Windows Experience Index or what is slowing down your computer? What does Windows System Performance Index mean? Windows 7 Performance Index you can trust it

You can evaluate the speed of Windows 7 using a special performance index. It displays a generalized rating of the operating system on a special scale, measuring the configuration of hardware and software components. In Windows 7, this parameter has a value from 1.0 to 7.9. The higher the indicator, the better and more stable your computer will work, which is very important when performing heavy and complex operations.

The overall rating of your PC shows the lowest hardware performance overall, taking into account the capabilities of individual elements. The speed of the central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), hard drive and graphics card is analyzed, taking into account the needs of 3D graphics and desktop animation. You can view this information using either third-party software solutions or standard Windows 7 features.

Method 1: Winaero WEI Tool

First of all, let's consider the option of obtaining an estimate using specialized third-party applications. Let's study the algorithm of actions using the example of the Winaero WEI Tool program.


Method 2: ChrisPC Win Experience Index

Using the ChrisPC Win Experience Index software, you can view the performance index of any version of Windows.

We perform a simple installation and launch the program. You will see a system performance index for key components. Unlike the utility that was presented in the previous method, here it is possible to install the Russian language.

Method 3: Using the OS GUI

Now let's figure out how to go to the appropriate section of the system and monitor its productivity using the built-in OS tools.

  1. Click "Start". Right click ( RMB) by item "Computer". In the menu that appears, select "Properties".
  2. The system properties window opens. In the parameter block "System" there is a point "Grade". It is this that corresponds to the overall performance index, calculated based on the lowest score of the individual components. To view detailed information about the rating of each component, click on the label Windows Experience Index.

    If productivity monitoring on this computer has never been done before, this window will display the message "System rating not available", which you should follow.

    There is another option for going to this window. It is carried out through "Control Panels". Click "Start" and go to "Control Panel".

    In the window that opens "Control Panels" opposite the parameter "View" set value "Small Icons". Now click on the item "Counters and Productivity Tools".

  3. A window appears . It displays all the estimated data for the individual components of the system, which we have already discussed above.
  4. But over time, the performance index may change. This may be due to either upgrading the computer hardware or enabling or disabling certain services through the system software interface. At the bottom of the window opposite the item "Last update" The date and time when the last monitoring was carried out is indicated. In order to update the current data, click on the inscription "Repeat assessment".

    If monitoring has never been carried out before, then you should click on the button "Rate your computer".

  5. The analysis tool starts. The procedure for calculating the performance index usually takes a few minutes. During its passage, the monitor may temporarily turn off. But don’t be alarmed, it will turn on automatically before the scan is complete. The shutdown is associated with checking the graphic components of the system. During this process, try not to perform any additional actions on the PC so that the analysis is as objective as possible.
  6. Once the procedure is completed, the performance index data will be updated. They may coincide with the values ​​of the previous assessment, or they may differ.

Method 4: Executing the procedure through the “Command Line”

The system productivity calculation can also be started via "Command line".

  1. Click "Start". Go to "All programs".
  2. Enter the folder "Standard".
  3. Find the name in it "Command line" and click on it RMB. Select from the list "Run as administrator". Opening "Command line" with administrator rights is a prerequisite for correct execution of the test.
  4. The interface is launched as an administrator "Command line". Enter the following command:

    winsat formal –restart clean

    Click Enter.

  5. The testing procedure begins, during which, just as when testing through the graphical interface, the screen may go dark.
  6. After finishing the test in "Command line" The total execution time of the procedure will be displayed.
  7. But in the window "Command line" you won't find the productivity scores we previously saw through the GUI. In order to see these indicators you will need to open the window again "Assessing and increasing computer performance". As we can see, after performing the operation in "Command line" The data in this window has been updated.

    But you can view the result without using the intended graphical interface at all. The fact is that the test results are written to a separate file. Therefore, after running the test in "Command line" you need to find this file and view its contents. This file is located in the following folder:

    C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore

    Enter this address in the address bar "Conductor", and then click on the arrow button to the right of it or press Enter.

