Windows 7: Performance Information and Tools

Windows rates the abilities and performance of your computer based on a scale of 1.0 to 7.9. It looks at RAM, type and speed of processor, graphics capabilities including gaming graphics performance, and hard disk performance.

The Windows Experience Index is a tool that measures the capability of your computer's hardware and software configuration, expressing this measurement as a number called a base score.

A higher base score usually means that your computer will perform better and faster than a computer with a lower base score. This is especially true when performing more advanced and resource-intensive tasks.

Each individual hardware component is given a subscore. The lowest subscore determines your computer's base score.

By way of example, if the lowest subscore of an individual hardware component is 2.6, then the base score is 2.6. The base score is not an average of the combined subscores. Nevertheless, the subscores can give you a idea of the performance of the components most important to you, and can assist you in deciding which components to upgrade.