Windows 11 now runs up to 40 percent faster on 8GB RAM PCs

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 23:28 · Archive

Microsoft says Windows 11 is now up to 40 percent faster at multitasking on PCs with 8GB of RAM following performance improvements.

Microsoft has released updates to Windows 11 designed to improve performance on PCs with 8GB of RAM. According to Windows chief Pavan Davuluri, 8GB PCs are now up to 20 percent more responsive, and multitasking is up to 40 percent faster in the company's lab tests.

The improvements stem primarily from data compression that allows Windows to keep up to 2GB more active data in memory rather than moving it to slower storage. This prevents applications and browser tabs from reloading when users return to them. By avoiding writes to virtual memory paging files on disk, the compression helps maintain performance.

Microsoft has also reduced memory consumption across multiple applications. Windows 11 no longer loads widgets on 8GB PCs until the user opens the widgets panel, saving around 200MB of RAM. Inactive tabs in Microsoft Edge now sleep after 15 minutes. Across Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook, the company has achieved 360MB of RAM savings. Overall, Microsoft says improvements across Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365 apps reduce committed-memory growth by up to 900MB.

Specific responsiveness gains include up to 20 percent faster interactions when opening Start, File Explorer, Settings, and using search and right-click functions. Microsoft Edge can open up to 33 percent faster, while Teams Efficiency Mode, now enabled by default on 8GB PCs, speeds up launch by up to 20 percent. The multitasking improvements were tested by opening 20 Edge tabs alongside a 4K video, Outlook, File Explorer, and large files in Office applications.

Microsoft continues to work on further RAM usage improvements in coming months, though 16GB of memory remains the company's recommendation for users running processor-intensive creative work.

How it is being reported

• Microsoft improves Windows 11 performance on 8 GB PCs as RAM prices keep climbingWe've got a hunch the memory crunch is taking a bite out of Windows revenueThe Register · 3 Nov, 21:38
• Microsoft has listed some concrete ways that Windows 11 is getting better with 8GB of RAMWindows 11 users with 8GB of RAM should start noticing improved performance in a wide range of apps.Engadget · 3 Nov, 17:02
• Windows 11 is now ‘up to 40 percent faster’ on PCs with 8GB of RAMMicrosoft has been doing a lot of work to improve memory usage and increase performance on Windows 11 PCs over the past year. Last month the company revealed Windows 11 is now "more responsive" and runs better on PCs with 8GB of RAM, and now the company is releasing a new update today that includes […]The Verge · 3 Nov, 17:00

In this story: Microsoft · Windows · Edge · Pavan Davuluri

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