Windows 10 Outperforms Windows 11 with AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D in Latest Benchmarks

Windows 10 Surpasses Windows 11 with AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D: Benchmark Surprises Divide Gamers and Enthusiasts​

A new chapter in the Windows versus Windows debate has unfolded, this time driven by compelling benchmark results that place Windows 10 ahead of its successor, Windows 11, when paired with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Such findings carry weight, particularly in the ever-competitive spheres of high-end gaming and professional computing—worlds where every frame counts and every millisecond may determine victory or defeat. What’s behind this unexpected performance discrepancy? Can it be ignored, or does it signal deeper issues that users, hardware reviewers, and Microsoft itself must not overlook?

Ryzen 9 9950X3D: AMD’s Gaming Crown Jewel​

With the March 2025 release of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, AMD underscored its commitment to gamers and professional creators who demand peak performance. Branded as “the world’s best processor for gamers and creators,” this enthusiast-class chip comes at a premium ($699 / £699 / AU$1,349) and packs AMD’s second-generation AM5 chipset with game-changing 3D V-cache technology.
The critical acclaim was swift, with many—TechRadar, for one—praising its “best there is” stature among V-cache-enabled CPUs. Performance metrics largely justify the fanfare: the 9950X3D delivers nearly best-in-class gaming speed, comfortably outpacing the standard 9950X and winning praise for its leap in frame rates and responsiveness. However, there’s nuance: the slightly older Ryzen 7 9800X3D actually edges out the 9950X3D in some gaming averages, largely because all eight of its cores have direct V-cache access, compared to the 9950X3D’s split arrangement (96MB and 32MB, totaling 128MB).

Benchmark Bombshells: Windows 10 Holds the Crown​

For anyone expecting the latest hardware to best shine on the latest software, recent independent benchmarks tell a different story. YouTube tester Tech YES City ran side-by-side comparisons, revealing the Ryzen 9 9950X3D achieves better gaming performance on Windows 10 than on its ostensibly more advanced counterpart, Windows 11. Most notably, enabling Windows 11’s virtualization-based security (VBS)—a core feature designed to harden security—significantly eroded frame rates in multiple demanding titles.
In competitive, CPU-bound games at 1080p on lowest settings, the delta is undeniable:

• Counter-Strike 2 (CS2): 745fps on Windows 10, compared to 729fps on Windows 11 (and 710fps with VBS enabled).
• Fortnite: 591fps on Windows 10, 541fps on Windows 11, a further loss to 500fps with VBS.
• In both cases, Windows 10 consistently outperformed Windows 11 by a measurable margin—a 2% to 9% difference, depending on VBS and title.

These aren’t isolated results. Broad testing with Marvel Rivals, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 showed Windows 10 retaining its lead. And while a skeptic might dismiss a sub-10% frame rate loss as trivial, such gaps matter profoundly at the heights of gaming competition, content creation, and technical workflows.

VBS: Friend or Foe?​

Central to the performance debate is virtualization-based security. Introduced by Microsoft to increase protection against vulnerabilities, VBS leverages hardware and software virtualization to create isolated memory regions, protecting critical system processes and credentials. This security, however, comes at a cost—especially pronounced in scenarios where ultra-low latency and maximum throughput reign supreme.
Benchmarks consistently demonstrate that VBS eats into frame rates when enabled, sometimes compounding the native performance gap observed between Windows 10 and 11. On Ryzen 9 9950X3D, where users expect no-compromise results given the processor’s price and profile, VBS feels more like an anchor than a shield.

Windows 11’s Adaptation Problem: Why Isn’t the Newest Always Best?​

The instinct of most technology users—endorsed by marketing and common sense—is that new hardware and new software should synergize for higher performance. In the case of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, reality fails to live up to expectation.
What’s especially unsettling is that even custom-tuned, debloated builds of Windows 11 24H2 (the latest at the time of testing) still trailed a vanilla installation of Windows 10. No amount of tweaks, updates, or manual intervention seemed able to close the gap. This hints at questions of compatibility, scheduler optimization, or latent inefficiencies in Windows 11’s handling of cutting-edge chip designs. And as Windows 10 careens toward its October 14, 2025, end-of-life date, users are left in a perplexing bind.

For Power Users and Competitive Gamers: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher​

In fast-twitch shooters and esports, every frame matters. Top-tier hardware is justified in these contexts only if it yields a perceptible edge. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D, on paper, should guarantee elite performance across the board. But with Windows 11 dragging its feet (especially with VBS enabled), users are now forced to make an unsettling trade-off:

• Do you stick to a soon-to-expire Windows 10 for peak performance, at the risk of diminishing security updates and software support?
• Or migrate to Windows 11, accept the performance penalty (for now), and hope for post-launch optimization fixes?

Even casual users stand to lose. VBS is typically enabled by default on modern Windows 11 builds, meaning most consumers may never realize their expensive hardware isn’t operating at full tilt.

