Vista's PC-rating tool gets a revamp

Microsoft has reworked the PC assessment tool in Windows Vista after fielding complaints from hardware makers–but the changes may not be enough to completely quell concerns.

In May, the software maker promised to make changes to the Windows System Performance Rating tool, which aims to assess how capable a machine is of harnessing the upcoming operating system’s new features. Critics were unhappy with the way it presented scores and how it came up with its ratings.

The tool is designed to help consumers make sense of Vista’s fairly complicated needs when it comes to memory, graphics performance and other internal components. It looks at five benchmarks and presents an individual score for each, as well as an overall rating for the system.

The newly renamed Windows Experience Index includes tweaks both in the built-in software and in the way that the assessment is described. Despite these, some partners still believe that the score generated by the tool is not a balanced reflection of a computer’s abilities.

Officially, Intel said, “We continue to work closely with Microsoft to shape and influence (the rating tool), but we have no further comment at this time.”

Full article: CNET News.com