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To run Windows’ built-in System Assessment Tool (WinSAT), open Command Prompt or PowerShell and enter winsat formal. Run it locally while the PC is plugged into external power. When it finishes, find the XML report in %WINDIR%performancewinsatdatastore. WinSAT’s base score is the lowest component score—not an average—and it is only a broad summary of hardware capability, not a complete real-world benchmark.
Run a formal WinSAT assessment
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Open Command Prompt or PowerShell. You can use the Windows search box to find either app.
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Enter
winsat formaland press Enter. This requests a formal assessment of key hardware categories, including the processor, memory, primary disk, and video card. Microsoft describes formal assessments in its Using WinSAT guide and documents the command for Windows 10 in its Windows 10 assessment-scores guide. -
Let the assessment complete. It cannot run remotely or while the computer is on battery power, so start it at the PC with external power connected.
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Windows 10 may also provide a Re-run the assessment control in Performance Information and Tools. Its availability and interface can vary by Windows build; using the command is a direct way to request the assessment.
Find the assessment report
Open File Explorer and enter %WINDIR%performancewinsatdatastore in the address bar. Look for an XML file whose name follows this pattern: %IdentifierDerivedFromDate% Formal.Assessment(Initial).WinSAT.xml. The report contains detailed assessment data, including metrics and processor details. Microsoft’s Windows 10 guide also describes retrieving the base and component scores through the WinSAT interface.
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Understand the base score and component scores
WinSAT assesses hardware categories such as CPU, memory, disk, and graphics. The base score is the lowest component subscore, not the average of the scores. Microsoft describes it as “a general measurement of the computer’s hardware configuration” in its Using WinSAT documentation.
Use the individual subscores to focus on the hardware category most relevant to your work. For example, graphics performance matters more to a graphics-heavy task, while a computational workload makes the CPU score more pertinent. The lowest score can identify a relative weak point, but it does not by itself predict how a particular program will feel or perform.
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Know what WinSAT does—and does not—measure
WinSAT is a built-in hardware assessment, not a universal measure of application speed. Its scores can help relate hardware capability to broad scenarios, but they do not guarantee that a specific application or game will perform well. For a meaningful answer about a particular workload, use a benchmark that actually runs that application or a representative test.
Do not treat the D3D graphics or gaming result as a current, real-time gaming benchmark. The Win32_WinSAT reference notes that after Windows 8.1 the D3D assessment no longer measures three-dimensional graphics capability in real time; compatibility sentinel values may be reported instead. See Microsoft’s Win32_WinSAT class reference.
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Microsoft warns that WinSAT “may be altered or unavailable for releases after Windows 8.1” in its System Assessment Tool overview and usage documentation. Windows 10-specific guidance exists, but the available controls and results can depend on the installed build.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Formal assessments versus individual tests
winsat formal requests a broad assessment across the documented hardware categories. WinSAT also supports ad hoc assessments of individual components, which are useful when you want to examine a particular area rather than run the formal set. Depending on the assessment, retrieving ad hoc results may require requesting XML output. Neither mode replaces workload-specific benchmarking when you need to evaluate a particular app or game.
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