Windows 11 24H2 Update Improves Speed on Unsupported PCs

A significant portion of the Windows enthusiast community seems to harbor some dissatisfaction towards Microsoft regarding the stringent system requirements for Windows 11. Requirements such as TPM 2.0 and modern processors have been mandated for the operating system to function correctly.

In response to user feedback, Microsoft has asserted that Windows 11 was engineered to optimize hardware usage, providing a brief overview of the enhancements. However, ongoing complaints indicated that performance issues persisted. Consequently, during a Reddit Q&A, the Windows development team announced their commitment to improving performance in 2022, particularly in relation to the user interface (UI).

Despite these reassurances, many users reported continued performance concerns.

It’s worth noting, however, that our systems are relatively high-end, and user experiences may vary significantly based on their hardware. For instance, a Reddit user has reported that the forthcoming feature update for Windows 11 in 2024, known as version 24H2, performs surprisingly well on their decade-old Celeron processor (N2940) from the Bay Trail family, which is not officially supported by Windows 11.

User Bambamito has been evaluating the performance of both Windows 11 and Windows 10 on their setup, which, aside from the outdated Bay Trail CPU, includes just 4 GB of RAM, an SSD, and an HDD. They state:

Performance experience increased! At least in my experience. Opening Explorer is a lot quicker (opens in one click, no hesitation: same SSD because I never reinstalled), scrolling through Chrome is smoother, and playing YouTube videos loads faster (I always watch in 1080, by the way)… overall UI smoothness increased.

On very low-end unsupported devices, Windows 11 24H2 definitely gives a performance increase in terms of UI experience; it feels smoother.

Unfortunately, this user did not provide any hard data to support their claim, yet there seems to be no apparent reason to doubt their assertion.

Other users chimed in with positive feedback. For example, user iamfromreallife commented:

Yep, I’ve been trying Windows 11 on and off and always found it sluggish, consistently returning to Windows 10. Now with 24H2, this thing is finally feeling fast. Only the desktop switch animation needs improvement. I’ve deleted my Windows 10 partition.

Another user, irosemary, shared:

I had also tested the preview for Windows 11 24H2 and found it to be very fast and snappy. It finally felt like a mature operating system.

I’m using a cutting-edge computer (7800X3D + 4090 Liquid Cooled), and Windows 11 never felt this responsive until 24H2.

However, it’s important to remember that such claims from users have emerged before, as seen with 22H2, and it is often challenging to verify such reports accurately.

Nonetheless, compared to 22H2 or 23H2, the 2024 feature update brings significant changes regarding bypassing OS requirements. Microsoft is making instructions like PopCnt and SSE4.2 mandatory, meaning very old PCs will struggle to meet these requirements.

On the supported hardware side, AMD users can anticipate a notable performance boost with Windows 11 24H2, especially with the latest OS and firmware updates.

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