Microsoft wants Windows 11 to be 'as smooth as a phone'.

Microsoft is trying to save Windows 11 by improving performance. Photo: Reuters .

Microsoft is testing a Low Latency Profile feature on Windows 11 to improve the operating system's responsiveness, particularly for the Start menu and system applications. This feature is reported to make the Start menu 70% faster and reduce application opening times by approximately 40%.

According to internal tests, the Low Latency Profile works by boosting the CPU clock speed for a very short period, typically 1-3 seconds, whenever the user performs an action such as opening an application, accessing the Start menu, or right-clicking. After the task is complete, the system quickly returns the CPU to its normal state to limit power consumption and heat buildup.

Microsoft says this mechanism helps Windows 11 respond almost instantly, especially on low-configuration devices. In some tests with a PC with a dual-core CPU and 4 GB of RAM, the system could increase CPU usage to 96-97% to handle application opening and then drop to below 17% in just a few seconds.

Many testers have noted that the Start menu, File Explorer, Outlook, Paint, and Microsoft Store open significantly faster and more smoothly. Some believe that this new experience makes Windows 11 feel more like a "click and open" experience, similar to macOS or smartphones.

However, the new feature has also faced much criticism from the tech community. Some experts argue that the Low Latency Profile is merely a superficial solution rather than addressing the root cause of Windows 11's performance issues.

According to this view, the operating system needs to increase CPU clock speeds just to open the Start menu or File Explorer, which shows that the core components of Windows are not optimized well enough. Many users have long complained that File Explorer on Windows 11 is slower and more resource-intensive than on Windows 10.

However, Microsoft denies "performance manipulation." Scott Hanselman, Vice President of CoreAI, GitHub, and Windows, stated that short-term CPU acceleration is a common technique that has long been used by macOS, Linux, and modern smartphones to prioritize interactive tasks.

"Your smartphone has been doing this for a long time," Hanselman wrote on social media platform X. He also asserted that Microsoft wasn't "cheating" when applying the temporary clock speed boost mechanism to improve the operating system's responsiveness.

The Low Latency Profile is part of Microsoft's larger overhaul strategy for Windows 11. In addition to performance optimization, the company is also removing components deemed redundant, such as some Copilot nodes, improving Windows Update, and developing the Windows K2 project to rewrite much of the old code from Windows 95 to build a lighter and more modern platform for the future.

Source: https://znews.vn/microsoft-muon-windows-11-muot-nhu-dien-thoai-post1651123.html