Ever since Microsoft released Windows Vista, all Windows PCs have included a benchmark tool called the Windows Experience Index, which gives you a quick look at how well you can expect the system to handle basic Windows tasks, Aero graphics, more-demanding applications, games, and more. Hitting the overall maximum score--7.9, at the time of this writing--isn't easy without investing in a lot of expensive, specialized hardware, but we've found a PC build that you can tweak to reach 7.8 overall (with a 7.9 in every category except processor speed) for about $1000.
3D Business and Gaming Graphics Performance is only 1.0 - Sony Computers & Internet question. Search Fixya. (Windows Vista/7 just type in 'Device Manager' to the start menu search. Expand the Display Adapters section. Right click on your graphics card and select uninstall.). For 3D gaming an ATI/AMD or NVidia graphics card is strongly.
Frankly, a PC with a 7.8 WEI score packs enough power to do just about anything you want to do with a PC--except brag about your perfect 7.9 score. So unless you're willing to spend a few thousand dollars to show off that 7.9, we think you'll be plenty satisfied with this build.
What Are WinSAT and WEI?
When Vista launched, it came with a built-in suite of benchmarks designed with multiple purposes in mind. The Windows System Assessment Tool, or WinSAT, consists of five benchmarks that evaluate the performance of a system's processor, memory, graphics subsystem, and primary storage drive. Each individual benchmark score in the Windows System Assessment Tool contributes to the calculation of the PC's Windows Experience Index, or WEI. You can find your own WEI score by going into Control Panel and selecting System.
Microsoft's main goals in creating the Windows Experience Index were to give users a simple metric by which they could evaluate their computer's performance (or that of a new PC), help system builders find performance bottlenecks, and give software developers a score to refer to in lieu of hard-and-fast system requirements. (Instead of listing minimum CPU, memory, and storage requirements, for example, developers can list a minimum WEI score.)
The Windows System Assessment Tool runs five individual tests to come up with a Windows Experience Index score:
- Processor
- Memory (RAM)
- Graphics
- Gaming graphics
- Primary hard disk
On Windows Vista systems, the scores ranged from 1.0 to 5.9. With Windows 7, the maximum score increased to 7.9 to compensate for newer, higher-performing hardware that wasn't available when Vista debuted.
The processor test runs both single- and multithreaded workloads to assess a CPU's performance. Microsoft has stated that a system with a processor score above 6.0 would be suitable for demanding applications, and would rarely be CPU-bound. The memory benchmark evaluates memory operations per second, but is also limited by total capacity on 64-bit editions of Windows; a 64-bit system with less than 4GB of memory will have its score capped at 5.9. The basic graphics benchmark examines interface and Aero performance on the Windows desktop, while the gaming graphics benchmark evaluates a GPU's DirectX 9 and 10 texturing and fill-rate performance. For a GPU to achieve a score above 6.0, it must be DirectX 10 compliant and have WDDM 1.1 drivers; older GPUs with WDDM 1.0 drivers will be able to run only the DirectX 9 portion of the benchmark, and will be capped at a score of 5.9. Finally, the primary hard disk test assesses the drive's transfer rate.
As I've mentioned, each of the individual tests in the Windows 7 WinSAT produce a score ranging from 1.0 to 7.9. The overall WEI score, however, is determined by the lowest of the five scores, not an average of the five. If four of the five tests report a score of 7.9 but the fifth is 4.2, for instance, that system's WEI score is 4.2.
According to Microsoft, 'A PC with a score of 2 is typically sufficient for basic tasks like word processing or web browsing. Running the Aero desktop experience requires at least a 3, while graphics-intensive software frequently requires a 4 or higher.' As PC enthusiasts, we at PCWorld respectfully disagree with Microsoft's assessment. A system with a WEI base score of 2.0 would be torturous to use even for basic tasks, and a 3.0 or 4.0 isn't all that great, either--which is why we've picked out the parts to put your PC in the top ranks without breaking the bank.
