Microsoft has been gaining a lot of attention lately with its new system update, but there isn’t a lot that is positive, especially when it comes to gaming. Windows 11 is causing a decline in AMD processor performance, but its security mechanisms are also causing issues.
The Windows system upgrade has been released for select PC models but will be pre-loaded in some new gaming PCs, like the Razer Blade 15 Advanced. This new operating system will have some security features enabled by default, which could hinder gaming performance by up to 28%. But this isn’t the only issue the new operating system is having. AMD announced performance issues with Windows 11 and their processors, which the two companies are working to resolve with updates later this month.
This security feature comes in two parts. The VBS, virtual-based security, creates a secluded memory subsystem. In conjunction, Hypervisor-Enforced Code Integrity (HVCI) uses the VBS to prevent unsigned drivers or software from getting to the memory. Together, these add a line of protection that can limit the damage malware, or viruses can cause. However, there is a cost for the increased defense, and that is performance. This loss seems to be higher for gamers. Coupling this with the scarcity of GPUs due to a chip shortage, many gamers are frustrated with this new operating system and plan to wait on upgrading.
With these security features enabled, many have seen as much as a 28% drop in average frame rates, tanking gaming performance. This drop could essentially give players an experience that would be like downgrading to a lower-tier graphics card. Though Microsoft has been adamant about the extra security these features offer, many gamers are disabling it.
A few companies, such as Shadow, a cloud-based gaming service, discourage users from updating their systems until there is a solution to prevent these issues. However, gamers who upgraded to Windows 11 will not have this feature automatically enabled and don’t have to worry about disabling it. Others who are getting pre-built gaming PCs with Windows 11 will need to go into the registry to disable the VBS feature and system settings to turn off the Memory Integrity option.
For an operating system targeting gamers, Windows 11 has a lot of issues when it comes to gaming performance. Microsoft is working on an update to remedy the performance issues for AMD processors and may have an update to fix the decrease in performance caused by the security mechanics of Window 11 as well.