From TechRadar · · 2m
Windows 11 speed feature needs new Intel chips you can't buy yet
Microsoft is testing Advanced Performance Extensions to boost app speeds, but the feature requires Intel's next-generation processors arriving in early 2027 and won't work on existing PCs.
In brief
Microsoft is testing Advanced Performance Extensions to boost app speeds, but the feature requires Intel's next-generation processors arriving in early 2027 and won't work on existing PCs. Microsoft is preparing Windows 11 for Intel's Advanced Performance Extensions, a speed boost arriving with next-gen Intel CPUs in…
New Windows 11 speed feature spotted in testing
Microsoft is testing Advanced Performance Extensions, or APX, an option to boost app performance in Windows 11 build 29695. The feature was spotted by XenoPanther on X.
What APX does for your apps
Intel explains that APX expands the entire x eighty six instruction set with access to more registers and adds new features that improve general purpose performance.App developers can use this to speed up their software.
“expands the entire x86 instruction set with access to more registers and adds new features that improve general-purpose performance”
Apps need recompiling to use APX
App developers will have to recompile their software to take advantage of APX, although Intel notes that actual changes to the application's code are not expected to be necessary.
The toggle does nothing yet
The APX toggle is present in Windows 11 test builds but does not do anything at all. No Intel CPUs support the feature yet, so Microsoft is preparing the ground for future capability.
Intel Core Ultra Series 4 arrives in early 2027
Intel's next generation of desktop processors, codenamed Nova Lake, are expected to debut early in twenty twenty-seven. These Intel Core Ultra Series four processors will be the first to support APX.
Existing Intel chips cannot get APX
Existing generations of silicon from Intel Core Series three families and earlier will never get APX. The feature must be baked into the chip at production, so existing PCs cannot benefit.
New motherboard required for upgrade
Intel's Core Series four CPUs require a new processor socket and therefore a new motherboard. This means an extensive upgrade for desktop PCs or an impossible one for laptop owners.
AMD will eventually support APX too
Team Red is collaborating with Team Blue to get APX support. The earliest this might happen on the Ryzen side would be the Zen six family or possibly the following generation.
Online skepticism about the feature
Some commenters remain skeptical. One Redditor observes of the potential speed boost: I'll believe it when I see it. Others complain about locking performance behind a platform upgrade.
“I'll believe it when I see it!”
The short version
Microsoft is preparing Windows 11 for Intel's Advanced Performance Extensions, a speed boost arriving with next-gen Intel CPUs in early 2027, but existing PCs cannot use it.
