Quick overview:
The "Windows System Assessment Tool" is a function integrated in Windows Vista that checks the performance of the computer and "spits out" a final score.
The performance evaluation is carried out directly after the installation of Windows Vista and shows how fit your computer is for games or applications. The Windows Tweaks Blog shows you what's behind it...
What is supported?
The Windows performance rating analyzes the performance of the CPU, memory modules, graphics card and hard drive and expresses this in the form of an overall rating. In the near future, games will be able to read this overall rating and adapt the graphics settings (e.g. resolution, level of detail, effects) to the performance of the PC.
This saves you a lot of time and nerves that you would have "wasted" by fiddling with the graphics settings. Of course, you can still change these automatic settings yourself. Let's hope that a lot of games will make use of this new technology in the future!
How is the valuation determined?
The score is always given by the weakest component of the computer. In my example (see above), the processor (Intel Core 2 Duo with 2.4 Ghz) is the weaker link. The graphics card (GeForce 8800 GTX) and the hard disk (one of the lightning-fast Western Digital Raptors, which manages 10,000 revolutions per minute) form the maximum of the rating - a 5.9. Modern games (e.g. Prey) will probably only run to a limited extent on computers below the 4 points mark. For normal office applications, a PC with a rating of 1, 2 or 3 is sufficient.
How to carry out the performance evaluation
Immediately after installation, Windows Vista runs a performance assessment. However, performance often changes drastically when you replace hardware or install new device drivers. After such changes, we recommend running the performance assessment again: To do this, click the Start button and select “Control Panel.” From there, go to > System and Maintenance > and click > Performance Information and Tools. Clicking > “Update Assessment” will run the test again.
Sandro Villinger
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already We have been tweaking Windows since 1998 and just don't stop!
