Window 11 is finally here, and it’ll eventually trickle down to just about any PC on the market running Windows 10. However, at the moment, the update is still optional and being pushed out in a phased manner.
In this article, we’re going over four reasons why you should consider upgrading to Windows 11 and three reasons why the upgrade isn’t for you.
Also read: Windows 11 vs Windows 10: 5 key differences
4 reasons to upgrade to Windows 11
Here are four reasons why you might want to upgrade to Windows 11.
Modern UI and look
One of the most striking features of Windows 11 is the total visual overhaul Microsoft has given its users. From a completely new context menu to a newly envisioned Start menu, a different taskbar, widgets, the enhanced and clean settings panel, everything about Microsoft’s latest Windows iteration follows suit according to other modern-day operating systems such as macOS or even some Linux distros.
More features
Remember widgets? They’re back to Windows, except they’re actually usable now. Windows users can now run Android apps natively; there is better security thanks to the TPM 2.0 requirement, users can arrange multiple Windows quickly using snap layouts and so much more.
There’s a better, much more usable Microsoft store which is now a delight to use, and third-party publishers have also started publishing their apps to the store, making it much more useful. In addition to that, auto HDR from the latest Xboxes is also coming to PC, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
Bugs and glitches
Windows 11 saw a rather bug-ridden release, but they’re getting ironed out slowly. While yes, there are still some visual bugs here and there in the OS, mostly visual, most of them have been addressed, and Microsoft is pushing frequent updates to resolve any left.
So if you were holding off on the update because of any suspected bugs, you can go ahead now.
Better security
One of the most talked-about features of Windows 11 was better security. After all, the TPM module compatibility was all about safety. It requires a PC capable of Secure Boot, avoiding malware from hijacking the boot process, and the TPM chip helps protect cryptographic keys and protect the PC’s OS and firmware. You don’t need secure boot enabled to install Windows 11, but your PC should support it at the very least.
Microsoft is also pushing for password-less security and has brought several improvements to Microsoft Defender, Windows’ in-built antivirus. Microsoft has made Windows resilient to an entire class of malware by forcing the secure boot and TPM requirement.
Also read: Windows 11: 5 Pros and Cons to help you decide if you should upgrade
3 reasons you shouldn’t upgrade to Windows 11
However, just because Windows 11 is doing great doesn’t mean it’s time to click the update button immediately. Here are a few reasons you might not want to upgrade to Windows 11.
If you’re touchy about bugs
While Microsoft is actively trying to remove any visual and performance glitches from Windows 11, a few of them still lie around the operating system. If you’re touchy about these, want your Taskbar at the top or sides of your screen or are someone who misses the several features removed from Windows 11 that existed on its predecessor, it’s better to wait a few more months.
If you don’t have system resources to spare
If you don’t have as many system resources or are simply using something like a low powered laptop, it’s probably better to hold off on the update. While Windows does show a slight performance upgrade on most PCs, keep in mind that this is happening on PCs with a good amount of CPU cores, RAM and storage to spare.
If you’re running an especially low configuration machine or have older hardware, all these new features and the significant visual overhaul aren’t going to be worth the performance hit you’ll take. Yes, you need a powerful enough computer to run the OS and leave enough resources for you to run the programs you want. If Windows ends up taking 100% of your CPU all the time, there isn’t much to gain from the upgrade.
We suggest a PC with at least 8GB of RAM and 500GB storage (preferably SSD) along with a powerful enough processor — at least 1GHz at the base clock and with two cores before you consider jumping ship. Although you might get away with 4GB RAM as well, we don’t recommend that as it’ll leave you with very little room to do anything else.
If you don’t have secure hardware
All those security improvements we talked about? While they’re great, they won’t do much if they’re disabled or they can’t run. There are many ways of getting Windows 11 running on your PC, even if it doesn’t support the minimum requirements.
However, you’re putting your PC at significant risk by doing that. If your computer doesn’t support TPM 2.0 and secure boot features, you should stick to Windows 10 rather than using any bypasses. Microsoft has had some bad luck with their security updates as well, so it’s best to upgrade only if you’ve got the secure hardware.
Also read: What is Acrotray? How to disable it?
