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Cybersecurity

Windows 11 'secure by default' rollout angers some gamers over frame-rate impact

Microsoft is automatically enabling memory integrity protection on eligible Windows 11 PCs to boost security. Some gamers report frame-rate drops, while others say the impact is negligible.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-04 05:12

According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft announced that Windows quality updates will enable memory integrity protection on eligible devices, and will also enable Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), which memory integrity relies on. "Security works best when protection is built in, not bolted on," Microsoft said. The company said more devices will soon receive stronger protection by default, with no additional setup required, and that VBS will help make additional security capabilities available.

Memory integrity, also known as Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI), strengthens defenses for kernel-mode drivers, a core part of Windows that has direct access to system hardware. Microsoft says this makes supported PCs harder to exploit. The feature is being enabled automatically on eligible PCs, though systems configured through group policy to not use memory integrity, or where it has been disabled before, will not be forced to enable it.

Some PC gamers have objected to the change, saying the feature can significantly reduce frame rates. On Reddit, users have reported frame-rate hits approaching 10 percent and degraded 1% lows, the lowest frame rates in the bottom 1% of frames, which can cause stuttering. One user with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5080 and DDR5-6000 CL28 memory said their 1% lows were "wrecked" with the feature on and gameplay was "way smoother" with it off. Others argue the impact on newer platforms is negligible. "HVCI is a great security feature, and the performance impact on newer platforms (to which this automatic switch will apply) is negligible," another user wrote.

The online reaction is split between users who believe the most secure option should be the default and those who say the feature disrupts performance without enough user control. One supporter said "the most secure option being the default" is correct. A critic said they had already turned memory integrity off because it affects gaming. Microsoft has also faced criticism in the past for quietly enabling VBS, and the latest move renews questions about whether users should be able to decide. Windows lets users disable memory integrity manually, but Microsoft's automatic enablement has become a point of contention.