Vista Tutorial - In-depth WEI information please

Hey all,

From reading in here, I can tell I'm not the only one having this issue.
The Windows Experience Index seems to be very touchy, and inconsistent. Does
anyone know where I can find an article that explains the WEI in-depth.

My real issue is my graphics score. I'm trying to figure out everything
that goes into these ratings. My graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 6200) is not
the best, or worst, but I can't get a subscore over 2.2 for graphics and 3.1
for gaming graphics. My old card (Geforce FX 5500) had a slightly higher
rating (2.4/3.2), but I had to buy a new one because: 1) Nvidia doesn't
appear committed to improving the FX5500 beyond basic Vista functionality;
and 2) I bought a new TV Tuner card and the FX5500 was causing a conflict.
From comparing the features, the 6200 should be a much higher rated card.

The main two things I'm trying to figure out are:
1) How much to drivers affect the WEI? Nvidia hasn't finished making drivers
for the cards, and I'm wondering if I should expect my score to go up when
they get all the kinks worked out.
2) How much can a monitor affect the graphics score? I thought I had it
figured out, because I lowered my resolution and increased the refresh rate
(my cheap monitor won't allow a refresh rate higher than 60 Hz at full
1280x1024 resolution) and gained a tenth of a point. But then I changed it
back and the score stayed, so that doesn't appear to be the problem.

Why are you worried about some arbitrary score. Does it DO what you need it
to do. Yes, the drivers make a huge difference. My scores dropped over 2
full points when I got a bad driver from nVidia, then recovered when I
installed a later version.

"SonicJoe" <SonicJoe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:09D9B9B9-8325-4073-B24B-F1C0AF2789C1@microsoft.com...
> Hey all,
>
> From reading in here, I can tell I'm not the only one having this issue.
> The Windows Experience Index seems to be very touchy, and inconsistent.
> Does
> anyone know where I can find an article that explains the WEI in-depth.
>
> My real issue is my graphics score. I'm trying to figure out everything
> that goes into these ratings. My graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 6200) is
> not
> the best, or worst, but I can't get a subscore over 2.2 for graphics and
> 3.1
> for gaming graphics. My old card (Geforce FX 5500) had a slightly higher
> rating (2.4/3.2), but I had to buy a new one because: 1) Nvidia doesn't
> appear committed to improving the FX5500 beyond basic Vista functionality;
> and 2) I bought a new TV Tuner card and the FX5500 was causing a conflict.
> From comparing the features, the 6200 should be a much higher rated card.
>
> The main two things I'm trying to figure out are:
> 1) How much to drivers affect the WEI? Nvidia hasn't finished making
> drivers
> for the cards, and I'm wondering if I should expect my score to go up when
> they get all the kinks worked out.
> 2) How much can a monitor affect the graphics score? I thought I had it
> figured out, because I lowered my resolution and increased the refresh
> rate
> (my cheap monitor won't allow a refresh rate higher than 60 Hz at full
> 1280x1024 resolution) and gained a tenth of a point. But then I changed
> it
> back and the score stayed, so that doesn't appear to be the problem.

It is not like a sporting event where the score if final. It is down and
dirty benchmark - one that can not be relied upon too heavily.

End result - is your computer doing what you want. If not, read hardware
reviews on http://www.extremetech.com/ and http://www.tomshardware.com/.
There are many other sites that do a good review also. Search for them. You
will notice that some do not even touch on the WEI in their reviews. Then,
pick a card based upon the reviews.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"SonicJoe" <SonicJoe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:09D9B9B9-8325-4073-B24B-F1C0AF2789C1@microsoft.com...
> Hey all,
>
> From reading in here, I can tell I'm not the only one having this issue.
> The Windows Experience Index seems to be very touchy, and inconsistent.
> Does
> anyone know where I can find an article that explains the WEI in-depth.
>
> My real issue is my graphics score. I'm trying to figure out everything
> that goes into these ratings. My graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 6200) is
> not
> the best, or worst, but I can't get a subscore over 2.2 for graphics and
> 3.1
> for gaming graphics. My old card (Geforce FX 5500) had a slightly higher
> rating (2.4/3.2), but I had to buy a new one because: 1) Nvidia doesn't
> appear committed to improving the FX5500 beyond basic Vista functionality;
> and 2) I bought a new TV Tuner card and the FX5500 was causing a conflict.
> From comparing the features, the 6200 should be a much higher rated card.
>
> The main two things I'm trying to figure out are:
> 1) How much to drivers affect the WEI? Nvidia hasn't finished making
> drivers
> for the cards, and I'm wondering if I should expect my score to go up when
> they get all the kinks worked out.
> 2) How much can a monitor affect the graphics score? I thought I had it
> figured out, because I lowered my resolution and increased the refresh
> rate
> (my cheap monitor won't allow a refresh rate higher than 60 Hz at full
> 1280x1024 resolution) and gained a tenth of a point. But then I changed
> it
> back and the score stayed, so that doesn't appear to be the problem.

