Bottom line: Windows 11 brings several impressive changes, simply information technology as well shares a lot in mutual with Windows x. After applying a fresh coat of pigment, Microsoft seems to be encouraging users to upgrade their hardware to take advantage of these optimizations, and there's no explanation as to why information technology can't backport nigh of them to Windows 10.

Next month, Microsoft volition start rolling out Windows 11 to people with supported PCs. Those looking to upgrade their aging devices will be able to choose from several new models from the company'southward many OEM partners.

As nosotros approach the release appointment, it's worth looking at what Windows 11 brings to the table. Equally our readers know, there'southward been a lot of controversy around the system requirements for the new operating system, which are admittedly stricter than any previous version of Windows. Microsoft simply posted a video discussing this at length.

Microsoft's reasons are not entirely clear, but we know the company insists on TPM two.0 support and relatively new CPUs from AMD and Intel. Still, the Redmond visitor won't stop yous from installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC should yous wish to exercise so—keep in heed that you won't receive any Bone updates if you do.

The deep integration of Microsoft Teams in Windows 11, along with the new security requirements, indicates the company is merely adapting its operating organisation to the post-pandemic, zero-trust globe. Many companies feel like they've had to trade security to continue business operations with their employees mainly working from abode, and so this is practiced news for them.

At the aforementioned fourth dimension, the TPM ii.0 requirement is a new step for anti-crook systems, so gamers who enjoy online multiplayer games can hope for fewer cheaters in their lobbies as more developers take the example of Riot Games.

Windows eleven may wait like Windows x with a redesigned UI on the surface, just VP of Enterprise Direction Steve Dispensa says there are plenty of changes under the hood that will make Windows 11 feel faster in bodily use. For case, how the operating system prioritizes apps and processes has inverse to favor apps running in the foreground and will carry frontwards to situations where yous launch additional apps.

That ways that even when your PC is nether heavy load, yous can nonetheless launch any other app with no lag as yous would if the arrangement were idle. As demonstrated in the video, the CPU load stays the same, which can save you a lot of time, not to mention your mental sanity.

The same principle applies beyond the Windows UI and the Microsoft Edge browser, but ane tin merely hope that Microsoft does the correct matter and lets you easily switch to a different browser. Saving resources such every bit CPU cycles and reducing RAM usage past thirty percent with sleeping tabs sounds cool, just it'southward not a must-have for people who prefer Chrome or Firefox and are okay with their resource usage.

Another area where Windows eleven is improved is that information technology offers an optimized instant-on feel as your device resumes from slumber, just similar your phone is e'er one unlock away from being gear up to use. Microsoft says it has changed the way its new operating system talks to the hardware in your system, and now it volition as well remember the priority states then that the resume process feels faster. Every bit a upshot, the wake-from-sleep time has been reduced by 25 pct, while Windows Hello authentication is thirty per centum faster.

Microsoft reduced the overall disk footprint of Windows eleven thanks to the "expanded employ of compression technologies," but it has not explained that in more item. Instead, nosotros are told that inbox apps and components that aren't needed are simply a stub until you open them, at which point they become downloaded on your system. It will probably save some space here and in that location, but this raises the question of why tin't Microsoft practise the same with the Function suite.

Circling back to the hardware requirements, Dispensa explained that having an Intel 8th generation and AMD Ryzen 2000 serial CPU or newer is motivated by performance to some degree. However, the motion to a single 64-fleck architecture and UEFI-based firmware and Secure Boot is Microsoft's way of shaking off risks related to legacy 32-bit systems equipped with BIOS firmware.

This doesn't explain why y'all tin't use older CPUs, but Microsoft volition supposedly accept more on that in the coming weeks. For at present, the company wants us to believe that systems that don't run across the minimum organisation requirements of Windows 11 take 52 percent more kernel mode crashes according to internal tests, while those that do run into them take a 99.8 percentage "crash-gratis feel."

If these numbers wait a little odd, information technology'due south because they don't entirely support Microsoft's rationale. If a PC that meets the minimum requirements is well-nigh crash-gratis, how much worse can a slightly older one be?

Moving on to compatibility and servicing, the visitor says apps that piece of work on Windows x will work the same on Windows eleven—no surprises there. All the same, information technology doesn't say why all the other optimizations are broiled into Windows xi but can't be backported to Windows ten. Features like DirectStorage for gaming are coming to the users who can't or don't want to upgrade to Windows 11. And so, Microsoft is essentially abandoning the i.3 billion Windows 10 users that don't want to stay on the bleeding border.

The servicing model will be 1 major feature update per year, which is neither good nor bad. Nigh people don't care virtually these, and the same goes for many companies who employ Windows across their infrastructure. Home and Pro editions of Windows eleven volition become 2 years of support, while Enterprise and Instruction editions will go 3 years of support, so you can at least wait a year or two before needing to update.

Perhaps the biggest insult to Windows x users is that Microsoft is introducing changes to the update engine in Windows 11—namely delta updates—that could have besides been backported to Windows 10. Update sizes volition be reduced by up to 40 pct, only Windows ten users won't be getting that.

Overall, Windows 11 should be an heady release. Still, Microsoft'due south strict minimum requirements make it look as if the visitor and its OEM partners are trying to force users to upgrade to newer hardware and fan the flame of the PC market.