Windows 11 performs worse than older Windows versions in nearly every benchmark - But it's okay because new paint has AI features.

Windows 11 performs worse than older Windows versions in nearly every benchmark​

Why are we not surprised?​

By Kishalaya Kundu January 6, 2026 at 9:21 AM 44 comments

Facepalm: Microsoft markets Windows 11 as the fastest and most secure version of the operating system, but users often complain about it being slow, bloated, and buggy. A new speed test now suggests that there may be more truth to those complaints than Microsoft would like to admit.



YouTuber TrigrZolt ran several tests pitting six generations of Windows - from XP to Windows 11 - against one another to see which one can complete a range of tasks the fastest. Surprisingly, Windows 11 came dead last in most of the tests, including boot speed, battery life, app opening speed, and video editing.

Windows 11 also came in last place in terms of memory use, taking up much more RAM than older versions of the OS, even without any apps running on the laptop. The additional memory usage can mostly be attributed to the large suite of background services and telemetry that power users have complained about for years. Windows 11 was also the slowest in the video editing test using OpenShot.

The newest version of Windows also took the longest time to open File Explorer and Paint. While the new Paint app has many additional features that could explain its poor performance on older hardware, File Explorer's sluggishness has been a constant source of frustration for Windows 11 users; it remains painfully slow despite using twice as much RAM as its Windows 10 counterpart.

On the bright side, Windows 11 managed relatively better results in some benchmarks, such as file transfer speed and disk space usage comparison for default apps. The latest OS also came third in one of the page-loading tests but, surprisingly, it was the slowest to load Google's home page, which is optimized to load blazingly fast on just about any device.

In case you're wondering, all six laptops used in the tests were the exact same model: Lenovo ThinkPad X220 equipped with an Intel Core i5-2520M CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB mechanical hard disk. The device does not officially support Windows 11, which likely contributed to its poor showing.

For example, Windows 11 is optimized to boot on SSDs and not legacy mechanical drives, so using the HDD as the boot drive likely resulted in slower boot speed. Similarly, the latest version of Paint includes relatively advanced editing features that require additional memory and fast storage for optimum performance, but the ThinkPad used in the tests offered neither.

Still, the tests indicate that Microsoft is struggling to make Windows 11 the lean and fast operating system that many users want it to be. As such, the gimmicky new features, unnecessary background processes, and resource-heavy services are major impediments to the OS achieving its full performance potential.

 

[Vesperus]

Windows is still the only real option in corporate because of the centralized Domain Controller/GP stuff.

Skill issue.
Literally, in this case - you can do exactly the same stuff with Samba, but you have to eat a load of training because it's different skill set.
(Or, more likely, fire your jeets with fake Microsoft certifications are hire different jeets with fake Linux certifications.)
WIth office going cloud based you don't even have to teach the drones how to use open office or suchlike: It's more down to inertia and/or critical software that won't play nice. *coughPhotoshopcough*

 

[Seething Troon Collector]

Windows is still the only real option in corporate because of the centralized Domain Controller/GP stuff.

I would argue that in 2026 that’s becoming less relevant than ever. Like it or not, cloud-based identity and operating system management is where enterprises are heading.

There’s alternatives to running Windows everything for LDAP and stuff like that, but in the end it doesn’t really matter. I wouldn’t be surprised if more people are architecting around on-premises identity solutions then building them in.

But for personal use, I will not eat ze bugs and I will not live in ze pod.

(Or, more likely, fire your jeets with fake Microsoft certifications are hire different jeets with fake Linux certifications.)

This is so fucking true.

 

[Soyjak Enjoyer]

why is my computer using 8gb of ram to run a single firefox window, steam, and discord?"

I think he's arguing that it isn't. That there's a large portion of that data which if need be can be ejected from memory without causing any performance issues. If I had win11 I'd test it myself

 

[Vesperus]

...ejected from memory without causing any performance issues.

That's optimistic, though.
If windows is just reassigning memory that it's filled with pre-fetched data, that's a glaring security hole (and the new program may trip over its dick if it goes to create a data array and it come pre-filled with God knows what).
If it's taking the time to zero out that memory, that's got a performance overhead.
Either way, it's the opposite of efficient.

 

[neger psykolog]

8gb of ram in a laptop in 2026? What are they trying to do, be Apple?

 

[Tram Fan]

You have to use stuff like openshell to make it so win10 doesn't look like shit too.

yup so old faggots are getting fucked harder and will require more support but it's good for microsoft because you can employ more tech support xd

Pajeets to blame.

Yes but first and foremost idiots who thought it's a good idea to save up and employ 10 pajeets instead of 1 good white guy.

 

[Free Alex Jones]

That's optimistic, though.
If windows is just reassigning memory that it's filled with pre-fetched data, that's a glaring security hole (and the new program may trip over its dick if it goes to create a data array and it come pre-filled with God knows what).
If it's taking the time to zero out that memory, that's got a performance overhead.
Either way, it's the opposite of efficient.

Oh noez! Applications can read from RAM?!? HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!

Edit: Do you RAMtards know that every single OS you have ever heard of caches data in RAM? Windows, GNU/Linux, BSD, MacOS, Minix and a whole load more all use RAM to cache frequently accessed data. Fuck, even TempleOS does this. I truly hope that none of you are involved in IT in any professional capacity.

 

[Vesperus]

[Pointless gibbering]

I take it you don't know if windows clears the memory, then?