It is doing what I want for the moment, but I'm sure in the near future I'll
buy a game or something, and then I'll have to wonder if its going to work
because of this score. If my hardware covers what's needed to run the
program, but its not working up to its potential because of a driver, it
could make a huge difference in how the program runs. Now I have to wonder
if it will ever be capable of these things in Vista (such as HD quality
video, which isn't a concern now, but might become one if I decide to buy a
new monitor in the not too distant future).

Also, I'm a pretty cautious buyer. I didn't buy the card without checking
it out. Yes, I realize I bought a budget card. No, I don't play enough
games, or run enough graphic intensive programs to justify dropping $200-$400
on a high-end graphics card. But it would be nice to be sure that the card I
bought can handle what it says it can. And to make you feel better, I
visited both of your links, and they didn't give me anymore information than
I already had. Good card for the money, but wouldn't be recommended for a
hard-core gaming machine. Thanks. I appreciate the input. But it would be
nice if you just answered my question.

"Richard Urban" wrote:

> It is not like a sporting event where the score if final. It is down and
> dirty benchmark - one that can not be relied upon too heavily.
>
> End result - is your computer doing what you want. If not, read hardware
> reviews on http://www.extremetech.com/ and http://www.tomshardware.com/.
> There are many other sites that do a good review also. Search for them. You
> will notice that some do not even touch on the WEI in their reviews. Then,
> pick a card based upon the reviews.
>
> --
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban
> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
> (For email, remove the obvious from my address)
>
> Quote from George Ankner:
> If you knew as much as you think you know,
> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>
>
>
> "SonicJoe" <SonicJoe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:09D9B9B9-8325-4073-B24B-F1C0AF2789C1@microsoft.com...
> > Hey all,
> >
> > From reading in here, I can tell I'm not the only one having this issue.
> > The Windows Experience Index seems to be very touchy, and inconsistent.
> > Does
> > anyone know where I can find an article that explains the WEI in-depth.
> >
> > My real issue is my graphics score. I'm trying to figure out everything
> > that goes into these ratings. My graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 6200) is
> > not
> > the best, or worst, but I can't get a subscore over 2.2 for graphics and
> > 3.1
> > for gaming graphics. My old card (Geforce FX 5500) had a slightly higher
> > rating (2.4/3.2), but I had to buy a new one because: 1) Nvidia doesn't
> > appear committed to improving the FX5500 beyond basic Vista functionality;
> > and 2) I bought a new TV Tuner card and the FX5500 was causing a conflict.
> > From comparing the features, the 6200 should be a much higher rated card.
> >
> > The main two things I'm trying to figure out are:
> > 1) How much to drivers affect the WEI? Nvidia hasn't finished making
> > drivers
> > for the cards, and I'm wondering if I should expect my score to go up when
> > they get all the kinks worked out.
> > 2) How much can a monitor affect the graphics score? I thought I had it
> > figured out, because I lowered my resolution and increased the refresh
> > rate
> > (my cheap monitor won't allow a refresh rate higher than 60 Hz at full
> > 1280x1024 resolution) and gained a tenth of a point. But then I changed
> > it
> > back and the score stayed, so that doesn't appear to be the problem.
>
>

The score is not going to keep a game from working.

