(WCPI): Rethinking Windows Performance

The exo.performance.network is proud to announce the debut of our latest industry performance metric. The Windows Composite Performance Index (WCPI) is a comprehensive measurement of Microsoft Windows PC performance as observed at IT sites from around the globe.

Based on data collected by our network of nearly 24,000 registered users, the WCPI delivers an easy-to-read, single number index representing the aggregate runtime performance of systems participating in our free monitoring services. As such, it provides a uniquely authoritative look at the internal behavior of PCs running Microsoft’s ubiquitous desktop operating systems.

Figure 1 – The WCPI Interactive Widget

Note: The WCPI is re-calculated daily, with supporting data drawn from system metrics records that are uploaded hourly to the exo.repository by participating exo.performance.network member sites. The resulting index value is itself an aggregate of three component-specific hardware performance indices:

• The Peak CPU Saturation Index has to do with the PC’s workload as it relates to its central processing unit – specifically, how much of a computational backlog (in terms of real-world delay in completing tasks) is accumulating during normal system operation.
  
  
  
• The Peak Memory Pressure Index relates to the PC’s use of physical memory – how close it is to running out of RAM and also how often it relies on virtual memory to satisfy demand.
  
  
  
• The Peak I/O Contention Index describes the PC’s performance when interacting with peripheral devices, including the system’s hard disk(s) and any network adapters.

Together, these indices paint a comprehensive picture of performance across the three critical areas of PC system architecture. The exo.performance.network is offering the WCPI, and its supporting free system, process and network monitoring services, as a free, vendor-independent metric of Windows performance in the real-world.

Combined with our exo.charts library and OfficeBench benchmarking tool, the WCPI represents the latest addition to the industry’s most authoritative reference for all things Windows performance-related. You can learn more about the exo.performance.network by visit our web site: www.xpnet.com.