Can someone enlighten me? A new windows7 install.Ichecked out its subscore rating.That is - it'sability to run selected hardware in a Windows7 environment.It is determined by its lowest subscore which is 5.9.See below my ratings.While the score isntso low that the system has insurmountableproblems, I would rather the system was rated at the highest which is 7.9My system would run better at 7.9 wouldnt it?My question (s) are / is what hardware do youneed to have to record a higher Windows Experience index?My processor is 7.2 - intel quad core 2.83 Ram is 7.2 - 4gig of Corsair Ram.Graphicsfor desktop performance is 5.9 -Galaxy GF 9800GT Gaming Graphics and 3D business is 5.9 - Galaxy GF 9800GTPrimary HDD is 5.9 - Hitatchi HDDEverything above was chosen to complement its associate!..... or so I believed , Why did I rate as low as I did?Would there have been any improvement in the Operating System if it DID score higher?Joel BX below was saying "Your Graphics card isn't the most high-end in the world, can see why you only have 5.9 for that, win7 would probably want a GTX 200 or better for a higher score." but I priced one and i would need a 2nd morgage on the house to get one ;-(Regards from Nortswa

The 7.0 and up scores are now reserved for high-end hardware, such as Solid-State Drives (SSDs). Your HDD won't get past a 6.9 if if is a normal HDD and not a SSD. Your Graphics card isn't the most high-end in the world, can see why you only have 5.9 for that, win7 would probably want a GTX 200 or better for a higher score. You getting 2 7.2 scores is great! There is nothing to complain about!! If you want to see an average comp's score please check mine out. My comp is only 4 years old and I have added a NVIDIA Geforce 8500GT, added 2 GB of ram to exisiting RAM, added 2nd HDD (IDE, 7200RPM) that win7 runs off of..., and replace original, failing SATA HDD with another SATA HDD, 7200RPM. Sounds like great hardware, but here is the score: Component Details Subscore Base score Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ (2.2 GHz, single core) 4.2 4.2 Determined by lowest subscore Memory (RAM) 2.50 GB (should be dual-channel) 4.7 Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT (1 GB of graphics memory) 4.4 Gaming graphics 2047 MB Total available graphics memory 4.3 Primary hard disk 21GB Free (35GB Total [on partition]) 5.3 Windows 7 Ultimate Hello! Please reply back, promptly if possible with the results to solutions to your problem! Curious about Win7 min. system requirements? Readme: Older ATI, Intel onboard graphics, or NVIDIA graphics cards on Windows 7 Windows 7 tips - JoelbX

Thanks Joel, thats wot I wanted to know!! Yeah I would have thought you deserved a better score too! The thing is re: SSD's there is MLC technology and SSD's. It is controvercial which one to get there too. But I wouldnt get one for a desktop. they are so expensive too , eh?Thanks for your info Joel

You're welcome. Yes, SSDs are expensive... Reason why MS chose to make it so SSDs will get the better scores is (short story...) they are supposedly a lot better at accessing data off the drive, therefore faster.. But I won't get one till the drive sizes and tech / reliability improve. I forget exactly what hardware gets you a 7.0 or up score, the only one I remember is the SSDs... Please mark any post that helped as an answer or vote as helpful, it is really appreciated.Hello! Please reply back, promptly if possible with the results to solutions to your problem!Curious about Win7 min. system requirements?Readme: Older ATI, Intel onboard graphics, or NVIDIA graphics cards on Windows 7Windows 7 tips - JoelbX

nortswa - Your Nvidia GeForce 9800 only rates a 5.9 because it's an older video card. I believe the latest GeForce based cards are based on the 280 chipset. As far as improvements... Eh... That's a matter of debate. I'm not thinking you're going to see much of an improvment - except visually- if you upgrade the video card.