Selecting the Parts
Our goal with this project was to see how close we could get to a perfect 7.9 WEI score using roughly $1000 worth of hardware. If money were no object, maxing out the WinSAT benchmarks and overall WEI score would (theoretically) be easy; but with only $1000 to spend, we'd have to make some strategic decisions with our hardware.
Knowing how the Windows System Assessment Tool works, we focused the largest portions of our budget on the system's processor, GPU, memory, and storage. For the CPU, we jumped right to the top of Intel's current Sandy Bridge Core i7 lineup and grabbed a Core i7-2600K. We also scored 8GB (two 4GB modules) of fast DDR3 memory, a relatively powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti-based graphics card, and one of OCZ's SandForce SF-2281 controller-based Agility 3 solid-state drives. We never want to skimp on other components, such as the motherboard, optical drive, case, or power supply, but because those items wouldn't directly affect the WEI score, we set aside less of our budget for them.
Our build consisted of the following components.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K ($315)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ($155)
- Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR-1866 Kit, CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9R ($69)
- Graphics: MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II ($239; $219 with rebate)
- Case and power supply: Cooler Master Elite RC-310-OWR460 with a 460W PSU ($65)
- Primary storage: OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III SSD ($194; $164 with rebate)
- Total: $987
Astute readers will notice a couple of omissions in our build tally. Although the components we chose for the build are enough to assemble a fast, perfectly functional system, you'll probably want more than 120GB of storage, and possibly an optical drive. We left them out since we wanted to stay under $1000, but you can grab a 500GB, 7200-rpm Seagate Barracuda hard drive ($39) and a Lite-On DVD-R/CD-R drive ($18) and still stay pretty close to $1000. Alternatively, you could use the hard drive and optical drive from your existing desktop PC, if you have one.
Originally we hadn't planned to shell out as much money for the GPU as we did; but when we tested the parts ourselves, we discovered that we needed to spend that extra cash. AMD's Radeon HD 6850 and 6870 graphics cards earned scores of 7.7 and 7.8, respectively, in the WinSAT graphics tests. Nvidia's GeForce GTX 550 Ti hit 7.4, and a GTX 560 reached 7.8. We tried overclocking all of the boards as well, but ultimately we couldn't attain that elusive 7.9 with the more affordable cards. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti, however, pulled it off right out of the box.
Next page: Firing up the assembled PC
If you want to easily get an idea of what your graphics card can do, benchmarking your GPU is a great way to see how it will cope with all the latest PC games. These benchmark tests will push your graphics card to its limits, giving you an idea of what your graphics card can handle, and at what resolution.
If, for example, you're eyeing Control, and want to see how your graphics card stacks up with the recommended spec, you can run something like 3DMark, and compare it with results online.
![3d Business Gaming Graphics Performance Windows 7 3d Business Gaming Graphics Performance Windows 7](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126370102/233647925.jpg)
Not only will these benchmark results give you an idea of how your computer can handle the latest games, but it can give you bragging rights, too. Hey, you just dropped a ton of cash on that Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, you should be able to share your benchmark results to make all your friends jealous.
1. Why benchmark
Because GPU benchmarks throw a number of intensive graphical tests at your GPU, it's a great way to see how your graphics card performs under load. If you've built your own rig, or overclocked your graphics card to eke out more performance, than running a benchmark for a few hours can give you confidence that your GPU is stable.
The last thing you want in the middle of a game is for your graphics card to fail, so running benchmarks can catch any problems early on. If it can run them for a couple of hours without problem, you're good to go. If there are crashes, artifacts or other graphical glitches then you can begin working out what the problem is.
One of the most likely culprits will be a GPU getting too hot, so if your graphics card fails to run a benchmark, it might be worth making sure it's getting plenty of cool air.