  8. It will navigate to the desired folder. Here you should find a file with an XML extension, the name of which is composed according to the following pattern: first comes the date, then the generation time, and then the expression "Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT". There may be several such files, since testing could be carried out more than once. Therefore, look for the most recent one. To make searching easier, click on the field name "Date of change" arranging all the files in order from newest to oldest. Having found the desired element, double-click on it with the left mouse button.
  9. The contents of the selected file will be opened in the default program on that computer to open XML format. Most likely it will be some kind of browser, but it could also be a text editor. Once the content is open, look for the block "WinSPR". It should be located at the top of the page. It is in this block that the performance index data is contained.

    Now let’s see what indicator the presented tags correspond to:

    • SystemScore– basic assessment;
    • CpuScore– CPU;
    • DiskScore– hard drive;
    • MemoryScore– RAM;
    • GraphicsScore– general graphics;
    • GamingScore– game graphics.

    In addition, you can immediately see additional evaluation criteria that are not displayed through the graphical interface:

    • CPUSubAggScore– additional processor parameter;
    • VideoEncodeScore– processing of encoded video;
    • Dx9SubScore– parameter Dx9;
    • Dx10SubScore– parameter Dx10.

Thus, this method, although less convenient than obtaining an assessment through a graphical interface, is more informative. In addition, here you can see not only the relative performance index, but also the absolute indicators of certain components in various units of measurement. For example, when testing a processor, this is the performance in MB/s.

In addition, absolute indicators can be observed directly during testing in "Command line".

That's all, you can evaluate performance in Windows 7, both using third-party software solutions and using the built-in functionality of the OS. The main thing is not to forget that the overall result is given based on the minimum value of the system component.

The Windows Experience Index (Score) is a measure of the speed at which your processor, graphics card, and other hardware operate. In Windows 8.1, viewing this indicator has become more difficult than in previous versions of the OS. This requires a special program or the use of some internal system resources.

computer specifications
Performance evaluation in windows 7, 8, 8.1, etc. It is required when there are complaints about the speed of the computer or the response of the system; it is also recommended for older laptops.

Windows performance rating (index) when using special programs

The fastest way to find out 8 and higher is to download and install targeted free software. The information obtained as a result of its operation will help optimize equipment performance and prevent possible problems.

The best of these goals is ChrisPC Win Experience Index. Although the utility has an English-language interface, it is nevertheless not difficult to understand. Download and install it on your computer. Then launch the application from the shortcut. It does not perform any additional actions, and therefore will immediately start the necessary process.

As a result, you can find out the usual performance scores for the processor, hard drive, etc.

A timely check of the computer performance of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 is important, as it helps prevent failures and errors in the operation of the PC and OS. Thus, assessing and increasing the performance of a Windows 7 computer and other versions is the key to the safety of your files and fast and comfortable work on your PC.

Viewing data in a system file

One of the OS system folders contains files with information about processor performance, speed, etc. You can view these files on any version of the OS. To do this, find the .xml file in the DataStore folder. The approximate path looks like C—Windows—Perfomance—WinSAT—DataStore. But the path may vary, and therefore it is better to search for the file by name, usually it is Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.

Open the file with the latest creation date (usually there are several of them). Scroll down to the WinSPR section.

It contains the necessary data

Sometimes this file may be missing altogether. This indicates that the system has not yet run the scan. You can run it yourself using the method described below. As a result, the required .xml will appear.

