Although Microsoft claims that Windows 11 will be ideal for PC gaming, those who plan to buy PCs with a pre-installed operating system should be wary. Thanks to standard security measures, games installed in the operating system can perform up to 25% worse than usual.
The problem lies in a virtualization-based security system (called VBS) that has been deployed since Windows 10. Generally, this method of protection creates an isolated subsystem within the operating system that helps prevent unwanted and malicious files from entering your computer, But it uses both physical and digital resources.
Microsoft itself describes the process as follows: “VBS uses hardware resources to create and isolate a portion of the device’s memory. In this way, Windows greatly improves the security of your system and protects it from malicious files and applications that try to bypass traditional antivirus protection.” The feature is primarily on business versions of Windows 10.
If you are upgrading your device from an existing Windows 10 to Windows 11, don’t worry, because your operating system is not likely to have VBS functionality. Problems can occur when buying a new device with the latest version of Windows pre-installed, because Microsoft has been talking about strengthening security systems in the new operating system since August. According to the tech giant, a virtualization-based security system will be pre-installed on many new computers, and ways to integrate this functionality into legacy systems will be sought in the future.
Representatives of PC Gamer magazine tested several games on the same device with the VBS security system turned on and off – its effect on system performance is obvious. Far Cry New Dawn fared better, dropping the game’s frame rate (FPS) by just five percent. All other games tested had far worse scores, with Horizon Zero Dawn down 25%, Metro Exodus down 24%, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider down 28%. Surprisingly, the 3DMark test score decreased by only 10%.
The first effect was noted by the security certification body UL, which said that after a “clean” installation of Windows 11, the VBS feature is turned on automatically, but is not active when upgrading from Windows 10. This means that the same hardware may work properly. Different depending on how the new operating system is installed. It is also worth noting that the normal operation of the system is not affected by default – the frequency of the processor and video card remains the same, but less power is used.
PC Gamer has installed Windows 11 several times and says that not every time you install the operating system, this security feature is turned on automatically, so users should check the device’s security settings before playing games. Windows 11 devices will likely reach users with VBS security pre-activated.