Root Causes: Untangling Software Optimization and Security Overhead​

The exact technical reasons for Windows 11’s relative underperformance with the 9950X3D remain, as of now, only partially understood. Likely culprits include:

• Scheduler Inefficiencies: Windows 11’s core scheduling (how the OS allocates workloads across different CPU cores) may not be fully tuned to exploit the dual 3D V-cache pools unique to the 9950X3D.
• VBS and Virtualization Overhead: As a heavyweight security layer, VBS appears to tax the CPU in ways that disproportionately affect high-frame-rate, low-latency tasks.
• Background Services and Bloat: While modern Windows builds contain more features and daemons—ostensibly for user benefit—they also introduce background activity that can sap CPU cycles, particularly pronounced on ultra-high-end chips.
• Microarchitecture Mismatch: In rare cases, new hardware features outpace the software ecosystem’s ability to utilize them efficiently, creating temporary mismatches until dedicated patches or firmware updates arrive.

The Bigger Context: Windows 10’s Sunset and the Urgency for Fixes​

The looming end-of-support for Windows 10 throws all of this into sharp relief. By October 2025, Microsoft will cease delivering security patches and feature updates for its most successful OS of the modern era. Thus begins the forced migration to Windows 11, regardless of these performance differences.
For AMD and Microsoft, this is more than just a footnote—it’s a major credibility test. Without timely optimization, users will be forced to swallow a performance downgrade (however “minor” it may seem statistically). For gamers, creators, and professionals who invest heavily in state-of-the-art hardware, that’s a tough sell.

Should You Disable VBS? Risks and Rewards​

It’s tempting, seeing the numbers, to recommend disabling VBS outright and running a tuned Windows 10 build as long as possible. Indeed, the performance jump is tangible in many tested scenarios. Yet, there are real-world security threats VBS was designed to thwart—rootkits, credential theft, malware targeting kernel-level vulnerabilities.
Disabling VBS, especially on internet-connected machines handling sensitive accounts or client data, is not a risk to take lightly. For competitive gamers running air-gapped, purpose-built rigs, the gamble may feel justified. For content creators or business professionals, it’s a risk-benefit equation that must weigh operational efficiency against exposure to rare but catastrophic attacks.

The Gaming Angle: Are We Splitting Hairs?​

Critics may argue that a 2% to 9% difference, even at the stratospheric frame rates measured, means little to anyone outside the most demanding esports circles. After all, once beyond 300fps, further gains enter the realm of diminishing returns—imperceptible to most human eyes, unsensed by most monitors.
Yet, the principle stands: For a “world’s best” processor, every last frame should be obtainable. And for a new operating system, parity—or a tangible benefit—over legacy versions ought to be the bare minimum, not a moving target.

AMD, Microsoft, and the Roadmap to Resolution​

The challenge now falls to both AMD and Microsoft to close the optimization loop. Work is presumably underway to better align Windows 11’s scheduler and memory management with the intricacies of hybrid 3D V-cache architectures. In the interim, users must decide between slightly higher performance and futureproofed support—a classic short-term versus long-term trade-off.
For AMD, this is less a fundamental flaw with the 9950X3D and more a warning shot about the complex interplay between hardware innovation and software adaptation. For Microsoft, it’s a reminder that conventional security enhancements can sometimes run at cross-purposes with raw performance—especially on flagship silicon.

Looking Forward: What Should Power Users Do Now?​

For those eagerly upgrading to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, the best advice is nuanced:

• Benchmark your own system: Not every build, game, or workflow will reflect the headline numbers. Your mileage may genuinely vary.
• Monitor for updates: Both Windows 11 and AMD BIOS updates may address these tricky gaps over time.
• Decide your risk tolerance: For maxed-out gaming, consider disabling VBS—but understand the tradeoff you’re making. For daily or business machines, prioritize security—2% fewer frames is less costly than a large-scale breach.
• Prepare for the future: Windows 10’s remaining shelf life is short. Even if you stay on the older OS for now, a switch is inevitable; be ready for the transition and aware of both benefits and drawbacks.

Final Thoughts: A Snapshot of Transition​

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs. Windows 10/11 benchmark results serve as a microcosm of the larger friction that attends every major technological watershed. Hardware, software, and security must continually adapt to each other’s leaps forward. Sometimes, as with these benchmarks, the path to seamless integration is less smooth than marketing would have us believe.
Yet, this moment also provides an opportunity for transparency and concerted improvement—a chance for AMD and Microsoft to engage directly with their most demanding customers, tune their interdependent products, and reaffirm that technological progress isn’t always linear, but it is always worth striving for.
For now, Windows 10 remains the surprise champion for those who demand every ounce of performance from AMD’s most advanced CPU. The clock is ticking, though, and all eyes are on Microsoft—and perhaps AMD too—to prove that, as the Windows 10 era ends, they can deliver not just the most secure or feature-rich OS, but the fastest one as well. The race is on.

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Source: www.techradar.com AMD's most powerful processor ever actually runs better on Windows 10 than Windows 11