Running a performance index (score) definition

When you need to check performance only once (for example, on a new, properly working PC, it crashed once), a program for assessing the performance of a Windows 7 and other computer is not required. This check is carried out using built-in Windows resources. This method is not so simple and fast, but it is quite suitable for a one-time check. The WinSAT utility is designed to evaluate the efficiency and performance of a PC. With its help, you can check the performance of a Windows 7 computer. The testing algorithm on the G8 is different, as is the folder in which the file is located and the path to it. To run a check with your own resources on 8.1, you need to do the following:

  1. Go to the start screen;
  2. Start typing PowerShell;
  3. An input field will open in which you can add the phrase;
  4. Click Search;
  5. Select Windows PowerShell from the results;
  6. Right click on the shortcut;
  7. Run as administrator;
  8. A console with an input line opened;
  9. Type winsat formal;
  10. Press Enter;
  11. You have launched a scan that will last several minutes (the exact time depends on the PC and OS settings;
  12. The computer must be connected to a power outlet during the entire test;
On the screen you can see the progress of the process

After a notification appears that the process is completed, you can view the rating of your Windows 7, 8, etc. computer. in the same files described in the previous part of the article.

If you need to find out the performance rating quickly, without looking at other parameters, or if you do not have Administrator rights, then use another command:

  • Open PowerShell in the same way as described above, but do not run it as an administrator;
  • Type Get-CimInstance Win32_WinSat;
Press Enter and wait for the result

During such a check, not all tests are carried out, but only the main ones. It is faster and does not require administrator rights.

If the Windows 7 and higher computer performance assessment does not work, then try running the test using additional programs. If this does not help, disable the firewall and antivirus and run WinSat again. If it still doesn’t work, you will have to remove all security codecs in third-party programs and . This is a complex and lengthy procedure, but such problems rarely occur.

To improve the performance rating of Windows 7 or another version, you need to edit the .XML using Notepad. This does not in any way affect the actual state of the computer and performance, but is used by dishonest service providers to deceive the client. To increase the Windows 7 Experience Index, do the following:

  • Remove unused programs;
  • Reduce the number of programs that automatically launch when you turn on your PC;
  • Run the Troubleshooting function from the Control Panel;
  • Defragment and clean your hard drive.
  • Disabling visual effects, scanning with an antivirus, etc. can help. The performance index (score) is an indicator of how comfortable the software “feels” on a given hardware.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Now you know how to find out the performance index of Windows 7, 8, 8.1.

Like Windows Vista, Windows 7 tailors some aspects of itself to the characteristics of the system on which it is installed. For example, the Windows 7 interface changes depending on what graphics hardware is installed on the machine: on low-end machines, a simple “Classic” interface is installed, and on machines with high-end graphics control units, the full version of the Aero interface is installed.

In addition, by adapting to the hardware, Windows 7 selects some other aspects. For example, for games, Windows 7 only enables certain features if the hardware can support them. Other hardware-specific capabilities include those related to TV recording (such as how many channels can be recorded simultaneously) and video playback (such as the optimal playback image size and frame rate to avoid dropped frames).

The Windows System Assessment Tool, or WinSAT for short, is responsible for enabling all of these features, not only in Windows 7 itself, but also in third-party applications. This program runs during the system installation process and whenever other major hardware performance changes are subsequently made to the system. It focuses on the following four aspects of system performance: graphics, RAM, CPU, and storage.

For each of these subsystems, WinSAT maintains a set of metrics stored as a score in XML format. To find out what functionality your computer can support, you only need to look at the most recent evaluation of Windows 7. It is important to note that third-party programs may also use some kind of API that allows them to access these scores and therefore provides developers with the ability to customize the functionality of those programs based on WinSAT metrics. A total of five indicators are used, which are described below.

  • CPU. This indicator is responsible for how quickly the system can process data, and is measured in the number of calculation operations per second.
  • Memory (RAM). This metric measures how quickly the system can move large objects through memory and is measured in memory accesses per second.
  • Graphic arts. This metric measures the computer's ability to run a combined desktop like the one created by the Desktop Window Manager, and is expressed in frames per second.
  • Graphics for games. This metric measures a computer's ability to render three-dimensional graphics, especially those used in games, and is expressed in frames per second.
  • Main hard drive. This indicator is responsible for how quickly the computer can write and read data from the hard drive, and is calculated in megabytes per second.

