Switch to Windows 11 and your PC will be TWICE as fast, Microsoft claims

Laptops and desktop PCs powered by Windows 11 are "up to 2.3x faster than Windows 10 PCs," Microsoft has claimed.

The bold statement about performance was made in the weeks before Windows 10 end of support deadline, which saw the decade-old operating system lose access to critical security patches and bug fixes. Microsoft will charge PC owners £22 for an extra year of system updates, although there is a way to avoid the fee.

By some estimates, 5 million Britons are still relying on Windows 10 despite the vulnerabilities now baked into that operating system. That's a terrible idea, especially if you're using your laptop or desktop PC for online banking, financial spreadsheets, family photos, or other personal data that you wouldn't want to end up in the hands of cybercriminals who unearth a new loophole in Windows 10 — something that Microsoft will no longer be racing to fix with a free update rolled-out to millions worldwide.

Still on Windows 10? There are 5 choices open to anyone who is wondering what to do now Windows 10 end of support is here.

One of those is a switch to Windows 11, and Microsoft has made some impressive claims about the uptick in performance you'll see.

The claim of a 2.3x boost in speed for Windows 11 comes courtesy of Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, in a company blog post.

The comparison is based on benchmarking tool Geekbench 6 and pits multi-core measurements from a new Windows 11 laptop against much older Windows 10 systems. This approach has drawn criticism, as it compares modern PC components running the latest software from Microsoft to machines from nearly a decade ago.

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That said, if you plan on following advice from Microsoft and making 2025 the "year of the Windows 11 PC refresh" and switching to a new device, the figures are representative of the sorts of gains that you can expect from brand-new hardware designed for Windows 11.

Just don't expect to see anything like a 2.3x speed boost if you upgrade an existing Windows 10 device to the latest version of Windows 11. And that's if you can even upgrade your current hardware to the new operating system.

Since the launch of Windows 11 four years ago, the minimum system requirements have proven to be a source of controversy due to the strict hardware demands, which many older computers cannot meet. According to some estimates, these requirements could force some 240 million working machines into landfill later this year.

If your laptop or desktop PC does have the components required, Microsoft is offering anyone with a legitimate copy of Windows 10 a free upgrade to its successor. Some commentators have argued that a fair comparison from Microsoft's Executive Vice President would require testing both operating systems on identical specifications.

With support for Windows 10 terminated on October 14, Microsoft has started to roll-out its next iteration of Windows 11.

Dubbed Windows 11 Version 25H2, this is a helpful update. If you're planning to make the switch to Windows 11, Microsoft engineers have worked hard to ensure the update offers a smoother installation experience than previous versions.

The incoming 25H2 update will use what Microsoft calls an "enablement package" approach, meaning it shares the same codebase as Windows 11 24H2. As Microsoft's Jason Leznek explained in a forum post: "How easy is it to move to Windows 11, version 25H2? As easy as a quick restart if you're on version 24H2!"

This represents a marked improvement over the Windows 11 24H2 rollout, which required a complete code swap that could take up to two hours on older machines. The new approach will download components quietly in the background, then enable them with a simple reboot, making the upgrade process far less disruptive for users.

Windows 11 25H2 will introduce several new features designed to enhance the user experience. As soon as you boot-up the machine, you'll find a new Start menu with a tweaked grid and category layout, allowing you to organise your applications into specific groups such as creative apps, games, streaming, or social media for quicker access.

The update will also include a new CPU throttling feature that reduces processor usage when you're idle or away from your PC for extended periods. This improvement aims to reduce power consumption — extending battery life for laptop users and reducing the amount of energy pulled from the mains on desktop PCs.

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Microsoft will continue to offer free security updates to any Windows 10 user who signs-up to OneDrive cloud back-up. If not, there's a one-off £22 charge to ensure your device remains protected. The Redmond-based company clearly wants you to upgrade to Windows 11 sooner rather than later, despite offering this temporary reprieve.

If you avoid the switch to Windows 11, you'll miss out on new Windows features, which will be exclusive to the Windows 10 successor moving forward.

However, the decision isn't straightforward for everyone, as Windows 10 has been shown to deliver better gaming performance than Windows 11 in some scenarios, providing a compelling reason for some users to resist the switch. There could also be compatibility issues with specific accessories or software.