Top 6 Windows 11 Performance Myths to Ignore

In the search for a speedier, more efficient Windows 11 experience, many users often stumble upon a plethora of tips and tricks touted online. However, not all advice is created equal. Indeed, some so-called "performance hacks" are largely unnecessary and even potentially harmful. Let's delve into the six prevalent practices that many users might still be tempted to try, but really shouldn’t waste time on.

1. Hiding Your Desktop Icons​

Ah, the age-old belief that fewer icons on your desktop translates to faster boot times. If you're rocking a modern PC, this is about as effective as trying to outrun a cheetah on foot. The reality is that the performance impact of desktop icons is negligible in today's computing landscape. Hiding them might contribute to a cleaner aesthetic, particularly for the avoidant of screen burn-in on OLED displays, but it won’t enhance performance in any noticeable way.

2. Turning Off Visual Effects​

Turning off visual effects may seem like a logical solution to free up some system resources, but in practice, these effects consume a minimal amount of power on modern hardware. Your sleek animations and translucencies aren’t the culprits behind poor performance. The only folks who might see a real benefit are those still dusting off computers from the early 2000s—or those with extremely low-end machines, which probably need a serious upgrade anyway.

3. Cleaning Up Temporary Files​

While it’s true that Windows can accumulate a mountain of temporary files over time, the act of regularly deleting them for performance gains is misguided. Most of these files exist to help speed up processes. Only in an extreme case, like an SSD nearing full storage, should you worry about these files. Rather than stressing over weekly cleanups, consider a less frequent maintenance schedule—perhaps once every few months—is plenty.

4. Defragmenting Your Drive​

Ah, defragmentation—the ghost from our past. Once relevant for traditional spinning hard drives, this process does nothing for SSDs. What’s more, Windows 11 automatically optimizes your drives on a weekly basis, ensuring that everything runs smoothly without your intervention. So, if you're using an SSD, you can wave goodbye to this bygone practice; it's as relevant as using dial-up for gaming.

5. Turning Off Core Parking​

Core parking is a power-saving feature that deactivates some CPU cores when they’re not needed. While there are whispers that disabling this could improve performance, the truth is that the time it takes for a core to ramp back up is virtually instantaneous. For most users, tweaking this setting is not necessary. If you want guaranteed performance, just select the ‘Best Performance’ option in your power plan and save yourself the trouble.

6. "Cleaning" Your Registry​

This is perhaps the most heard—and misheard—piece of advice out there. Registry cleaners promise to speed up your PC by eliminating what they deem unnecessary entries. However, in reality, the impact of these so-called "invalid" entries on performance is negligible. Furthermore, messing with your registry can lead to system instability and malfunctioning programs. Do yourself a favor and skip the third-party registry cleaners; you'll thank yourself later.

Conclusion: Don’t Fall for the Myths​

It’s understandable to seek improvement in your system’s performance, especially when your workload becomes overwhelming or when you experience slowdowns. Yet, as tempting as these tricks may seem, they often only serve to convey the old adage in tech: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." Instead, focus on responsible usage, regular updates, and perhaps a hardware upgrade if your machine is feeling its age.
So, the next time you're combing through tips on the internet, keep this advice in mind: optimize wisely, and don't waste time on these outdated or ineffective tricks!
Source: XDA 6 Windows 11 performance trick you shouldn't bother trying