In addition to WinSAT, Windows 7 comes with a tool called Score and Improve Computer Performance, which evaluates your system based on information about its processor, RAM, hard drive, regular graphics, and gaming graphics, resulting in an overall Windows Experience Index score. .

To launch the tool, click the Start button, type performance in the search box, and then select Performance Tools and Tools from the list of search results. Then, in the Assess and Improve Your Computer Performance window, click the Reassess button to get an initial assessment. As you can see in the figure, Windows 7 evaluates each of the five subcategories and then produces one overall score.

To get a new estimate (for example, if you change equipment that affects performance), you can click the Retry button again. It is quite difficult to interpret the estimates, but in general the following can be said about them.

  • Generally, the higher the score, the better the performance.
  • The smallest possible value is 1.0.
  • The highest possible value is 7.9 (which is higher than the 5.9 that was the maximum in Windows Vista, reflecting hardware improvements over the past few years).
  • The overall score is based on the lowest score. That is, if you receive a score of 5.0 for all other indicators, but a score of 1.0 for at least one, the overall score will still be 1.0.

Studying the Windows Experience Index

Before you go shopping for certain computer components, it would be a good idea to determine which components are needed. Windows 7 OS users are lucky - they have a built-in tool at their disposal that will help determine the performance of various computer subsystems.

Based on this information, you can decide which components need updating. Unfortunately, this feature is no longer available in Windows 8.1, and it was not yet available in Windows XP. However, users of these systems can download third-party applications that can help understand the performance of computer components.

  1. Open the Start menu and right-click Computer.
  2. In the menu that appears, select Properties.
  3. In the window that opens, in the System section, you will see either the current performance index or a message that it needs to be updated. Click on this link.
  4. In the window that opens, click the Update button. The process of measuring the performance of system components will begin. It may take up to several minutes.
  5. Once the performance measurement is complete, you will see the test results. Using them, you can determine the “bottlenecks” of the system, that is, those components that need improvement.

Personal computers are complex computing devices. The efficient performance of such a machine is achieved through the use of modern components, but, as is known, over time they become outdated. The performance index will allow Windows 7 users who are unfamiliar with computer hardware to determine what exactly needs to be upgraded.

What is a performance index?

The performance index, as the name suggests, is a tool that automatically evaluates the performance of a computing machine, that is, a personal computer, and its key elements. It should be understood that the system does not show the average value, but the smallest. For example, if the “Processor” parameter is equal to 4 points, and all the others are 5, then as a result you will see exactly 4 in the “Overall Score”.

Performance is determined by all key system parameters: “Processor”, “Memory (RAM)”, “Graphics”, “Game Graphics” and “Main Hard Drive”.

By looking at the table, any computer owner can independently find out which components need to be upgraded.

How do I get a performance rating?

Finding out your performance rating is not difficult. This can be done in two ways: through “Computer” and “Control Panel”.

View in computer and operating system settings

View the "Counters and Productivity Tools" option

In both the first and second cases, you will be taken to a section where you can look at the performance rating of your system. The window will display all the ratings separately, each of which relates to a specific element of the system, as well as the overall rating.

If you have recently improved some element of your personal computer, it is advisable to re-evaluate it manually. To do this, click on the “Repeat assessment” button.

This can only be done with administrator rights. If you are using a guest account, you will need to provide a password for the administrator account, otherwise you will not be able to change the computer performance rating.

What do the points mean? Normal index performance, what can be the maximum rating?

It’s easy to guess that the points you see in the table are an assessment of the performance of a particular system component. The Windows 7 operating system thus evaluates what tasks the computer can handle. If these scores are high, then there is nothing to worry about, since your PC can successfully handle even time-consuming tasks, but if you see values ​​​​close to 1, then you should think about upgrading.

