It has been a few years since Windows 10 was released and we are finally getting an upgrade to Windows 11, but is it ready yet? There are a number of new features and significant updates, but there are also some drawbacks to upgrading it now. Below is a list of the pros and cons for Windows 11.
Pros of Windows 11
- Desktop Aesthetics
- There are 10 new wallpapers available that are preloaded.
- Many of the desktop elements have a transparency built in as well as background blur, drop shadows and rounded corners to give it a more elegant appearance.
- There is also the ability to center the icons, which helps with a touchscreen
- Widgets
- While Windows Vista and 7 had floating informational windows and Windows 10 has Live Tiles, Windows 11 will return to the widget style but in a dedicated pane.
- These tiles are customizable and are geared more toward presenting information instead of functioning as mini-apps, like Windows 10.
- Teams
- Teams will now be native to Windows 11. This version will be free for personal use at this time.
Cons of Windows 11
- Accelerated Desktop
- Windows 11 requires a GPU compatible with DirectX 12 with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
- With current hardware shortages, this may not be currently feasible.
- Timeline is gone
- For those that used Timeline as a visual way to keep organized, this feature will no longer be available.
- Not available yet for older CPU’s
- Windows 11 requires your PC to be relatively new to run it. If your PC’s CPU is older than Intel’s 7th gen Core or AMD’s Zen 2 processors, you will not be able to run Windows 11.
- Another issue is TPM 2.0 compatibility. Many DIY PC’s do not have TPM modules. Without TPM 2.0 support Windows 11 is unavailable.
- There is a supported method for installing Windows 11 on older hardware or without the TPM but running in that configuration is not officially supported by Microsoft.