Windows Experience Index

The Windows Experience Index is a new feature built into Windows Vista that is designed to help you better understand how well Windows Vista and other software will perform on your PC.

Your computer, running Windows Vista, is assigned a rating number called a "base score" that is achieved by measuring the capability of your computer's hardware configuration. This base score rating will help you to more confidently buy additional hardware, programs, and software that are matched to your computer's base score.

The scale of the Windows Experience Index ranges from 1.0 to 5.9. A higher base score generally means that your computer will perform better and faster than a computer with a lower base score, especially when performing more advanced and resource-intensive tasks.

For example, if your computer has a base score of 3.3, then you can confidently purchase any software designed for your edition of Windows Vista that requires a computer with a base score of 3.0 or lower.

The Windows Experience Index is designed to help you make smart buying decisions related to your use of Windows Vista.

When buying a new PC, it is useful for determining the quality of the Windows experience you can expect from a PC you are considering purchasing.

When upgrading a PC, the index is useful for estimating the overall improvements you can expect to get when replacing or adding a new hardware component to your computer.

When buying software, the software package may include the recommended Windows Experience Index score a PC should have in order to run the particular software application satisfactorily.

How is my base score determined?

The base score of your computer is determined by reviewing a collection of "subscores" assigned to various hardware components within your computer. Subscores are assigned to the following components:

RAM random access memory

CPU central processing unit

Hard disk

General graphics performance on the desktop

3D graphics capability

Your computer's base score is determined by the lowest subscore. For example, if the lowest subscore of a hardware component in your computer is 2.6, then the base score of your computer will be 2.6. The base score is not an average of the combined subscores.

The Windows Experience Index is designed to accommodate advances in computer technology. As hardware speed and performance improves, higher base scores will be introduced. However, the standards for each level of the index stay the same. For example, a computer scored as a 2.8 will remain as a 2.8 unless you decide to upgrade your computer's hardware.

You can also use the subscores of your computer to determine which components you need to upgrade to meet the base score you desire.

General guidelines

A computer with a base score of 1.0 or 2.0 usually has sufficient performance to do most general computing tasks, such as run office productivity applications and search the Internet. However, a computer with this base score is generally not powerful enough to run Windows Aero, or the advanced multimedia experiences that are available with Windows Vista.

A computer with a base score of 3.0 is able to run Windows Aero and many new features of Windows Vista at a basic level. Some of the new Windows Vista advanced features might not have all of their functionality available. For example, a machine with a base score of 3.0 can display the Windows Vista theme at a resolution of 1280 × 1024, but might struggle to run the theme on multiple monitors. Or, it can play digital TV content but might struggle to play High Definition Television (HDTV) content.

A computer with a base score of 4.0 or 5.0 is able to run all new features of Windows Vista with full functionality, and it is able to support high-end, graphics-intensive experiences, such as multiplayer and 3 D gaming and recording and playback of HDTV content. Computers with a base score of 5.0 were the highest performing computers available when Windows Vista was released.

Usage guidelines

The base score is a good indicator of how your computer will generally perform. Subscores can help you understand your computer's level of performance for specific usage scenarios as follows:

Office productivity. If you use your computer almost exclusively for office productivity, such as word processing, spreadsheets, e mail, and web browsing, then high subscores in the CPU and memory categories are important. Subscores of 2.0 or higher are usually sufficient for the hard disk, desktop graphics, and 3D graphics categories.

Gaming and graphic-intensive programs. If you use your computer for games or programs that are graphic-intensive, such as digital video editing applications or realistic first-person games, then high subscores in the RAM, desktop graphics, and 3D gaming graphics categories are important. Subscores of 3.0 or higher are usually sufficient in the CPU and hard disk categories.

Media Center experience. If you use your computer as a media center for advanced multimedia experiences such as recording HDTV programming, then high subscores in the CPU, hard disk, and desktop graphics categories are important. Subscores of 3.0 or higher are usually sufficient in the memory and 3D graphics categories.

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