Microsoft is building into Windows Vista 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,” evaluates components such as the processor, the memory, the hard drive and graphics cards to come up with an overall score.

At last week’s Intel Developer Forum, a Sony Vaio laptop, scored an overall rating of 3. The PC had an Intel processor and 1GB of memory, which earned sub-ratings of 5.6 and 5.5 respectively. A desktop on the IDF show floor with Intel’s Pentium D 940 processor and 2GB of unspecified memory also received a 3, with the processor rated at 5.6 and the memory at 5.5.

From CNET News