A recent new performance feature of Windows 11 has begun to cause controversy among PC gamers and technology circles.
The reason is simple, because many people have discovered that Microsoft seems to be using a method that is very similar to “instant overclocking” to make Windows look faster. Microsoft has now officially responded. Their answer is: This is not cheating, and modern operating systems actually do this.
New Windows 11 feature briefly boosts CPU clock speeds
Microsoft is currently testing a new feature called “Low Latency Profile.”
The core concept of this feature is that when users perform some common operations, such as opening an app, opening the start menu, clicking on the right-click menu, or system floating window, Windows will briefly increase the CPU clock speed to make the system response appear faster.
According to current exposure data, this CPU Boost time will last approximately 1 to 3 seconds.
Microsoft claims that this feature can even increase the opening speed of built-in applications such as Edge and Outlook by up to about 40%, and the opening speed of the Start menu and right-click menu may be improved by up to 70%.
It is a concept of “bringing the frequency violently first to make you feel that the system is smooth.”
Players began to complain: This is basically covering up the delay of Windows itself
However, after this feature was exposed, it quickly began to attract a lot of criticism.
Some users believe that what Microsoft should really do is optimize the code and system structure of Windows itself, rather than “cover up delays” by increasing the CPU clock.
Some netizens even complained directly, saying, “If an operating system needs to rely on this method to appear smooth, it means that there is a problem with the system itself.”
This kind of sound is actually not difficult to understand.
After all, many people have been complaining about Windows 11 in recent years about UI animations, right-click menus, and system response speed issues. Especially WinUI-related components are often criticized for having an “advanced but laggy feeling.”
Microsoft responds: macOS and Linux too
In the face of controversy, Microsoft Vice President Scott Hanselman also responded personally.
He said on X that this behavior is actually a very common mechanism in modern operating systems, including macOS and Linux.
Scott Hanselman emphasized that this is not “cheating”, but a normal design method of modern systems to reduce delays and improve interactive response speed.
He explained that the system will temporarily increase CPU speed and prioritize interactive tasks, making the application feel more responsive to users.
Microsoft even used mobile phones as an example
Scott Hanselman then went a step further and compared it to smartphones.
He said that now mobile phones will actually wake up the CPU core instantly when the user touches the screen, increase the clock speed, complete the picture rendering, and then quickly return to a low-power state.
Windows actually already has some similar mechanisms, but now Low Latency Profile will trigger this behavior more actively and more frequently.
Part of the Windows K2 program
According to the information, Low Latency Profile is actually part of Microsoft’s larger “Windows K2” plan.
In addition to this feature, Microsoft is also continuing to optimize old code and trying to migrate more Windows 11 components to WinUI 3.
At present, this function still seems to be running automatically, and there is no manual switch for the user.
As for the power consumption and temperature issues that everyone is worried about, Microsoft said that because the Boost time is very short, the impact on battery life and heating is limited.