Windows 11 – Pros and Cons

Windows 11 – Pros and Cons

Windows 11 – Pros and Cons

Amanda Young Blog

It has been7 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.