I3-2100 windows experience index

i dont know to much about those cpu's but that seems about right considering the quad cores with ht will score in the mid sevens. idk though so dont quote me.

edit: i for some reason remember maybe seeing somewhere that scores where capped at 5.9 on vista. i might be thinking of something else though.

Okay great, will inserting a dedicated GPU cause an increase in CPU performance since on-dye graphics would no longer be utilized?

No i dont believe it will. your graphics score comes from the onboard graphics but has no effect on your cpu score.

max WEI Vista = 5.9
max WEI Win7 = 7.9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_System_Assessment_...

A discrete GPU will definitly improve performance in real world situations.

WEI means absolutely NOTHING!

This is better benchmark of comparison
Free download of 30 day unrestricted trial of Passmark 7
http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm

also cinebench 11 and the 3Dmark/PCmark are other good benches

The graphics gpu for the Sandy Bridge series is in the CPU, sharing resources. The onchip graphics for the non K series is the 2000 version. (K gets the 3000 version but P67 do not allow onchip video, go figure) It (the onchip video) is supposed to do better than previous intel on board graphics but it is Not a Discrete card with its own GPU and memory.
You shut down the onchip video to use a discrete card. It will cost $60/$70 or so to spank the onchip video I believe.

the windows index overall rating is the lowest score of the specs, if your cpu and graphics both got 5.8 rating then upgrading your graphics with a dedicated one will increase the rating fof the graphics only, but your cpu remains 5.8 and your lowest would still be 5.8, so your overall rating will still be 5.8.
i got an i3 530 before, its cpu rating is 6.9, and my graphics is onboard also which scores at 5.9. i dont know why the i3 sandybridge seems weaker in windows index experience, though it has a weaker smart cache in 3mb than the i3 1156 series which has 4mb, i dont think its the reason, 2100 has faster clock at 3.1ghz. i expected it higher.

simply because the i3 is a dual core and the i5 is a quad core.

max WEI Vista = 5.9
max WEI Win7 = 7.9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windo [...] sment_Tool

The OP has VISTA

WEI is meaningless. The i3-2100 is a great CPU, don't worry about it. Windows automatically rates quad cores higher, even though that CPU keeps up with Phenom II x4's.

yep wei is not exactly accurate.
if the cpu does what you want it to then dont worry about ratings or scores.

WEI = Nipples on Men

It is there
Serves no real purpose

5.8's are great numbers for Vista.

I just upgraded my hardware to an i3-2120. Running Vista 64bit. Getting all 5.9's even with a mid-range dedicated 9800gt graphics card.
It seems Vista's 5.9 ceiling is pretty low. Improving to a better Sandy-Bridge (i5, i7) won't show on the WEI. Not to mention the far better graphics solutions available today.

Update...
I now have Windows 8 and a Kingston 120gb SSD boot drive. 8 has raised the WEI bar to 9.9.
I3 2120 now shows at 7.2.

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2120 CPU @ 3.30GHz 7.2
Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB 7.2
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 6.9
Gaming graphics 2294 MB Total available graphics memory 6.9
Primary hard disk 15GB Free (112GB Total) 7.0

buy new gen pc

Using a 2100 CPU and iGPU may be bottle necked by 4GB RAM. The iGPU may use up to 2.6 gb of available RAM. That said, WEI is a lousy performance indicator