Microsoft is preparing to enable Memory Integrity on more Windows 11 PCs starting in October. The security feature is meant to protect systems from malicious code, but there is one reason gamers may want to keep an eye on it.
Microsoft has previously acknowledged that Memory Integrity can affect gaming performance on some Windows 11 systems. Back in 2022, the company even published instructions explaining how gamers could temporarily disable Memory Integrity and Virtual Machine Platform if they were causing problems.
Now, Microsoft is expanding Memory Integrity to more existing Windows 11 PCs through regular Windows quality updates. Eligible systems will begin having the feature enabled automatically in October.
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We have tested this before
When the issue was first raised in 2022, we tested Memory Integrity and related virtualization features ourselves using a Core i5-13600K and RTX 3060 Ti across six games at 1080p.
Disabling the security features resulted in less than a 3% improvement in most of our tests. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla improved by 4.5%, while Gears Tactics gained 4.6%. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves went up by 2.8%, and Far Cry 6 improved by 1.8%. Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Cyberpunk 2077 barely changed at all.
Other testing has shown considerably larger losses on some hardware, including performance drops approaching 15%. Microsoft has also noted that older processors without newer hardware-assisted virtualization features can experience a greater performance impact. So, while Memory Integrity can reduce gaming performance, the difference can vary considerably depending on the PC and the game being played.
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What changes in October
Memory Integrity, also known as Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity or HVCI, checks kernel-mode code and drivers before allowing them to run. It uses Virtualization-Based Security to help prevent malicious or untrusted code from gaining access to critical parts of Windows.
Microsoft will not enable it blindly on every PC. Windows will check hardware capabilities, driver compatibility, and performance before switching the feature on. Systems where a user or administrator has already disabled Memory Integrity will also keep that choice.
The setting can still be turned off afterward through Windows Security. Microsoft recommends leaving it enabled, though, since disabling Memory Integrity removes an additional layer of protection. If gaming performance takes a noticeable hit after the October update, Memory Integrity may be worth checking. If turning it off makes little difference, however, it is probably better left enabled.