2. How to benchmark
When it comes to choosing software to benchmark your graphics card you're spoiled for choice. There are a number of popular benchmarking suites available that can put your graphics card through its paces.
Not all of them are free, however, such as the popular 3DMark benchmark. There is a free version, (but the options are limited.) However, 3DMark is available on Steam, and is often discounted.
For a free version which still comes with enough settings to properly test out your graphics card we'd recommend going for Heaven Benchmark. Scroll down the page until you see 'Download now'. Click the link, and then select where you want to download it from.
Once installed, run the program. A window will appear letting you select various options, such as the texture quality and the resolution you want the benchmark to run at. When choosing the resolution it's best to run the benchmark at the resolution you usually run games. That's the resolution you run Windows in as well (such as 1920 x 1080), then select 'System'.
If you fancy testing out how well your gaming rig will cope with stereo 3D such as Nvidia 3D vision, you can enable 3D as well. If the benchmark runs well without any crashes or major framerate drops then you're good to grab a pair of 3D glasses and get gaming.
If you're not sure about what settings to use, there are a couple of ready made presets that will help you get benchmarking quickly and easily. Next to where it says 'Presets' click the drop down box and choose either 'Basic' or 'Extreme'.
But, if you're looking to see how your graphics card handles a specific game, a lot of high-profile PC games come with built-in benchmarks. Usually these will be located in the graphics settings screen. Even if the game you're interested in doesn't feature a built-in benchmark, you can use programs like FRAPS or MSI Afterburner to record your performance in-game.
3. Benchmark results
When the Heaven benchmark runs you'll see a number of attractive 3D environments with the camera panning over them.
This is a handy way to see how well your GPU handles this level of graphics. Just with your eyes you should be able to make out any dropped frames, graphical glitches or tearing.
If the benchmark doesn't run smoothly then you already know that your graphics card is going to struggle with certain graphics. On the top right-hand corner of the screen you'll see and FPS (frames per second) counter which gives you a lot more information. For a smooth gameplay experience you'll want that counter to sit around at least 30.
Any drops below can result in your games feeling slow and choppy. The higher this score the better, and ideally you'd like to see it at 60FPS. If your graphics card is struggling here, try changing the settings in the Heaven Benchmark settings page.
This area will also tell you about your GPU including the model and memory. It will also record the temperature of your GPU – pay close attention to this as high temperatures can mean your GPU is struggling. An overheating GPU can also lead to problems and system instability.
To begin recording the results of the benchmark, click 'Benchmark' on the top-left hand side of the screen or press F9 on the keyboard. Heaven will now run a number of tests and then display your results in a new window.
These results with give you your average, min and max frames per seconds along with a score. The higher the score, the better. There's no quick way to compare scores with other people, but there are plenty of websites such as TechPowerUp and Overclock.net that feature message boards dedicated to discussing Heaven benchmark results.
What might improve it?
If your graphics card isn't getting the score you hoped for, there are a number of things you can do to improve the score before you resort to ripping out your GPU and replacing it with a newer model.
First of all you should make sure have the latest stable drivers installed for your graphics card. You can check this by either going to the website of your graphics card manufacturer, or using a program such as GeForce Experience for Nvidia graphics cards to ensure that you're running the latest drivers.
3d Business Gaming Graphics Performance Windows 7 1
If you are using experimental or beta drivers it might be worth rolling back to the last official stable release. Once that's done, you can restart your computer and wait two minutes for all the start up programs and services to launch.
Close down any open programs once Windows has restarted and re-run the benchmarks. If you're still not happy, there might be another reason for the issues.
Try opening up your PC and make sure that it is dust free and well ventilated, as overheating graphics cards could be the cause of poor performance and low benchmark scores. Clean the insides carefully with compressed air and a light brush.
Gaming Graphics Software
If that doesn't work, you might want to consider buying a new graphics card. You know that juicy RTX 2080 is just calling your name.
Windows 7 Gaming Desktop
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