table. Using solid state drives significantly improves the overall performance of Windows.
Low graphics performance may be the result of missing graphics drivers or insufficient graphics card performance. To fix a software problem, you should download drivers from the official website of the manufacturer that produced the graphics equipment for your computer. If the drivers are installed correctly, replacing the video card with a more powerful one will help improve the performance index.
Additionally, you can increase your computer's performance by doing the following:
Video: how to increase computer performance
What to do if performance reviews aren't working
It happens that the procedure for calculating the performance index ends in an error. This error can be caused by either software or hardware problems.
Software problems:
- the presence of viruses, Trojans, malware in the system;
- disk errors;
- path or registry errors.
Hardware problems include the failure or incorrect operation of one of the elements.
Software errors are resolved in the following way:
- scanning your computer with antivirus (Malwarebytes), as well as other antivirus utilities;
- checking the hard drive for errors;
- scanning the system for damaged components. To do this, open a command prompt as an administrator and enter the command sfc /scannow, press Enter. The system will automatically check and, if possible, fix damaged system files;
- installation of K-Lite Kodeck Pack;
- system recovery if all else fails (returning the computer to an earlier state - when everything worked - using a checkpoint).
If you suspect problems with the hardware, you need to use the Aida program to check the temperature of the sensors to rule out overheating. Checking contacts, checking RAM memory for errors (for example, with the Memtest86 program), and stress testing the video card will help identify or eliminate problems in the operation of any component. If you are not sure that you can handle it, it is advisable to contact a specialist, since incorrectly performed tests can lead to computer failure.
Often the error is caused by the computer's power supply. Since all elements are operating under maximum load when calculating the performance index, they may not have enough power. If this is a laptop, check the power settings, they should be set to “maximum performance”, and the laptop itself should be connected to the network at this time. If a component problem has been ruled out, it may be time to replace the power supply with a more powerful one. Even a working power supply loses power after a year of continuous use, causing equipment failures and the “blue screen of death.”
The Windows Experience Index (WEI) is made up of several factors: processor power, RAM speed, 2D and 3D graphics performance, and hard drive data transfer speed. The overall score is determined by the lowest score. To increase WEI, there are several ways, including replacing the video card or hard drive, cleaning, checking for errors, etc. If the performance assessment does not work, then you should check your computer for viruses or find errors in the registry. Problems with the video card or power supply of the computer can also cause problems.
In Windows Vista, such an interesting utility as Performance Index. With its help, you can see the assessment of the Windows system according to various criteria. Subsequently, this function migrated to Windows 7 and Windows 8, but then the developers decided that it was not needed and therefore in Windows 8.1 you cannot find it so easily. However, many users liked this feature, partly to compare their pussies to see who is cooler. In this article you will learn a little more about the Windows Performance Index (score), and we will also look at how you can still find it out in the new version of Windows 8.1.
Windows Experience Index (WEI) is an assessment of the Windows system itself of the main characteristics of the computer on which the OS is installed.
The main characteristics are:
CPU
RAM
Graphics
Graphics for games
Disk subsystem
As you can see, it considers all the most important characteristics needed for productivity.
Each of these characteristics is given its own index (number) which is calculated using a special formula. Minimum value 1 , and the maximum depends on the OS version: in Windows Vista it is 5.9 , in Windows 7 7.9 , and in Windows 8 9.9
From all these estimates, the minimum value is selected and reported as the main estimate. I don’t know why they did this, perhaps so that users tried to increase it, paying attention to the minimum value.
How to find out the performance rating (index) in Windows 7 and 8
Click RMB on To my computer and choose Properties.
In this window we pay attention to Evaluation in category System:
click on the link Windows Experience Index for more details.
We get this picture, in which everything is already described:
It happens that the assessment has not yet been made, then it will need to be done. You can also double-check if anything has been changed in the system.
How to find out the performance rating (index) in Windows 8.1
As I wrote above, you won’t be able to find performance in this version of the system, but it’s still there.
Let's go along the way (Window_drive_letter):\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and in this folder we look for a file that contains the letters Formal.Assessment.
Explanation:
(Window_drive_letter)- this is usually C. You can navigate through folders along the path, or you can simply copy and paste them into the address bar of Explorer.
The file we need starts with numbers. They mean the date and time of creation, as well as other “nonsense”. Approximately its name 2014-03-21 12.02.02.533 Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.xml
It opens via (usually Internet Explorer).
If there are several such files, then it is better to open the most recent one by creation date.
The opened file looks like this:
We need to pay attention to those characteristics that are located between the WinSPR tags.
I’ll decipher a little what it is and how it’s indicated.
SystemScore- overall performance
MemoryScore- assessment of RAM
CpuScore- processor performance
GraphicsScore- graphics performance assessment
DiskScore- disc rating
There are a few more, but they are not particularly needed. You can translate it yourself if you want.
If this option seems too labor-intensive to you, then you can use it and enter it into
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_WinSAT
resulting in a performance score in Windows 8.1:
It happens that you cannot find this file or the index will not be displayed. This may mean that it has not yet been carried out. If in Windows 7 and 8 this was easily solved, then in Windows 8.1 you will need to enter some commands into the command line from the administrator. Namely:
winsat formal- assessment of the overall system performance;
winsat formal -v- assessment of overall system performance, detailed output;
winsat formal -xml file.xml- output the check result to the specified xml file;
winsat formal -restart never- during re-inspection, to evaluate only new components;
winsat formal -restart clean- when re-checking, to reset the check history and perform a full scan again.
It's better to use the first one.
In the end the window will look something like this:
There are also programs that will help you check your performance index.
ChrisPC Win Experience Index
WSAT
I liked the second one even more, because it does not require installation, is in Russian, and also shows other additional necessary information on the system and hardware.
How to increase or improve the Windows performance index (score).
The answer to this question will be given to you both by the system itself and by ordinary logic.
As a rule, everything consists of replacing computer “spare parts”. If the processor index is small, we change it to a more powerful one, if there is not enough RAM, we increase it.
It happens less often when everything seems to be normal, but the index is small. Then you need to produce.
If the disk score is small, we delete the excess, produce it, etc.
Well, that's all. On the one hand, performance evaluation is a necessary thing, it helps you understand what you need to pay attention to based on a low index, but on the other hand, it is not needed if you already know that your computer is weak or there is not enough disk space =)