Windows Experience Index could not be computed

windows 8windows-experience-index

I've upgraded recently from Windows Vista to Windows 8. When I try to rate my computer, it accesses DirectX 9 performance, then processes to DirectX 10 tests:

Running the Direct3D 10 Texture Load Assessment

And it gets stuck at this point. In 5–10 minutes, it shows error message:

The Windows Experience Index for your system could not be computed

The video card is rather old: Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Family. I'm pretty sure it does not support DirectX 10. Why does Windows assess it with DirectX 10? And how can I make it skip DirectX 10 tests and get the system rating?

The driver was installed automatically by Windows 8 from Windows Update.
Version: 8.15.10.2697
Date: 10/01/2012

Best Answer

I haven't found a way to skip DirectX 10 testing. On the other hand, I've found a way to fill system rating data so that Windows Experience Index is displayed:

The following steps explain how to change the displayed numbers. Since I couldn't run the official performance testing, I had to cheat.

WinSAT: Windows System Assessment Tool

Using WinSAT command-line utility, I ran all the tests excluding gaming graphics:

winsat dwmformal
winsat cpuformal
winsat memformal
winsat diskformal

This way I obtained the rating for almost all the components. The results are saved in %WinDir%\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore\ in XML files.

And then I ran only DirectX 9 subset of graphicsformal3d assessment:

winsat graphicsformal3d -dx9 -xml d3d.xml

I skipped graphicsformalmedia assessment as its data are not displayed.

Formal Assessment Data File

Luckily I had a copy of XML file with Formal assessment from another Windows 8 computer. I modified the data in <WinSPR> element and put my data into it:

<WinSPR>
    <SystemScore>3.1</SystemScore>

    <MemoryScore>4.4</MemoryScore>
    <CpuScore>4.8</CpuScore>

    <CPUSubAggScore>4.1</CPUSubAggScore>
    <VideoEncodeScore>3.9</VideoEncodeScore>

    <GraphicsScore>3.1</GraphicsScore>

    <Dx9SubScore>4.1</Dx9SubScore>
    <Dx10SubScore>5.6</Dx10SubScore>

    <GamingScore>3.3</GamingScore>

    <StdDefPlaybackScore>TRUE</StdDefPlaybackScore>
    <HighDefPlaybackScore>TRUE</HighDefPlaybackScore>

    <DiskScore>5.1</DiskScore>
</WinSPR>

In my case, the file is named 2012-12-03 12.12.03.212 Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.xml.

After modifying the XML file, the system displayed the data but complained the data were out of date. To fix it, I copied the data starting with <SystemConfig> up to the end from one of the formal assessments generated above.

Inconsistencies

I didn't modify the data in <Metrics> element, so they're incorrect.
Additionally, the data in <Dx9SubScore> and <Dx10SubScore> are inconsistent with <GamingScore>.

The inconsistencies can be fixed by copying the data from the formal sub-assessments. My goal was achieved: Windows displays the Windows Experience Index, so I left those unchanged.

Acknowledgements

The answers to Performance rating returns with no results showed me the way to go. I learned about WinSAT and how Windows stores its Performance data that are displayed as Windows Experience Index.

Related Solutions

Windows Experience Index = 7.9, then what

The score will get higher. As it already did. The first "high" score was 6.

Microsoft updates the patterns and result values accordingly.

You can find more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_System_Assessment_Tool

By the way - this is not a real benchmark - this is just a value that is based on some benchmarks and should be understood as a measure for "user experience".

You should use real benchmarks (like 3DMark http://www.futuremark.com/, Spec http://www.spec.org) If you'd like to know how fast your system is.

Windows – Performance required to improve Windows Experience Index

If my score was limited by my Memory subscore of 5.9. A naive person would suggest:

Buy a faster RAM

Which is wrong of course, it is simply not only about faster but also about more.

From the Windows help:

If your computer has a 64-bit central processing unit (CPU) and 4 gigabytes (GB) or less random access memory (RAM), then the Memory (RAM) subscore for your computer will have a maximum of 5.9.

You can buy the fastest, overclocked, liquid-cooled, DDR5 RAM on the planet; you'll still have a maximum Memory subscore of 5.9.

So in general the knee-jerk advice "buy faster stuff" is not helpful. What i am looking for is attributes required to achieve a certain score, or move beyond a current limitation.

The information i've been able to compile so far, chiefly from 3 Windows blog entries, and an article:

Memory subscore

Score    Conditions
=======  ================================
1.0      < 256 MB
2.0      < 500 MB
2.9      <= 512 MB
3.5      < 704 MB 
3.9      < 944 MB 
4.5      <= 1.5 GB
5.9      < 4.0GB-64MB on a 64-bit OS
         Windows Vista highest score
7.9      Windows 7 highest score

Graphics Subscore

Score    Conditions
=======  ======================
1.0      doesn't support DX9
1.9      doesn't support WDDM
4.9      does not support Pixel Shader 3.0
5.9      doesn't support DX10 or WDDM1.1
         Windows Vista highest score
7.9      Windows 7 highest score

Gaming graphics subscore

Score    Result
=======  =============================
1.0      doesn't support D3D
2.0      supports D3D9, DX9 and WDDM
5.9      doesn't support DX10 or WDDM1.1
         Windows Vista highest score
6.0-6.9  good framerates (e.g. 40-50fps) at normal resoltuions (e.g. 1280x1024)
7.0-7.9  even higher framerates at even higher resolutions
7.9      Windows 7 highest score

Processor subscore

Score    Conditions
=======  ==========================================================================
5.9      Windows Vista highest score
6.0-6.9  many quad core processors will be able to score in the high 6 low 7 ranges
7.0+     many quad core processors will be able to score in the high 6 low 7 ranges
7.9      8-core systems will be able to approach 8.9
         Windows 7 highest score

Primary hard disk subscore (note)

Score    Conditions
=======  ========================================
1.9      Limit for pathological drives that stop responding when pending writes
2.0      Limit for pathological drives that stop responding when pending writes
2.9      Limit for pathological drives that stop responding when pending writes
3.0      Limit for pathological drives that stop responding when pending writes
5.9      highest you're likely to see without SSD
         Windows Vista highest score
7.9      Windows 7 highest score

Bonus Chatter

You can find your WEI detailed test results in:

C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore

e.g.

2011-11-06 01.00.19.482 Disk.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.xml

<WinSAT>
   <WinSPR>
      <DiskScore>5.9</DiskScore>
   </WinSPR>
   <Metrics>
      <DiskMetrics>
         <AvgThroughput units="MB/s" score="6.4" ioSize="65536" kind="Sequential Read">89.95188</AvgThroughput>
         <AvgThroughput units="MB/s" score="4.0" ioSize="16384" kind="Random Read">1.58000</AvgThroughput>
         <Responsiveness Reason="UnableToAssess" Kind="Cap">TRUE</Responsiveness>
      </DiskMetrics>
   </Metrics>
</WinSAT>

Pre-emptive snarky comment: "WEI is useless, it has no relation to reality"

Fine, how do i increase my hard-drive's random I/O throughput?

Update - Amount of memory limits rating

Some people don't believe Microsoft's statement that having less than 4GB of RAM on a 64-bit edition of Windows doesn't limit the rating to 5.9:

enter image description here

And from xxx.Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.xml:

<WinSPR>
  <LimitsApplied>
    <MemoryScore>
      <LimitApplied 
          Friendly="Physical memory available to the OS is less than 4.0GB-64MB on a 64-bit OS : limit mem score to 5.9" 
          Relation="LT">4227858432</LimitApplied>
      </MemoryScore>
    </LimitsApplied>
  </WinSPR>