Mori_Yuki: When my new NVME arrived I decided to give Windows 11 Pro a try. After setting it up, getting rid of unnecessary services, additional MS bloatware etc., fighting the system to work around limited rights issues, setting up admin templates, deactivating spyware - vulgo privacy - settings, removing Edge, deactivating the native firewall and AV, it has taken some time getting used to using the OS.
It isn't inherently different to Windows 10, there is a new context-menu when right-clicking, which in my opinion is an improvement, some strange decisions like combining WiFi/LAN and Sound on the taskbar and you can't hide these symbols in the overflow menu ^, performance is great, no BSOD or other noticeable problems.
GOG games work like a charm. Some very old ones, like Jeff Vogel/Spiderweb's Avernum, they work without compatibility settings. Trying to play Avernum on Windows 10, the resolution settings did nothing and the game UI wasn't resized, ending up with a small box on a 27" screen. That was not the case on 11, where this works like a charm. New games like Horizon Zero Dawn work equally as well and with what I think has to do with the new memory settings implemented in Windows 11, where a game is allowed to manage this resource itself, it worked like a charm. No performance issue at all at mostly the highest settings for each option offered in game. Having tested a wide variety of games, when there had been small issues, they were related to NVIDIA settings or the game itself. Some screen tearing here or an input lag or fps-drop there, nothing out of the usual or different to what I had seen in my Windows 10 environment.
If your system meets the requirements, they aren't ridiculously high at all, there is little reason not to migirate. You can either use your Windows 7 Ultimate or 10 Pro key in order to unlock 11 Pro for free. My advice is not to upgrade but to install a vanilla version instead if you decide to give it a try. Remembering how it was with 7 Ultimate and the forced upgrade to 10, when it happened, several services didn't work as they should, maintenance tasks had been destroyed, many things weren't accessible. Lots of trouble for very little in return during the early months, which haven't really been solved doing a fresh install of 10.
So far I haven't had any regrets adopting 11 because the games work, software works, no BSOD's or other problems. After having got used to using it, it's become a pleasant experience. It isn't as good as Windows 2000 or 2003 server, but a great step in the right direction. If I had to say, it is what 10 could have or should have been, where the only real downside is limited rights issues, deep integration of Edge (where MS clearly didn't learn their lesson). Even with this I find it is a far better experience over its predecessor.
Who would I recommend making the switch to 11 to? A person who built a new system or upgraded their HDD and someone looking for a new experience or wishes to get a feel for that OS. In case you are satisfied and got a working 10 environment just stick with it because as the old saying goes, never touch a running system!
System-specs: Straight Power 11 ATX 750W
ASUS Prime Z390-A Gaming
Intel Core i7-9700KF 12MB Cache @4.9 GHz
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16) DDR4 3200 MHz
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GAMING Z Trio 8G (no OC)
NVME - Samsung 980 PRO 1 TB PCIe 4.0 (Windows 11 Pro)
SSD - Samsung 860 EVO 2 TB (Software/Games)
SSD - Samsung 850 EVO 1TB (Slackware)
Thanks for that review, that was the type of real-world experience I was hoping for.
