Re: Windows Vista Experience Index

I posted this elsewhere yesterday, but I think it should be a new thread instead. Does anyone understand the Windows Vista Experience Index and how to improve it?

I just bought a new HP dv6253 laptop yesterday and I stumbled onto this Windows Performance Index when I went to play one of the solitaire games. I have the AMD Turion 64x2 TL-50 with the GeoForce6150 and 2GB RAM but my performance index is only 2.4! If you dig deeper, you see it includes 5 criteria, and the other scores aren't bad. But based on gaming graphics the overall rating is only 2.4.

I bought a retail model, so I knew I wasn't getting top graphics. But salesmen at every store predicted that the AMD+nVidia would be a little better than the Intel DualCore 2060 w/GMA950 (which k3l0 says is 3.0).

I just stopped at Best Buy and took a peek at their notebooks on display. The inexpensive Compaq Turion 64 MK-36 with the same graphics card had a rating of 3.0, but the HP Turion 64x2 TL-50 had a rating of 2.4.

My questions:
Why is the Turion 64x2 TL-50 so low and is there a driver or something to improve it? (I'd be satisfied with that 3.0)

Where else will this low performance be noticeable, other than certain types of games?

 

So Vista actually gave the single core Turion a better score than the X2?

Bizzare. Each time I here someone's scores, I get more confused about Vista's rating system of cpus and gpus.

 

With my Intel C2D T5600 and nVidia Go7400 and 2GB of RAM, I only get a base score of 3.1

I do not understand how vista rate things since I can play oblivion with my laptop.

 

That really does not make much sense to me because the Nvidia integrated (6150?) is better than the Intel GMA 950. I think Microsoft has this screwed up. Basically though if you are happy with the performance then the score does not really matter anyway.

 

I expected the nVidia to be better too. This rating is an active assessment, right? Subject to change? I sure hope there is an updated driver that will bring it up to 3.

If I'd known about this index, I'd have taken a look at the ratings of different configurations on display in stores before buying.

I have no idea if I'm happy with this laptop's performance or not. My old router wasn't Vista-compatible, so I haven't even been online yet.
I never could get a wireless network to function through the old router, so I bought a new one which will be installed and setup by CC's firedog team today. I've never paid for setup before, but I assume they'll be able to do what I couldn't. I guess that commits me to this laptop.

 

How would your router not be Vista compatiable..... It has nothing to do with Vista...

 

and BTW, your rating is based upon your lowest scroing item in the list.

 

screw vista i just want it for the new features if your happy with your performance than fine all i need is an ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 (integrated)for me id be happy with an score of 2.0 unless games start reqiuring a specific score

 

My Go 7200 is getting 2.7 with both the stock driver and version 7.15.11.5842
from laptopvideo2go, still worse than the 3.1 of the GMA950 (dv2000t).

Sadly, I see no performance difference in the Go 7200 next to my old 128MB dedicated x200m. Running the Once Upon A Knight configuration bench, both gpus averaged 36FPS at 1024x768 "medium" settings.

Unless 3DMark06 is totally inaccurate reguarding gpu scores, the current nvidia drivers must be absolutely horrible. It is rather pathetic that an x200m can run steady with a Go 7200 in a 4 year-old game bench. I had a bit higher hopes for it................lol