- Microsoft is introducing a new feature to briefly boost the CPU to make Windows 11 apps and menus more responsive
- Critics have criticized Microsoft for “cheating” and that this is a widespread solution
- A Microsoft executive has made it clear that this is not some kind of cheating and that other major operating systems do the same.
Microsoft is going to improve Windows 11 performance by using a trick that briefly throttles the CPU when opening apps or menus, and one executive defended this concept after it came under fire from online commentators.
Windows Latest found that Scott Hanselman, a vice president, member of Microsoft’s technical staff and a key part of the team tasked with fixing Windows 11 this year, turned to X to hit back at critics who have called Microsoft lazy for this particular idea, which is known as ‘Low Latency Profile.’
There’s a general feeling among some that Microsoft is cutting corners and looking for a performance fix here.
To summarize what the low latency profile actually does, it increases processor speed for about one to three seconds, providing a little extra boost when opening an app, or the Start menu, to ensure this happens much more quickly. And according to early testing, it does indeed work in terms of making Windows 11 feel more responsive in these scenarios.
Microsoft is accused of “cheating” by turning to the CPU in this way, but Hanselman points out that this is nothing new for modern operating systems.
Hanselman responded to a thread (among others) on (Please note that this is translated from Spanish.)
Hanselman responded that: “All modern operating systems do this, including macOS and Linux. It’s not ‘cheating’; it’s how modern systems make applications feel fast: they temporarily increase CPU speed and prioritize interactive tasks to reduce latency.”
Elsewhere, Hanselman adds: “Apple makes this and everyone loves it.”
Another whistleblower talks about mobile and says, “Imagine your smartphone cranks up the CPU to max every time you tap something to make it respond,” and Hanselman reminds them, “Your smartphone already does this. Constantly. Each tap activates the cores, boosts the clocks, generates a frame, and then goes back to idle milliseconds later. You’ve discovered dynamic frequency scaling. Welcome to modern computing. Come on in! Water changes temperature frequently.”
Analysis: heated feelings
It’s clear that Hanselman feels obligated to put some people in their place here, and that’s fair, these are valid points he’s making, and there’s a general feeling of tearing down whatever Microsoft is trying to do, which is unfair.
However, I think the Microsoft executive must be somewhat aware of where a lot of this criticism is coming from: namely, many years of Windows 11, where people felt they had not been heard, with Microsoft failing on a number of fixes for the operating system.
I’ve written many times about how faith and trust in Microsoft has eroded in recent years (well, actually we go way back, but this has been especially true of late). And this type of reaction is a symptom of that.
But yeah, sure, it can’t feel good to have a lot of the ideas you have for fixing Windows 11 being shot down in a general “let’s watch Microsoft screw this up” atmosphere.
On a broader level, some critics aren’t directly criticizing the low latency profile, but instead say it’s more of a Band-Aid that doesn’t address larger issues with apps like Windows 11’s core ones (particularly web-based efforts) running slowly. Or even problems related to general poor resource management in Windows 11, although general performance improvements are something that is of course on Microsoft’s list of solutions.
In short, there are a lot of things to do with Windows 11 and Microsoft has to start somewhere. From where I’m sitting, Microsoft’s overall attitude so far has been impressive, in terms of rolling out some major fixes quickly and engaging with the community.
I feel like critics need to give Microsoft more time and a chance, but at the same time, I realize that some frustrations run pretty deep with Windows 11 (and Windows 10 before it, for that matter), and Microsoft only has itself to blame for that.
However, a key question for me is simple: why didn’t Microsoft include this CPU trick in Windows 11 in the first place? Or at least start developing it as a performance solution at an earlier date, given that all other contemporary desktop platforms make good use of similar features.
The answer is likely tied to solving power efficiency and battery life issues, and that remains a concern about this feature now. Sources within Microsoft have already said that any impact on battery longevity will be minimal, and it’s likely that with the huge levels of battery life we’re seeing on some modern laptops, this will give Windows 11 more breathing room anyway.
Interestingly, another observation Hanselman makes is that the low latency profile will work particularly well with Windows 11 laptops that have Arm (Snapdragon)-based chips, which are better suited to changing power states quickly than AMD and Intel CPUs.
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