The frame rate of the game drops significantly after Windows 10/11 turns on Virtualization-based Security
Virtualization-based Security is a security technology provided by Microsoft for Windows 10 through Microsoft Defender, which also supports Windows 11.
Essentially, Virtualization-based Security is to enhance system security through virtualization, that is, the system automatically creates a subsystem isolated from the host to prevent malicious software from committing malicious acts.
However, Virtualization-based Security is turned off by default. If you are interested, you can check the memory integrity option in the Virtualization-based Security of device security to enable it.
As for why Microsoft did not enable this option by default, there are natural reasons, because turning on the memory integrity check can improve security but will sacrifice some performance.
Image: pcgamer
Security is the focus of the publicity of the Windows 11 system. This can be seen from Microsoft’s strong promotion of the trusted platform module. TPM can enhance security.
Although Microsoft’s recommendation for Virtualization-based Security is to enable it, especially for enterprise devices, neither Windows 10 nor Windows 11 is currently enabled by default.
However, based on security considerations, Microsoft has decided to start cooperating with device manufacturers from next year and gradually turn on the Virtualization-based Security option in most devices by default.
For newer devices and newly installed systems, this option will be enabled first, and as time goes by, Microsoft hopes to enable Virtualization-based Security for more devices.
For gamers, the game frame rate is a very critical factor, which is also the main reason why players are willing to spend more money on high-performance graphics cards.
PCGamer tested the Virtualization-based Security feature, and the test showed that turning on this option may cause the running frame rate of most games to drop.
It’s just that there are differences in performance on different hardware and different games. For example, the frame rate of Far Cry New Dawn is only reduced by about 5% after Virtualization-based Security is turned on.
However, Horizon Zero Dawn has dropped by 25%, Metro Exodus by 24%, and Tomb Raider has dropped by as much as 28%. Obviously, this impact is still relatively large.
Tests show that if you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, Virtualization-based Security will not be enabled, but if it is a new installation, Virtualization-based Security is enabled by default.
The new computers that will be launched in the future should all enable virtualization-based Security by default, and gamers can decide whether to enable Virtualization-based Security according to their actual needs.