Let's consider all the elements: the “Processor” component is responsible for the number of operations that the installed processor can perform in one second of time. The “Memory (RAM)” component indicates the speed at which read-write operations are performed per second. “Graphics” is an assessment of desktop performance for the Aero interface enabled, that is, for the desktop itself. The next component, “Graphics for Games,” is already responsible for performance in various applications that require system resources, for three-dimensional graphics. The “main hard drive,” oddly enough, is rated by the speed of data exchange, and not by the capacity of the hard drive.

Optimal performance of the processor and other components

Normal performance index scores should be considered based on the priority tasks you will perform using your computer. If the computer will be used primarily for simple applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, email browsing and web surfing, then you should pay attention to the amount of RAM and processor. The rating of these indicators can be equal to 5, but you can not pay attention to the “Graphics” component at all - 2 will be quite enough.

Computer games and system resource-intensive applications naturally require the best components. If you are going to perform these types of tasks on your PC, then make sure that the “Processor”, “Memory” and “Game Graphics” components have the highest ratings. The hard drive in this case does not play the most important role, so a score of 3 points will be quite enough.

If your desktop computer will be used most of the time as a media console (you will watch movies or listen to music), then take care of the best “Memory” and “Processor” indicators. For all other components of the system, a score of 3 points will be sufficient.

Maximum Index Score

The maximum performance index score varies depending on the bit size of the system. Modern personal computers have 64-bit operating systems; 32-bit ones are less common. The bit capacity is determined depending on the amount of RAM. Thus, 64-bit OSes are suitable for devices with 4 gigabytes of RAM or more, and 32-bit ones, vice versa. This is due to the fact that 32-bit operating systems are not capable of reading more than 4 gigabytes of RAM. 32-bit devices are rated on a scale of 1.0 to 7.9. 64-bit architectures have a maximum score of 5.9 points.

Boost your score: How to increase PC performance in multiple ways?

Before you run to a specialty store that sells components for personal computers, you can optimize your operating system and PC. This procedure will slightly increase the estimate.

Changing the desktop display - increasing the rating

First, change the operating system interface display. For example, if you have Aero installed, then change it to traditional. The appearance of windows and menus affects the performance of the computer, so this procedure can significantly help you solve the immediate problem.

How to improve your index using diagnostics

Secondly, diagnose logical drives, optimize them, remove unnecessary files and programs. Remember that a cluttered hard drive significantly impairs the performance of the computer as a whole, so make sure that only what you really need is installed on your PC. After removing all programs and files, defragment it, which will allow you to reassemble all remaining files and folders and improve performance.

Thirdly, diagnose the drivers you are using. It is not uncommon that certain drivers can impair the operation of a computer and reduce its performance. If you receive a corresponding notification, then it is better to take care of updating and replacing them.

The last thing that will increase the productivity index is, of course, replacing old components with new ones. You can install an additional memory module if the motherboard has a corresponding connector, or install a more powerful one instead of the old one. On desktop PCs, every element is subject to modernization, everything depends only on your financial capabilities, but with laptops it’s more complicated. For such devices, you can only improve the size of the hard drive or RAM, and, unfortunately, all other elements cannot be upgraded.

Video: determining the performance index in Windows 7

Why performance ratings may disappear and what to do in this case

Typically, the computer performance assessment works offline, without any significant problems. However, sometimes there are errors in determining the rating, which may be due to: various software supposedly responsible for security when working on the network or codecs. Codecs are software designed to decode and encode media files. The thing is that the system performance assessment itself is based on the VC-1 codec, and when it is changed or upgraded, conflicts may occur.

Disabling antivirus

First try disabling your antivirus software (depending on the software you are using, the sequence may vary).


