Why Microsoft’s 2.3× Speed Claim for Windows 11 Is Misleading

Earlier Microsoft announced in a blog that paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10 are available, and they still encourage users to upgrade to Windows 11, although users whose hardware does not meet the requirements must purchase a new PC.

In the same blog Microsoft claimed that a PC running Windows 11 is 2.3 times faster than a Windows 10 PC, a statement that contradicts many users’ experience of Windows 11 feeling laggy or slow.

The blog explains that the comparison is actually between Windows 11 PCs and Windows 10 PCs, not between the operating systems themselves, rendering the claim meaningless.

The conclusion is based on Geekbench 6 benchmarks that compare Windows 10 devices equipped with Intel Core 6th/8th/10th‑generation CPUs to Windows 11 devices equipped with Intel Core 12th/13th‑generation CPUs.

Microsoft also notes that performance can vary greatly due to device specifications, settings, usage patterns, and other factors, acknowledging the limitations of the comparison.

Comparing devices with newer processors to those with older ones will inevitably show performance differences, as newer hardware often includes faster memory and SSDs, leading to higher benchmark scores.

If Microsoft tested the same computer with both Windows 10 and Windows 11, the results would be more realistic; the performance gap would likely be far smaller than 2.3×, and even parity would be a reasonable outcome.

It may not be outright false advertising because large companies subject such statements to legal review; Microsoft might have meant OEM PCs pre‑installed with Windows 11 versus OEM PCs with Windows 10, rather than the operating systems themselves.