Just about the show desktop icon. It is on the end of the taskbar, and almost invisible as it has no icon. Just hover over this and it will show the desktop in preview - click and you go to the desktopRegards,Henry

Thanks for reply Henry .... My Desktop icon WAS in the LHS cnr on RHS of Start...I've hovered all around that area but nothing of any consequence is happening.I can try doing as you suggested WITHOUT a browser window being on desktop otherwise I'm just clicking on the closed or open I.E. icon..... I'll try that now cya

On my taskbar (Windows 7 RC) the show taskbar button is at the very end of the RHS, and it is practically invisibleRegards,Henry

Yeah I hear wot U R saying Henry but my icon was as I said prevously ...on lhs adj start button ...its gotme stuffed .no idea ...... If I was you I would be thinking "he has got it all wrong"....He is dislexic or something but nope............ it really has me confused...............And I looked with all the taskbar empty too !! but the Desktop Icon has gone Walkabout.............. Paul

This might help. Right click taskbar and click properties. In the Taskbar tab, I have a fieldat the bottom with a check-box "Use Aero Peek to view the desktop". Select this and I getthe button at the end of the taskbar.

It lives in the bottom right hand corner as can be seen below

Some strange figures thre when compared to my setup (EDIT, just noticed my signature was missing which had my system specs so added hard drive specs) Component Details Subscore Base score Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200+ 4.0 3.5 Determined by lowest subscore Memory (RAM) 1.50 GB 4.5 Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 3.5 Gaming graphics 767 MB Total available graphics memory 5.2 Primary hard disk 16GB Free (50GB Total) on Maxtor 500GB SATA II 5.9 Windows 7 Ultimate

Some strange figures thre when compared to my setup (EDIT, just noticed my signature was missing which had my system specs so added hard drive specs) Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 3.5 Gaming graphics 767 MB Total available graphics memory 5.2 Hmm, did you make sure to have all apps that use a lot of graphics off at the time of the assessment? Did you make sure to have the latest drivers?- forum9851 :)

Some strange figures thre when compared to my setup (EDIT, just noticed my signature was missing which had my system specs so added hard drive specs) Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 3.5 Gaming graphics 767 MB Total available graphics memory 5.2 Hmm, did you make sure to have all apps that use a lot of graphics off at the time of the assessment? Did you make sure to have the latest drivers? - forum9851 :) Yes on both counts. I've just re-ran the assesment again with nothing running and get the same result.

aWWWW MAN!!!!!!!!!!! i'VE SEEN THE LIGHT!! tHANKS FOR THE PIC! i WAS LOOKIN IN THE WRONG SIDE! ITS GOT ME STUFFED . i COULD HAVE PUT MONEY ON IT THAT THE ICON WAS IN THE LHS. i'M CERTAIN IT WAS IN THE LHS SIDE , BUT MAYBE i WAS wrong? human errror ? I dont know ... one thing I do know is where it is now...... thanksguys and gals ,etc ....its 3.30 am ,,,,I,m going ni-ni ...........goodnight. Thanks Brownimfc

To forum9851 Hi , could you tell me how you find the NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS ? Ive never been one in changing my GPU at all but I'm running a Nvidia galaxy 9800GT - it cost me $148 and it seems ok ... hi def ... I was just wondering how yourNVIDIA GeForce 8400 GSwas in comparison Nortswa

the 280 chipset ? So can you recommend a card where one would find an improvemnt on the Nvidia9800GT ? - nortswa

To forum9851 Hi , could you tell me how you find the NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS ? Ive never been one in changing my GPU at all but I'm running a Nvidia galaxy 9800GT - it cost me $148 and it seems ok ... hi def ... I was just wondering how yourNVIDIA GeForce 8400 GSwas in comparison Actually I use the same thing JoelbX does, a NVIDIA Geforce 8500GT, but knowing how the models go the 8500 and the 8400 are very similar, and the Geforce 9 series is a lot better than the Geforce 8 , especially with games and hi-def stuff, I was actually thinking of upgrading to a Geforce 9600 or 9800, before I realized that my case doesn't allow room for it; it barely fits the 8500GT I have.- forum9851 :)

the 280 chipset ? So can you recommend a card where one would find an improvemnt on the Nvidia9800GT ? - nortswa Go with the GTX or GTS series of graphics cards! (And DONT go with ATI, their drivers are crappy, stick with NVIDIA) - forum9851 :)