Removing and installing codecs

So, if disabling the antivirus did not help you, then you will have to remove and install all codecs manually:

  1. Open the Start menu and Control Panel;
  2. In the window that appears, find the “Programs and Features” option;
  3. Find installed codecs in the list and remove them (for example, K-Lite Codec Pack);
  4. Reinstall the K-Lite Codec Pack;
  5. Enter the program directory through the Start menu and run ffdshow video decoder;
  6. A window will open with a list of video codecs, find VC-1;
  7. Most likely, the Decoder parameter for this codec will be set to Disable, change it to Libavcodec and save the changes.

BIOS update

If these methods do not help you, then you may have to resort to updating the integrated BIOS environment, drivers, in particular DirectX, or roll back to previous versions. Log in as an administrator and navigate to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore.

Here you should delete absolutely all files and restart your personal computer. After starting the OS, run the performance assessment again.

Scan system files

Sometimes this is not enough, which means you should check the presence of system files. You can do it like this:


The process of searching for problems in system files and then eliminating them will begin.

Reinstalling Visual Studio 2010

If you get an error when running a performance assessment that indicates MSVCR100.dll is missing, then you will have to reinstall Visual Studio 2010. This is a free library available for download by all users on the official Microsoft website. You need to choose a package based on the bit capacity of your system, and you can find it out like this:

  1. Open “Start” and on “Computer” right-click;
  2. Select "Properties";
  3. In the “System” section, pay attention to the “System Type” parameter; the bit depth will be indicated there;
  4. Go to the Microsoft website and download the Visual Studio 2010 package you need (https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=5555 - for 32 and 86; https://www.microsoft. com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=14632 - for 64);
  5. After downloading and installing, restart your computer.

The Computer Performance Index is a useful tool that allows the user to promptly determine the need to upgrade a particular part of the device.

The Windows 7 Performance Index is an indicator that, in simple terms, shows how cool your computer is (or how weak it is, depending on who you are). This is a great way to find out whether a given computer is suitable for cool games or all its capabilities come down to moderate carrying of office programs.

Understanding how to find out the performance of Windows 7 is necessary if you are going to buy a computer, but do not understand the hardware, and, accordingly, cannot understand how many megabytes of RAM and how many gigahertz in the process you need for your purposes. In general, if you don’t understand computers at all, then this was invented for you.

Before you find out the Windows 7 Experience Index, you need to click “Start” and select “Control Panel”. Here you need to set the view type to “Category”.

Then you need to go to the “System and Security” section and on the next page, in the “System” section, click on “Windows Experience Index Check”.

And a window with this parameter will open in front of you.

But finding out the Windows Experience Index is not enough. Now you need to understand which one will suit you and which one is too small.

Normal performance index

So, the Windows Experience Index ranges from 1.0 to 7.9. If you are going to do office work on a computer, then you need one with a performance index of 3.0 to 5.0. If your computer work involves serious graphics programs, then you need an index of more than 5.0. If you are going to play the heaviest games, then choose the highest performance index.

The normal Windows Experience Index is at least 3.0. If it is smaller, then working on such a computer will be inconvenient, programs will freeze.

How to improve your performance index

Before you can increase the Windows Experience Index, you need to know how it is calculated. Many people think that from the arithmetic average of each part, but in fact - from the lowest estimate of the hardware. That is, if the indicator turns out to be too low, it means that there is some kind of ballast in the computer that is pulling the entire system down. You can find such ballast in the same window of the performance index - the piece of hardware with the lowest score is the weak link.

Accordingly, in order to increase the Windows 7 performance index, it is necessary to replace this weak part with a more powerful one. Then the lower threshold of the assessment will rise, and with it the performance index of the entire system.

Usually the weak link is the video card. As a rule, they use an integrated weak card against the backdrop of powerful hardware, and installing a more powerful one will increase the performance index.

If you want to protect your device from mechanical damage, then you need a Xiaomi Red Rice case, which you can purchase here http://case4me.ru/1468-xiaomi-redmi-4a It will be much more profitable to take care of it in advance and spend a little on a case than then pay for expensive repairs.

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