Not having a video card installed that meets, or exceeds, the recommended
minimum specs on the game box WILL. Again, the score is mostly irrelevant to
most anything.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"SonicJoe" <SonicJoe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:C554AC7E-A6E4-4A9F-BDA0-AB51246D9CF0@microsoft.com...
> It is doing what I want for the moment, but I'm sure in the near future
> I'll
> buy a game or something, and then I'll have to wonder if its going to work
> because of this score. If my hardware covers what's needed to run the
> program, but its not working up to its potential because of a driver, it
> could make a huge difference in how the program runs. Now I have to
> wonder
> if it will ever be capable of these things in Vista (such as HD quality
> video, which isn't a concern now, but might become one if I decide to buy
> a
> new monitor in the not too distant future).
>
> Also, I'm a pretty cautious buyer. I didn't buy the card without checking
> it out. Yes, I realize I bought a budget card. No, I don't play enough
> games, or run enough graphic intensive programs to justify dropping
> $200-$400
> on a high-end graphics card. But it would be nice to be sure that the
> card I
> bought can handle what it says it can. And to make you feel better, I
> visited both of your links, and they didn't give me anymore information
> than
> I already had. Good card for the money, but wouldn't be recommended for a
> hard-core gaming machine. Thanks. I appreciate the input. But it would be
> nice if you just answered my question.
>
> "Richard Urban" wrote:
>
>> It is not like a sporting event where the score if final. It is down and
>> dirty benchmark - one that can not be relied upon too heavily.
>>
>> End result - is your computer doing what you want. If not, read hardware
>> reviews on http://www.extremetech.com/ and http://www.tomshardware.com/.
>> There are many other sites that do a good review also. Search for them.
>> You
>> will notice that some do not even touch on the WEI in their reviews.
>> Then,
>> pick a card based upon the reviews.
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Richard Urban
>> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
>> (For email, remove the obvious from my address)
>>
>> Quote from George Ankner:
>> If you knew as much as you think you know,
>> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>>
>>
>>
>> "SonicJoe" <SonicJoe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:09D9B9B9-8325-4073-B24B-F1C0AF2789C1@microsoft.com...
>> > Hey all,
>> >
>> > From reading in here, I can tell I'm not the only one having this
>> > issue.
>> > The Windows Experience Index seems to be very touchy, and inconsistent.
>> > Does
>> > anyone know where I can find an article that explains the WEI in-depth.
>> >
>> > My real issue is my graphics score. I'm trying to figure out
>> > everything
>> > that goes into these ratings. My graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 6200)
>> > is
>> > not
>> > the best, or worst, but I can't get a subscore over 2.2 for graphics
>> > and
>> > 3.1
>> > for gaming graphics. My old card (Geforce FX 5500) had a slightly
>> > higher
>> > rating (2.4/3.2), but I had to buy a new one because: 1) Nvidia doesn't
>> > appear committed to improving the FX5500 beyond basic Vista
>> > functionality;
>> > and 2) I bought a new TV Tuner card and the FX5500 was causing a
>> > conflict.
>> > From comparing the features, the 6200 should be a much higher rated
>> > card.
>> >
>> > The main two things I'm trying to figure out are:
>> > 1) How much to drivers affect the WEI? Nvidia hasn't finished making
>> > drivers
>> > for the cards, and I'm wondering if I should expect my score to go up
>> > when
>> > they get all the kinks worked out.
>> > 2) How much can a monitor affect the graphics score? I thought I had
>> > it
>> > figured out, because I lowered my resolution and increased the refresh
>> > rate
>> > (my cheap monitor won't allow a refresh rate higher than 60 Hz at full
>> > 1280x1024 resolution) and gained a tenth of a point. But then I
>> > changed
>> > it
>> > back and the score stayed, so that doesn't appear to be the problem.
>>
>>

"SonicJoe" <SonicJoe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:09D9B9B9-8325-4073-B24B-F1C0AF2789C1@microsoft.com...
> The main two things I'm trying to figure out are:
> 1) How much to drivers affect the WEI?

Yes, certainly. It is drivers that expose hardware capabilities to the
system. For example, if you have generic drivers installed, you'll get only
generic features and most probably low to middle performance. I you install
drivers created by hardware manufacturer for the OS you are using hardware
with, you get better performance and complete feature set.

> 2) How much can a monitor affect the graphics score?

Not much, if at all.

--
Alexander Suhovey