Windows 11 8GB RAM configurations get a performance boost

Following a resurgence of 8GB RAM laptops earlier this year, and in the wake of promises to improve Windows 11 performance using just 8GB of RAM, Microsoft has today announced what it claims are a series of performance improvements. Driven by an ongoing global PC component shortage that is forcing manufacturers to dumb down specs, the company says that with 8GB of RAM, Windows is now 20% more responsive and 40% faster when it comes to multitasking.

The development shared today by Microsoft is an update to a commitment earlier this year to improve the quality and performance of Windows 11, a major bugbear of users since its launch. Microsoft says it has taken a three-pronged approach to memory optimization: making better use of memory in Windows 11 PCs, protecting interactions that need to feel instant, and ensuring key apps and Windows use less memory. While the company admits you'll be able to do more on 16GB or 32GB of RAM, it says "we're making sure you can do more, even with 8GB."

The headline performance gain is a claim that Windows is now up to 20% more responsive on 8GB PCs. Likewise, multitasking is now purportedly 40% faster in Microsoft's lab tests. Of course, these are internal tests conducted in favorable conditions by Microsoft.

Microsoft says it has tuned compression for useful apps and data, and can now keep up to 2GB more of your active data in memory, rather than moving it to storage. In practice, this should mean that apps and tabs left open should be less likely to reload when you go back to them.

The claim of 20% more responsiveness specifically relates to tasks like opening Start, searching, right-clicking, opening Settings, using the Snipping Tool, and opening File Explorer. The company says it has achieved this by backing off background tasks like indexing while you're using your PC actively. Edge now reportedly opens up to 33% faster. There's also an Efficiency Mode for Microsoft Teams, which can be set to on by default, improving launch times by 20%.

Microsoft says that its claims of 40% speed boosts to multitasking are based on a demanding workflow of 20 Microsoft Edge Tabs, a 4K video, large Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, Outlook, and File Explorer all being opened one after the other.

Other improvements include reducing committed-memory growth by up to 900 MB in apps like Microsoft Edge and 365 apps, and reducing the memory footprint of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook by 360MB. Third-party apps can also benefit from improved memory management, with Microsoft stating WhatsApp is already taking advantage.

Moving forward, Microsoft says it has plans to make memory compression even smarter and more efficient. Windows features and apps will share common parts, such as Search and Widgets using one web Engine, for instance. WinUI 3 apps like File Explorer and Notepad will be designed to use less memory and open faster, and Microsoft is working with PC makers and silicon manufacturers to reduce how much memory a PC needs to hold in reserve to support its hardware, making more space for Windows.

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