 

[Free Alex Jones]

 

[Tram Fan]

@AltisticRight user @Free Alex Jones has been making stupid posts in this thread trying to change the subject from "windows 11 sucks" to "you should waste your RAM" is such behavior allowed in the A&N? just asking

 

[Vesperus]

Oh no! He has depicted himself as the Russinovich, and me as the Russian! I shall kill myself immediately.

Pity he accidentally highlighted some of the complexity and overheads involved in getting @SIMON THE PIEMAN 's install files packed into memory in case he needs them.
But I expect a core not running at 100% is a wasted core, or something.

 

[AltisticRight]

@AltisticRight user @Free Alex Jones has been making stupid posts in this thread trying to change the subject from "windows 11 sucks" to "you should waste your RAM" is such behavior allowed in the A&N? just asking

I don't know, I'm not a janny of this board. Use the report feature.

 

[Cuckoman]

That's optimistic, though.
If windows is just reassigning memory that it's filled with pre-fetched data, that's a glaring security hole (and the new program may trip over its dick if it goes to create a data array and it come pre-filled with God knows what).
If it's taking the time to zero out that memory, that's got a performance overhead.
Either way, it's the opposite of efficient.

Data is always zeroed when pages are allocated to/mapped to a process so there is no security hole.

It doesn't matter where the page came from. If it was memory used for cache or if it was memory used for something by an application and later released.
It is always, unconditionally, zeroed when mapped to a process.
So, zero impact on performance.

This is the case for virtually every single multi-tasking operative system ever that has memory protection. Unix/Solaris/AIX/BSD/Linux/Windows/OSX/Tops20/...

 

[Vesperus]

Data is always zeroed when it is allocated to/mapped to a process so there is no security hole.

It doesn't matter where the page came from. If it was memory used for cache or if it was memory used for something by an application and later released.
It is always, unconditionally, zeroed when mapped to a process.
So, zero impact on performance.

This is the case for virtually every single multi-tasking operative system ever that has memory protection. Unix/Solaris/AIX/BSD/Linux/Windows/OSX/Tops20/...

I know, I was attempting to steer our friend into an understanding of why preloading random shit you didn't want was a waste of resources.
Oh well. I tried.

 

[SCV]

Would any of the previous RAMtards care to explain to me how removing this cache will improve any aspect of the operation of this PC in any way? Or perhaps it is better to think of it this way; if that 48GB of data was not stored in RAM, where would it be stored, and would access to it be faster or slower than storing it in RAM?

Bro, you are just a fucking retard. If your OS and program(s) you had open were more efficiently written your "in use" would be lower. Meaning you could have more than 48gb "free" for caches and things.

Comparison between an OS that demanded you set IRQs manually

None of the operating systems in this comparison require that. Nothing has required that for at least the last 2 decades. It really does seem like you're just vomiting terms you don't understand to sound smart after saying something catastrophically stupid.

 

[Free Alex Jones]

preloading random shit you didn't want

Strange, I didn't seee that mentioned in the Windows Internals chapter on memory management.

 

[Vesperus]

Strange, I didn't seee that mentioned in the Windows Internals chapter on memory management.

Strange indeed. Did it mention why you have 48GB of cached data when you're only running a browser? Do you remember your previous post?

Approximately 48GB of RAM is being taken up by a cache of recently and frequently accessed data, which can be instantly overwritten.

But you know there is - for security reasons - processing around dumping data from memory. And I hope to hell you realize there's overhead in loading it. So don't insult your own intelligence by claiming it's "instant" (or even sane if it's pre-fetching browser installs).

I let my MCSE lapse because I realized there is - to borrow from the military - a right way, a wrong way, and a Microsoft way to do things.

I know you're not going to suddenly gain enlightenment from some random greybeard on the Internet, but for fucks sake stop reading books about Microsoft products from Microsoft.

And please stop being retarded.

 

[Tram Fan]

I don't know, I'm not a janny of this board. Use the report feature.

Well no that would be snitching.

I'd rather call him a retard till he quits kiwi farms and hope no janny sees I'm mean.

I know, I was attempting to steer our friend into an understanding of why preloading random shit you didn't want was a waste of resources.
Oh well. I tried.

It's no use he's a retard. We've already tried. I also suspect he just wants to brag that he has 64 GB RAM and doesn't have to save it meanwhile we poorfags got less and must use RAM sparingly.

Strange, I didn't seee that mentioned in the Windows Internals chapter on memory management.

In Poland we say "delete your account/post then apologize to your mother".

know you're not going to suddenly gain enlightenment from some random greybeard on the Internet, but for fucks sake stop reading books about Microsoft products from Microsoft.

And please stop being retarded.

Wait what? He's been reading books from the microsoft? does he have a brain at all?
Why would you wanna do this even if you like windows XDD

 

[Free Alex Jones]

stop reading books about Microsoft products from Microsoft.

He's been reading books from the microsoft?

Imagine being so retarded as to believe you are more knowledgable about memory management than the person that discovered the Sony rootkit and founded Sysinternals.
Absolutely /g/tier levels of retardedness ITT from some users.

 

[Rei is Shit.]

Windows 11 uses a shitload more RAM than previous versions due to all the telemtry, ads, AI features and fucked up new ''''apps''''.

But actually you are wrong to dislike this because RAM can be used for caching things.

t. computer pro