Windows 7 still competes with Windows 11 in gaming

Even though Windows 7 was officially retired in 2020, a recent study by Tom's Hardware has shown that this operating system can still offer competitive performance in gaming compared to its successor, Windows 11. The test involved ten games from different generations, allowing for a fair and detailed comparison of their gaming capabilities.

The analysis was conducted using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, a Radeon RX 6950 XT graphics card, and 64 GB of DDR5-6000 memory. Both operating systems used the Adrenalin 22.6.1 drivers from 2022, ensuring that performance differences were not due to software updates. Despite the technological advantages of Windows 11, the results showed that Windows 7 still had a lot to offer.

Why it matters

This finding is significant for users still using Windows 7 who may be considering an upgrade to Windows 11. The comparison reveals that while Windows 11 has access to more advanced technologies, Windows 7 can still be a viable option for gamers, especially those who do not want to invest in a new software license or newer hardware.

What we know

The study indicates that the performance of both operating systems is surprisingly similar in the context of demanding games. However, Windows 7 cannot benefit from some modern features that optimize performance, such as 'resizable BAR'. This means that while performance is comparable, Windows 11 may have a slight edge in games that utilize these technologies.

What is still unclear

It has not yet been confirmed whether future updates to Windows 11 will provide significant improvements that surpass Windows 7's capabilities in gaming. Additionally, the gaming community may be interested in how other titles not included in this study perform, which could provide a more complete picture of the performance of both operating systems.