Summary
Gaming on Windows 11.. Though there are a few elements in Windows 11 that Microsoft carried over from their Xbox consoles that might enhance your gaming experience, PC gaming is much more intricate than that. Let’s examine the advantages, disadvantages, and possible problems with Windows 11 before you update.
How Do Windows 10 and Windows 11 Compare in Terms of Gaming Performance?
Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 provide comparable gaming performance on a basic level. Comparable hardware running Windows 11 vs Windows 10 yields almost equal performance, according to benchmark testing.
While Windows 11 generally performs somewhat better in most tests, it sometimes performs marginally worse while gaming in terms of frames per second (FPS). Windows 11’s FPS performance is somewhat better in other games.
Even if Windows 11 performs better overall on average, this isn’t good enough to make the upgrade worthwhile. However, there are a few helpful gaming features in Windows 11 that are absent from Windows 10, so there’s something else to think about.
What New Gaming Features Is Windows 11 Bringing?
Windows 11’s two most significant gaming improvements are DirectStorage and Auto HDR. Microsoft has implemented these capabilities, which were first shown on Xbox consoles, to enhance PC gaming on Windows 11.
The Xbox Series X may benefit from its high-speed storage thanks to a feature called DirectStorage. This significantly reduces load times so you can start playing more quickly and spend less time waiting for screens to load.
It’s likely that your games won’t be able to use the extra performance of your SSD if you don’t have Windows 11. With DirectStorage, Windows 11 can take full advantage of the blazingly fast data transfer rates of premium NVMe SSDs, reducing CPU load and game load times.
The hitch is that DirectStorage won’t help you with performance gains if your GPU doesn’t support this function and your SSD isn’t a fast NVMe SSD. However, if your hardware is compatible, the function will activate immediately, and you will notice a change.
You may toggle the Auto High Dynamic Range (HDR) function on and off. This automatically converts information from Standard Dynamic Range to High Dynamic Range (HDR), which may give your games more incredibly detailed, vivid, and colorful graphics.
If you play older games that don’t support HDR natively, this function is fantastic if you have an HDR display; otherwise, it’s useless.
Go to Settings > System > Display > HDR > Display capabilities, select both Use HDR and Auto HDR, and then click OK to activate Auto HDR.
Are You an Enthusiastic Gamer and Should You Update?
There are certain restrictions when it comes to upgrading to Windows 11 for gamers. Upgrade only if your machine satisfies the suggested requirements, particularly if it contains the TPM 2.0 security chip. You may wish to hold off on installing the update if your system is comfortable with its performance under Windows 10 and falls short of the minimum requirements or does not have TPM 2.0.
Your Windows 11 gaming experience should be enhanced if you have an HDR display, a graphics card that works with Windows 11, and a fast NVMe SSD. Your load times will be shorter with DirectStorage, and your older games will appear better with Auto HDR.
The driver problem is the last thing to take into account while updating a gaming PC to Windows 11. Although Windows 11 is often patched to increase device compatibility, this does not imply that the process is perfect.
Examine your graphics card, Windows 11 drivers, and other components before you update. If you get a lot of complaints, you may want to hold off on upgrading until your hardware’s support becomes better.
After you upgrade, be sure to spend some time playing a range of games. It’s crucial to find any flaws that prevent you from playing the game within the 10-day window after the upgrade, since you may downgrade to Windows 10 if you discover any driver problems or other problems.
How to Make Windows 11 More Gaming-Friendly
Game Mode in Windows 11 may help make the most of the operating system for gaming. This feature is turned on by default, however if you unintentionally turn it off, you may turn it back on. If your computer has both a strong graphics card and low-power onboard graphics, you may also configure some games to utilize your gaming graphics card.
Advice: It’s doubtful that using Game Mode would speed up Windows 11 if it runs slowly overall. There are many methods to optimize a PC for gaming, but before doing so, make sure your machine satisfies the minimal system requirements and check for potential problems like excessive CPU consumption.
To utilize and activate Windows 11 Gaming Mode, follow these steps:
1. Press Win+i to open Settings, then choose Gaming.
2. Select the Game Mode.
3. Turn on the toggle for game mode.
4. Choose Graphics.
Note: Going to Settings > System > Display > Graphics will also bring you here.
5. Select the game that has to be changed.
6. Make your selections.
7. Click on Save after selecting your high-performance graphics card.
Note: If your high performance card is not visible, there can be a problem with your graphics card or you need to upgrade the graphics card driver.
Why is a PC a decent gaming platform?
Typically, images of “gaming” PCs have large casings and an abundance of bright lights. Although they are normally simply for fun—and they are fun!—the lights are definitely not required. When it comes to gaming, you normally need more RAM than you require for daily usage and a particularly excellent graphics card (which produces a lot of heat; a large casing helps disperse that heat). In our post What to Look for in a Gaming PC, we go into much more detail.
Does gaming need a mechanical keyboard?
No, technically any keyboard will function perfectly. But when it comes to the abuse that gamers usually inflict on their keyboards, mechanical keyboards are a bit more resilient, so over time, something a little more durable tends to last longer. Using them is also a lot of fun. However, their cost might be exorbitant.