Joel BX below was saying "Your Graphics card isn't the most high-end in the world, can see why you only have 5.9 for that, win7 would probably want a GTX 200 or better for a higher score." but I priced one and i would need a 2nd morgage on the house to get one ;-( Yes the new graphics cards are very expensive, but your 9800GT should work good for high-def stuff and games, just I think JoelbX was saying that a newer card might be better at it, but the Geforce 9 series isn't that outdated so don't worry about upgrading the graphics card at this moment.- forum9851 :)

Ta for that , :-)- nortswa

oh, ok... Yeah well I'm happy as far as things go but I didnt know if ignorance is bliss or I actually was doin' ok.My sys does seem ok , no reason to complain..... I saw a laptop which was hi def ,etc and - this is before I updated my system - and it really was good! So I thought to myself " thats wot I want, a hi def screen " so I went GT9800-and the only thing I was sorta unhappy with was my hi-def BENQ monitor.It had a rerfresh rate of 57(?) and the literiture with the gt9800 was talking of a higher refresh rate! and I was sortof thinking I should have bought a higher refresh rate..... then someone said that 57 Hz was the standard refresh rate that everyone has....... I dont get into games much at all but there is a DEFINATE improvement on that I used to have...I read these reviews and such and they talk about Crisis ? a game.... and they use it to compare or assess graphic cards... if I want to find out for sure , I guess I should buy the game and compare that way..........So whats your monitor refresh rate?nortswa

Since forum9851 quoted me in his last post, and uses the same hardware, I will reply to your conversation. Mine is 60 Hertz, and I thought 57 was the weird refresh rate. The game is called Crysis, something with aliens I believe, don't play that game and don't want to, anyways it has superior graphics and is one of a few games used by PC World and PC Mag to test how well gaming PCs perform, especially at extreme screen resolutions and high AA on. Hello! Please reply back, promptly if possible with the results to solutions to your problem! Curious about Win7 min. system requirements? Readme: Older ATI, Intel onboard graphics, or NVIDIA graphics cards on Windows 7 Windows 7 tips - JoelbX

How can you live with a 60 hz refresh rate? Doesn't the flicker annoy you?

How can you live with a 60 hz refresh rate? Doesn't the flicker annoy you? Flicker? What flicker? I don't have any!Hello! Please reply back, promptly if possible with the results to solutions to your problem!Curious about Win7 min. system requirements?Readme: Older ATI, Intel onboard graphics, or NVIDIA graphics cards on Windows 7Windows 7 tips - JoelbX

It could be my monitor has flicker under 80 hz because it has a high max refresh rate. Anything below that is noticable.Duck.

My monitor runs at 60Hz and there is no flicker but isn't it true that LCD/TFT/or whatever don't suffer from the flicker that traditional CRT monitors suffer from?

It's a dell flat CRT.Duck.

It's a dell flat CRT. Duck. That explains a lot, I am using a LCD monitor.Hello! Please reply back, promptly if possible with the results to solutions to your problem!Curious about Win7 min. system requirements?Readme: Older ATI, Intel onboard graphics, or NVIDIA graphics cards on Windows 7Windows 7 tips - JoelbX

It's a dell flat CRT. Duck. I rest my case.

Here's my Score: Component Details Subscore Base score Processor AMD X4 640 @ 3.5GHz 7.4 6.9 Determined by lowest subscore Memory (RAM) 4 GB DDR3 7.4 Graphics NVIDIA GTX460 (1 GB of graphics memory) 7.7 Gaming graphics 2047 MB Total available graphics memory 7.7 Primary hard disk 60GB SSD Corsair Force 6.9 Windows 7 Ultimate

The disk subscores are arbitrarily limited in strange ways. For example, I have a 5.9 subscore. I don't have a SSD drive C: but my C: is a RAID 0 array with over 200 MB/sec sustained throughput, and burst rates of well over 400 MB/sec. Passmark rating 1687.8. It's so fast because it's an array of modern RE4 drives with large caches on separate SATA II cables. The system runs like a raped ape. Yet my Primary hard disk score never goes over 5.9, presumably because I haven't bought into the SSD craze. Moral of the story: Don't put too much weight on the WEI scores. They're politically motivated. Oh, and no matter how happenin' you think your computer is, there's always one that can be bought for more money that will put it to shame. That doesn't mean it's not fast. -Noel