Windows 11 come with many features, and some of them can improve the PC gaming experience
Windows 11 came with multiple versions, but what most gamers should care about is Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro.
The difference between the two versions of windows is minuscule, but there is a reason why many hardcore gamers always prefer the Windows Pro version to Windows Home
In this article, we explore the difference between Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro and whether Windows 11 Pro is better for gaming than Windows 11 Home or not
Windows 11 Home Vs. Pro for Gaming
If we compare Windows 11 Home and Pro on how good gaming is, then both are equal. You will get the same In-game FPS on both Home and Pro. But Windows 11 Pro let you customize your PC setting, which technically can increase your gaming capability as long you are tech-savvy enough
Windows 11 Pro came with extra features that can benefit gamers, from improved security, higher RAM limit, allowing server CPU for gaming, and additional professional features
1. Improved Security
Windows 11 Pro support BitLocker encryption, Revamped Task Manager and Windows Information Protection (WIP). If you are one of the risky gamers that love to mods your game, then the added security can help you to protect your data on your PC
2. Higher CPU Core Count Limit
Windows 11 Pro lets you use a motherboard with multiple CPU sockets and a maximum of 128 cores on your PC.
This feature is not helpful since even i9 Alderlake only has 16 cores, but some gamers use server CPU to future proof their PC. But 128 cores CPU is too much for mainstream gamers. With this number of cores, it’s aimed for servers and data centers,
Windows 11 Home still allow up to 64 Cores, so not that different compared to Windows 11 Pro
3. Higher RAM Limit
Windows 11 Pro allows gamers to use up to 2TB RAM. This is a crazy number that most gamers can’t achieve yet in the current decade. Windows 11 Home only support up to 128GB of RAM.
128GB of RAM is enough for most gamers. At least until Windows 12 be released. There is no current benefit on having more than 64GB of RAM for gaming.
Even though 128GB of RAM is impressive, many high-end PC builders on Reddit already boast of having 128GB of RAM on their PC when Windows 10 was just released. Now that Windows 11 and DDR5 RAM is released, I expect that 256GB of RAM will be common among the PC builders community in the future
4. Price
Windows 11 Pro will cost you $199, while Windows Home will cost $139. Because Microsoft allows you to upgrade their Windows from Windows 10 for free, the price will not be a problem for most people. Especially for gaming laptop users that already have Windows 11 came preinstalled
Microsoft allows Windows 11, Home user, to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro license for $100, in case you are disappointed with the Windows version preinstalled on your device
Windows 11 Home and Pro New Gaming Features
1. Play Android Games Natively
Windows 11 now allows you to download and play Android games. This allows mobile gamers to play their favorite games on their PC
Even though the PC gaming community despises mobile games, we can’t deny that some mobile games can be popular if released on PC. Microsoft makes all games are equal, including mobile games, with this Windows 11 feature
2. DirectStorage
DirectStorage is a new feature in Windows 11 that can help reduce in-game load times by using fast NVME SSD. DirectStorage can also reduce GPU load while you’re playing a heavy game by directly loading the graphic asset on your SSD
With DirectStorage, Windows 11 allows your PC to play a heavy, demanding game with your NVME SSD, which you can’t do on Windows 10. Windows 11 is also perfect for gamers that need to stream their games, and with multiple monitors setup
3. Auto HDR
Auto HDR is a feature on Xbox Series X/S included on Windows 11. Auto HDR allows the use of HDR color quality on non-supported HDR games. Auto HDR is a feature that only can be enabled on a monitor with the HDR feature
Auto HDR will improve color and lighting to create a realistic HDR scene. Auto HDR supports the game with DirectX 11 and DirectX 12
4. HDR Calibration App
Auto HDR on Windows 11 is not perfect because all monitors are calibrated differently. Windows 11 added the Windows HDR Calibration app to solve this issue.
Windows HDR calibration app will optimize the color accuracy of your HDR supported monitor
5. Optimizations for Windowed Games
The windowed game mode is a graphic setting that many gamers use. It lets gamers easy navigate multiple apps on your PC while you’re playing a game
But it comes with a disadvantage because in-game FPS on windowed game mode will always be lower than full-screen mode. Windowed game mode is also not supported by many games
Windows 11 new feature will optimize games played on windowed mode. Optimization is done by running a stimulated fullscreen mode on Windowed and Borderless-Windowed games.
6. Improved Game Mode
Windows 11 add a new update on the Game Mode feature. This update will fix most issues on Windows 10 and add optimization that already existed from Xbox.
Game Mode will disable Windows Update, reduce notification, limit background activity and focus most CPU and GPU resources on the game. Game Modes can help gamers that struggle to get stable 60 FPS on their games
Is Windows 11 Pro Laptop Good for Gaming?
Most Gaming laptops came with Windows 11 Home. If your main focus is only on gaming, stick to Windows 11 Home. Windows 11 Pro features on the laptop only benefit professionals, not gamers. But still, a high-end gaming laptop will be equipped with Windows 11
Will Windows 11 Break Games?
Windows 11 won’t break your game. The new update on Windows 11 allows you to play games on the latest Intel Alderlake CPUs with a hybrid “big.LITTLE” design. Beware that some bugs on Windows 11 can temporarily break the game. Thanks to Day 0 Update, there is no incompatibility issue on most games on Windows 11
Conclusion
Both Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro have the same features useful for gamers. The added business feature on Windows 11 Pro doesn’t help gamers improve their gaming experience
Windows 11 Home is good enough for most casual gamers who don’t want to edit their Windows setting fully. Windows 11 Pro is perfect for enthusiasts that savvy enough to fully use the capability of their PC hardware.
Professionals like E-sport players, YouTubers, and Twitch Streamers can benefit from the exclusive features on Windows 11 Pro