Windows 11 is Here!

[Tall Timbers]

AMD CPU owners won’t be pleased with Windows 11’s latest update​

AMD and Microsoft previously revealed that Windows 11 was causing a reduced performance for AMD Ryzen CPUs for certain applications, with extreme cases seeing as much as a 15% performance hit.

Microsoft revealed a software update is in development to address these issues, but it looks like the very first Windows 11 update since launch has made the problem even worse.

TechPowerUp has reported that the latency is higher now. The Ryzen 7 2700X chip reportedly saw an increase from 10ns to 17ns when Windows 11 first launched. However, the latest Windows 11 patch (which launched on 12 October) made this problem even worse, seeing the latency reportedly skyrocket up to 31.9ns.

Latency is measured in milliseconds and measures how long it takes data to travel between the source and the destination, so a lower latency means a faster transfer. Seeing the latency increase so much could potentially cause noticeable performance slowdowns if your system uses a Ryzen processor.

https://techncruncher.blogspot.com/2021/10/amd-cpu-owners-wont-be-pleased-with.html

I stick with intel CPUs since I use Windows. It's a WINTEL world. AMD CPUs have a history of compatibility issues with sofware and hardware down the road. It doesn't matter where the fault lies, it just happens. This is just one more time along the road...

 

[Jonathan]

Till 2025, according to Microsoft.

Well, as much as I love criticizing Microsoft, I would be ungrateful to not appreciate the fact that they have vowed to continue to support Windows 10. That's pretty decent considering how old even Windows 10 is. I guess the real question is how dedicated they are to that task.

We'll see.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Well, as much as I love criticizing Microsoft, I would be ungrateful to not appreciate the fact that they have vowed to continue to support Windows 10. That's pretty decent considering how old even Windows 10 is. I guess the real question is how dedicated they are to that task.

We'll see.

They supported Windows 7 for a long time, and if my mind is remembering correctly, I think they extended that support more than once. IT departments don't like to make unnecessary changes when everything's working... in fact, it doesn't make sense to make unnecessary changes. It takes a lot of work to purchase, configure, and deploy hundreds of new workstations. Why insert risk by upgrading to a new version of an operating system on deployed systems?

 

[GEOINTAnalyst]

Great. Just when I was getting used to a fairly stable OS, I now have to embrace a new, unstable OS and go through the whole experience again. Or at least that is my guess. Heck, I don't even know reasonably capable laptop can handle it.

Why don't they just leave well enough alone? I know... it's money. But still, in order to create a brand new product, they are now regressing.

I've seen videos in Windows 11, and it looks like the UI has been significantly dumbed down. I am not saying the power of Windows 11 is dumbed down, but just the UI..

Why is it that every time someone wants to make something EASIER and more USER FRIENDLY, the result is always the opposite? Or, at least the opposite for guys like me who, while not uber-experts, have been using Windows in one version or another since the early 90s.

For those reason and a few more is why I switched to Linux years ago I think around 2005 or so

 

[Tall Timbers]

The one improvement I've seen since installing Windows 11 is the "your phone" has been working flawlessly. Prior to Windows 11 there would occasionally be glitches. I think I'm the only one in the family who uses the "your phone" app. It's a lot easier for me to text from my laptop than from the phone.

 

[JSTyler]

"your phone"

Yeaaaahhhh... I'm the type that uses a phone for that.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Yeaaaahhhh... I'm the type that uses a phone for that.

You can probably type with two thumbs. I've never figured out how to use more than one finger while typing on the phone and my fat fingers often engage the wrong key... On a regular keyboard I'm a trained typist, so while I don't break any speed records, I'm pretty efficient. It's interesting to me that I couldn't tell you where a specific key is on the keyboard, but my fingers know.

 

[JSTyler]

You can probably type with two thumbs. I've never figured out how to use more than one finger while typing on the phone and my fat fingers often engage the wrong key... On a regular keyboard I'm a trained typist, so while I don't break any speed records, I'm pretty efficient. It's interesting to me that I couldn't tell you where a specific key is on the keyboard, but my fingers know.

Nah, I was being silly. I don't text. Thumbs and fingers hardy bend, I don't wanna search for reading glasses at every ding (I'm not Pavlov's dog) and my hands are typically dirty from whatever work I'm engaged in and don't have any desire to clean them every time someone wants to text me an LOL or an emoticon. My sms ban/block list is larger than my contact list now. I'm the grouchy gut that coined the term,"get off my mobile"

 

[Jonathan]

Well, just thought I would chime back in. I upgraded to Windows 11 and it isn't that bad actually (in regards to earlier concerns). In fact, at least so far, I am glad I upgraded.

Nothing I worried was going to be part of the new OS ended up happening. Well one or two things, but the following things were NOT issues:

1) Since I was constantly reading that Windows 11 would require new minimum hardware requirements (CPU, Memory), I naturally assumed it would therefore be slower because of the increase in requirements. Oddly enough, is it JUST as fast on my laptop as Windows 10, and my lap top is basically modest for the most part

2) I was worried about the redesign of the taskbar. While yea, it looks different, the biggest worry I had was a lack of a "Start" Icon/function, which many had predicted. In reality, that "Start" function not only exists ([hit the Window Key), but it also has an icon on the task bar. It just is more towards to middle and doesn't say "Start." Also, the start menu looks a bit differently, but you can still go right to a program that doesn't have an icon by simply starting to type the name of the program. Like, typing "Chr" will immediately pull up an icon for Chrome, and you just click on it.

3) I was worried about backwards compatibility, but every program I had installed with Win 10 that I tried works in Win 11.

There were originally two things that DID bother me considerably though:

1) At first glance, there appears to be no "Action Center" - that list of "buttons" that control specific functions that occurs when you click on the very bottom right. That won't get you anywhere. However, it still exists by either pressing [Windows Button] + "A" or by clicking on any of those far right icons. The only problem, at least as first, was that there were only three buttons. This was solved by clicking on what looks like a pencil icon which then gives you option of adding all those additional buttons you used to have in Windows 10.

2) I don't like the whole new "settings" men/sub-menu structure. I imagine I will get used to it though.

Hope this review is helpful, but WORD TO THE WISE and FAIR WARNING: I made a complete image backup of my hard drive via Acronis while still in Windows 10 so if anything didn't work or I just didn't like windows 11, I could simply wipe and fully restore my laptop to it's former state. So, basically, I HIGHLY recommend making a full image backup of your HD(s) if you have the means.

So, basically, so far, so good.

 

[Jonathan]

Also, Chris, if you are reading this, I suggest you give Brave another chance assuming it has been awhile since you last tried it. I've had no issues so far, although I haven't FULLY explored all of it's features. But it DOES work and it IS as fast as any other browser I have tried.

 

[Tall Timbers]

It just is more towards to middle and doesn't say "Start."

You can put it back in the left corner in settings, which is the first thing I do after upgrading a laptop. In some cases, like with my sister in North Carolina, she was confused by the start button being in the center. I moved it to the left and she's happy now.

2) I don't like the whole new "settings" men/sub-menu structure. I imagine I will get used to it though

I find the settings layout far inferior in terms of user friendliness with the changes made to it. You'd think they'd have people at Microsoft that could say, "nope, it's better the way it was, let's not change that".