Microsoft News Tracker

The Windows Vista hardware performance rating system (mention here in February) is back in the news since the latest Vista CTP is now prominently displaying the rating numbers. Ina Fried and Tom Krazit at CNET:

Microsoft is building into the new operating system a tool that will rate a PC based on how well it is running and on how much it can take advantage of Vista’s capabilities.

The “Windows Performance Rating,” which can be seen in the latest test version of the operating system, evaluates components such as the processor, the memory, the hard drive and graphics cards to come up with an overall score.

The rating appears in a large blue circle and can be seen in multiple places in the operating system, though Microsoft has said little about what exactly the rating signifies. The main rating is on a scale of 1 to 5, but individual components are also given a “sub rating” on some other, unspecified range.

“The idea behind the Windows Performance Rating is to help average consumers easily understand their Windows Vista PC’s overall performance, and to simplify the process of determining whether certain software applications will run smoothly based on their system components,” Microsoft said in a statement provided to CNET News.com.

There’s much more by following the link, but this is sure to be fun for all. The single number is sure to be featured prominently in PC advertising and there will certainly be much gnashing of teeth and complaining by vendors whose boxes don’t rate highly.