The Windows Experience Index was a handy benchmark score that users of Windows Vista through Windows 7 could use to gauge the performance of their PC. While more comprehensive
benchmarks for Windows PC performance exist, the Windows Experience
Index score could help users quickly identify if any particular
components or capabilities of their PC were acting as a performance
bottleneck.
The user-facing side of the Windows Experience Index score went away
with the launch of Windows 8, but the core tool that measured the WEI
score, the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT),
remains to this day, even in Windows 10. This tool can still generate a
Windows Experience Index score for a user’s processor, memory,
graphics, and disk performance, and these scores can be read by certain
applications to ensure compatibility with a user’s PC. The original Windows Experience Score in Windows Vista
For Windows 10 users who still want to easily see their PC’s Windows
Experience Index score, this data can be accessed in several different
ways.
Manually Run WinSAT to Generate XML Files
The first way to see your Windows Experience Index score in Windows
10 is to manually run the WinSAT command. Launch the Command Prompt (or PowerShell) and enter the following command:
winsat formal
This will execute the Windows System Assessment Tool and benchmark
your system’s CPU, memory, 2D and 3D graphics, and storage speed. Just
sit back and let the test finish; the time it takes to complete will
depend on the speed of your PC’s components.
When it’s done, you can find the results in
C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore. Find the XML file containing
the name “Formal.Assessment.” If you’ve never run the WinSAT command,
the file will be designated “Initial.” If it has been run before, however, the results of the current test will be in the file labeled “Recent.”
You can open the Formal.Assessment XML file in a web browser or your
favorite XML viewer. The results aren’t formatted nicely like the old
Windows Experience Index score, but you can still get the relevant
scores. Just scroll down a little bit at the beginning of the XML file
and find the section labeled WinSPR.
There, you’ll see the total score for each category, with
“SystemScore” representing your overall Windows Experience Index score.
Use a Third Party Windows Experience Index Replacement
Instead of manually generating WinSAT’s XML files and having to comb
through them, you can turn to a number of third party replacements that
replicate the original functionality of the Windows Experience Index.
These tools still run the WinSAT command, but they then format the
results in a simple and easy to use interface.
As mentioned, there are a number of tools that offer this
functionality, some of questionable quality. One of our favorites is the
WEI Tool from Winaero.
It’s free, portable (i.e., doesn’t require installation), and it’s from
the same group that makes lots of other safe and useful Windows
utilities.
Just download the tool from the Winaero website, extract the ZIP
file, and run WEI.exe. Run (or re-run, if you’ve already performed the
WinSAT method) the system assessment, which again will take some time
depending on the speed of your PC. When it’s done, you’ll see your
results listed by category, along with your overall system score, just
like how the original Windows Experience Index score appeared in earlier
versions of Windows. Want news and tips from TekRevue delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for the TekRevue Weekly Digest using the box below. Get tips, reviews, news, and giveaways reserved exclusively for subscribers.
SunSpider is still the fastest and simplest. Its results are reasonable.
Jetstream is meant to be more comprehensive but too slow. Its results do not differentiate the browsers so much.
Kraken is even bigger. It took a long time just to download. Strangely, Firefox performs best using Kraken. It is suspicious because both Sunspider and Jetstream show that Edge is fastest, showing that Edge is good with javascript execution.
For quick test of our browsers, the best is still Sunspider. For graphics, use GUIMark 2. You do not need to wait too long to get your results. The probable lack of accuracy is not a big problem for casual users who just want to setup their PC.
Using SunSpider 1.0.2, I managed to get 290.6 mS.
https://webkit.org/perf/sunspider/sunspider.html
The result from the browser comparison above was 332.5 mS.
Edge was fastest at 119.9 mS.
With my PC, a Thinkpad W530 with 16MB of RAM, it is 141.6ms +/- 3.4%.
SunSpider is a test for Javascript. It is not supposed to test cache RAM but somehow the extra cache RAM has improved its SunSpider benchmark result. For graphics, better use HTML 5 benchmark: GUIMark 2, bitmap, http://www.craftymind.com/factory/guimark2/HTML5GamingTest.html Firefox Quantum 61.0.1 64-bit, Test Average: 46.52 fps
Edge, Test Average: 49.72 fps
Chrome:
GUIMark - Bitmap Game Test
Current: 58.82 fps
Test Average: 58.82 fps
Firefox:
GUIMark - Vector Chart Test
Current: 47.61 fps
Test Average: 46.3 fps
Edge:
GUIMark - Vector Chart Test
Current: 24.85 fps
Test Average: 49.75 fps
https://html5test.com/
Your browser scores 497 out of 555 points
You are using Firefox 61.0 on Windows 10
Your browser scores492out of 555 points
You are using Edge 17 on Windows 10
So, if you like to watch Youtube, use Firefox, if Online shopping, Edge.
Chrome is said to be faster with HTML 5:
YOUR BROWSER SCORES528OUT OF 555 POINTS
You are using Chrome Dev 67.0.3396.99 on Windows 10
But Chrome cannot download Youtube videos. If I like a video, I would rather download first, then watch.
Too many restrictions with Chrome and Edge, so I do not use them.
There are a few issues with this website. It took me hours to figure out how to maximise its use.
userbenchmark tests your whole PC or any device that can run its benchmark software, UserBenchMark.exe. It runs on Windows 32-bit as well as 64-bit. It tests all the systems in the PC but is only 5.6MB.
The output of the benchmark is in the form of the position of your system compared to others who had run the UserBenchMark software, although some quantitative figures are also given, such as frame rates.
What it means is that the result of this benchmark is only valid for a limited period of time. The longer that I can estimate is within 1 year. This makes this benchmark useful as a diagnostic tool in order to know if you have not tuned or setup your system properly.
You can save your results online by registering but you need to be careful. Do not close the window of the software runnning the UserBenchMark. Go to the browser page first and save the benchmark results. If you close the UserBenchmarkMark window as directed, you will lose the result webpage.