In the ongoing debate about gaming performance between Windows 10 and Windows 11, many enthusiasts have been curious about which operating system truly reigns supreme. With Windows 10 still holding a significant user base, its relevance remains intact, especially as we revisit performance metrics after a three-year hiatus. This analysis focuses solely on gaming performance, employing a straightforward test setup where both operating systems were freshly installed across four different hardware configurations. Following the installations, chipset and display drivers were added, along with our testing software and a selection of 13 games for benchmarking.
One notable adjustment made during the testing was the disabling of the “core isolation” feature on Windows 11, which is enabled by default to enhance memory integrity. In contrast, Windows 10 comes with this feature turned off. Since memory integrity can considerably impact performance in certain games, we aimed to eliminate it as a variable in our results. Additionally, anecdotal evidence suggested that reverting to Windows 10 could lead to improved gaming performance, a claim we suspect is largely tied to the memory integrity settings, as Windows 11 defaults to a more resource-intensive configuration.
Our testing utilized TeamGroup’s Cardea A440 4TB SSDs, allowing for seamless transitions between the two operating systems. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 were sourced from the latest ISOs available on Microsoft’s website, ensuring that we were working with the most current versions: Windows 10 2022 Update, Version 22H2, and Windows 11 2023 Update, Version 23H2. Now, let’s delve into the benchmarks.
Baldur’s Gate 3
In our first examination with Baldur’s Gate 3, we found no discernible performance differences between the two operating systems across both AMD and Intel CPUs tested. The results here were quite consistent.
The Last of Us Part 1
Testing with The Last of Us Part 1 yielded closely matched results, with Windows 10 marginally outperforming Windows 11 by a few frames. However, the difference was minimal, hovering around 1-2%, rendering it largely insignificant.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty presented a more complex scenario, requiring multiple reinstalls to clarify the discrepancies observed. The 7800X3D showed a remarkable 10% increase in average frame rates when using Windows 10, while the 7700X only saw a 3% boost. For Intel systems, the 14700K and 12700K experienced increases of 6% and 7%, respectively. Despite thorough checks on quality settings and configurations, the reason behind this notable performance gap remains elusive.
Hogwarts Legacy
Similar to our previous findings, Hogwarts Legacy displayed no significant performance differences between the two operating systems.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
In Assetto Corsa Competizione, the 7700X and 7800X3D both performed slightly better on Windows 10, with margins of 3% and 2%, respectively. While these differences are not substantial, they do indicate a consistent trend favoring the older OS.
Spider-Man Remastered
Results for Spider-Man Remastered mirrored those of Hogwarts Legacy and The Last of Us Part 1, showing no significant performance disparity between Windows 10 and 11.
Homeworld 3
Homeworld 3, however, favored Windows 10, with performance boosts of 6% for the 7800X3D and 4% for the 7700X. Intel CPUs also enjoyed improvements of 3-5%, marking a noteworthy trend.