Former Microsoft developer says Windows 11's performance is "comically bad," even with monster PC
Microsoft Windows 11 performance has noticeably deteriorated, a former Microsoft senior software engineer has pointed out. Some prominent user interface (UI) elements were "comically bad," while others took almost a full second to load, he noted.
Important user interface elements cannot be loaded for unknown reasons
Microsoft recently reminded Windows 10 users that they have a limited amount of time to upgrade to Windows 11. The company even revealed the cost of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10.
Needless to say, sticking with Windows 10 will be expensive. However, a former and long-time Microsoft engineer has publicly highlighted Windows 11's slowness and lack of performance. This could put a damper on the upgrade plans of several Windows 10 loyalists.
Andy Young has reportedly posted some tweets on X (formerly Twitter) showing how terribly slow Windows 11 feels in certain key areas of the operating system. He highlighted the seemingly abysmal performance of the Start menu in Windows 11, calling it "comically bad."
The Windows 11 Start Menu is comically bad.
— Andy Young (@anerdguynow) April 9, 2024
This machine has a $1600 Core i9 CPU and 128 GB of RAM and this is the performance I often get.
What is going on in Redmond? pic.twitter.com/hDvALHRB5q
Young's second tweet mentioned that he doesn't hate Windows as an operating system (OS). He added that he helped build parts of it during his time with the company. However, he complained that Windows 11 seems unfinished in its current state. Perhaps he was implying that the operating system felt like an unpolished product that was probably released before it was ready.
To be clear, I love Windows. I helped build parts of it. I want it to be as good as it once was. If data suggests the software you build frustrates a significant percentage of users, it means there's work left to be done.
— Andy Young (@anerdguynow) April 10, 2024
Why should Windows 11 lag and struggle with the simplest tasks?
As Young's first tweet shows, Windows 11 was having issues and lags when opening the Start menu. This is absurd because these items are preloaded on the first boot and should work immediately.
As Young categorically mentions, he owns a PC with a $1600 Intel Core i9 CPU and 128GB of system memory (RAM). In other words, there were no hardware limitations causing a bottleneck in Windows 11.
Inspired by Young's tweets, other users uploaded videos highlighting how Windows 11 suddenly decides to slow down crawling while performing the simplest tasks.
Another issue with weirdly high latency happens when closing message boxes, sometimes the frame sticks around for too long pic.twitter.com/fOFOaGwXdE
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) April 9, 2024
Windows as an operating system has always had strange bugs and performance issues. Usually Microsoft tries to solve these problems. Windows users often help with self-developed solutions.
However, Windows 11 may not suffer from a lack of dedicated and qualified engineers. Some users have claimed that Microsoft's obsession with inserting ads and promotions could be crashing Windows 11.
Since Windows 10, Microsoft has been inserting ads into everyday user interface elements. Windows 11 has an over-enthusiastic “Recommended” section. Therefore, multiple backend processes could retrieve advertising messages from remote servers. Perhaps reducing these tactics could improve Windows 11 performance, many social media users claimed.
