A Guide to PC World Ratings

1. What is the PC World Ratings system?

Implemented in November 2005, our system is based on a 0-to-100 scale that represents our overall assessment of a product or service's cost, performance, features, and design. It replaces our Star Ratings system, which is being phased out in stages.

2. What do the overall rating numbers and word scores mean?

Superior (90 to 100): The product or service is innovative, easy to use, and highly useful. It is among the very best in its category and is very highly recommended.

Very Good (80 to 89): The product or service is substantially better than most others of its type and is highly recommended.

Good (70 to 79): The product or service is solid and does what it's supposed to do, but it doesn't go beyond the expected characteristics of its category; it is recommended.

Fair (60 to 69): The product or service performs adequately but is somewhat flawed.

Poor (59 and lower): The product or service is seriously flawed and cannot be recommended.

3. How are PC World Ratings determined?

The PC World Rating is the overall rating for a product, and results from the combined scores of four major component characteristics: features/specifications, performance, design/usability, and price.

Scores assigned to each of the four major components are also based on a 0-to-100 scale. Depending on where a component area falls on the numeric scale, a word score is assigned as well.

Possible word scores for features/specifications, performance, and design/usability are Superior, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.

Possible word scores for price are Very Expensive, Expensive, Average, Inexpensive, and Very Inexpensive.

Each component is given a weighting that is used in the calculation of the overall PC World Rating. The weight assigned to each component varies depending on the product category and subcategory.

All of the criteria used to develop PC World Ratings and component scores are based on the independent judgment of the PC World editorial staff and are subject to change over time, at PC World's discretion.

4. What are the weights assigned to specific products and component characteristics?

PC World Ratings weightings, in percentages, as of March 29, 2007

At present, the weights assigned to component scores for all products not found in the list above are as follows:

• Price (lower prices are better than higher prices): 25 percent
• Performance (high performance is better than low performance): 25 percent
• Features/specifications: 25 percent
• Design/usability: 25 percent

5. How does PC World break ties?

In print or online, the score you see is a rounded-off number. You may see ties in our rankings; in fact, however, products rarely get exactly the same score, as our rating system calculates scores out to the first decimal. When you see, for example, two products with 80 as the overall score, the reason one ranks higher than the other is that the two products' true scores are different.

In the event of a true statistical tie, when the product ratings (including the first decimal) are identical, we employ a tiebreaker in which the product with the highest performance score wins. If a tie still exists, the product with the highest features score wins. Design is the next tiebreaker, followed by price. If we still have a tie after that, we all give up and go home.

6. How is a Best Buy determined?

This award is given to the top product in our ranked charts in both print and online. In the event of a tie for first place in our ranked charts, we name more than one Best Buy. This award is valid as long as the product (or products) hold the top spot on our ranked charts.