If among car owners it is customary to discuss fuel consumption, maximum vehicle speed, acceleration speed, it is no less interesting to listen to users of personal computers that have performed computer performance testing. Such testing is an effective opportunity not only to compare who has a better and faster computer, but also to choose the most productive model when buying. Before discussing in detail how the computer performance assessment is performed, we note that this function is indicative, many factors influence its results. For example, the final values are to a large extent (actually, decisive) affected by the BIOS settings, the presence of overclocking of components, the version of installed drivers, even the service pack (SP) number of the operating system.
How can you compare the performance of two computers? For this, there are special test programs that load components with template calculations. As a result, a certain numerical value is issued, based on which it is possible to judge the performance of a component. For example, to test the RAM, CPU and hard drive, you can use the SiSoft Sandra application. But to evaluate the speed of the video card allows the program 3D Mark. They give fairly accurate results, but, unfortunately, not everyone has it. Microsoft, feeling the need for a universal test tool, implemented such a software solution in its Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Actually, this is what it is called - "evaluation of computer performance." Although such a test is inferior in accuracy to a specialized one, nevertheless, many have successfully used it. The reason is obvious - such an assessment of the computer is always “at hand”.
Running the test is very simple: you need to right-click on the properties of "My Computer". An active link is visible in the window that appears - “Windows Performance Index”, and next to it are numbers. This is the performance rating of your computer. It is recommended, however, to retest by clicking on the link. Evaluation of computer performance is performed as follows: click on the link, select "Repeat evaluation" in the window and wait. Important: the computer should not be loaded with work. No films, music, the Internet, etc. The main internal components are tested, opposite which the rating values appear in the list. The smallest value is 1.0, and the largest is 7.9. Accordingly, it is easy to determine which component requires replacement. The higher the score, the more comfortable working with a computer. The final result is equal to the minimum. It is impossible to say what should be the assessment of computer performance, because it depends on the range of tasks. For example, if a computer is used as a replacement for a typewriter, then even 1.0 might be more than enough (provided that most graphic features are disabled), but for fans who want to shoot a careless monster in a game, the minimum score should not be lower than 5.5.
Although this built-in test is quite limited, sometimes notebook manufacturers provide its values for each model sold. In part, this allows you to tentatively, but quickly, determine the class of a computer - an office, home universal or gaming variety.
Once again, we pay attention that the initial test is performed automatically when installing the operating system before installing the chipset drivers, controllers, and video card. Therefore, the often displayed scores do not correspond to the real ones, and in order to get the real value, it is necessary to perform repeated testing yourself.