Does Windows 11 memory integrity lower your FPS?

Source: NeoTeo's controlled test, three runs per setting, published September 2026. One system, so treat it as a guide, not a promise for your PC.

What did Microsoft change this month?

Microsoft announced on its Windows IT Pro blog in September that Windows quality updates from October 2026 would start turning on memory integrity for eligible devices. Where a PC does not already run virtualisation-based security, the same updates switch that on too. These are the normal monthly updates, so there is no pop-up and no separate download.

Two details matter. Windows checks each PC's readiness first, including driver compatibility, so not every machine gets it. And if you had already turned memory integrity off yourself, Microsoft says the rollout will not change that setting.

The PCs most likely to notice are the ones upgraded from Windows 10. Clean installs of Windows 11 on supported hardware have mostly had it on already.

How much FPS does memory integrity actually cost?

Less than the headlines suggest, but not nothing. In the test above, average frame rates moved by under 2% in both games. The 1% lows took the bigger hit, up to 6.6% in Cyberpunk 2077. Those lows are the frames you feel as stutter, which is why we keep telling people average FPS hides the real story.

Other testers saw more. MakeUseOf recorded up to 11% in one of its tests, though its average gains were smaller.

Microsoft itself has said since 2022 that these protections can affect gaming on some configurations, mostly older ones. A recent six or eight core chip will barely register it. A processor from five or six years ago has less headroom to hide the overhead.

Illustration generated with AI.

How do I check if memory integrity is on?

It takes under a minute, and nothing here changes your system until you touch the switch.

1. Click Start and type Core isolation, then open it. The Windows Security app opens on the Core isolation page.
2. Look at the Memory integrity toggle. On means the protection is running. Off means it is not.
3. If you change it, restart the PC. The setting does not take effect until you do.

Should you turn it off for gaming?

For most people, no. Memory integrity blocks untrusted drivers from running inside the core of Windows, which is exactly where the nastiest malware tries to live. Trading that for 2% average FPS is a bad deal on a machine you also use for banking, UPI and work email.

There are fair exceptions. If you have an older CPU, play competitive shooters where 1% lows matter, and you measured a real difference in your own game, switching it off is your call. Test it properly: run the game's built-in benchmark three times with it on, restart, then three times with it off. If the numbers barely move, turn it back on and leave it.

Before touching it at all, check the cheaper wins. An outdated graphics driver, RAM running below its rated speed or Resizable BAR left off will usually cost you more frames than memory integrity does. Our guide to enabling Resizable BAR covers one of those.

From the floor

Part of my job is watching vendor notices and driver updates, and with a change like this the thing I worry about is not frames. It is old drivers. Memory integrity refuses to load drivers that are not compatible with it, so an ancient RGB controller app or a cheap USB adapter's driver is where problems show up.

If something stopped working after this month's update, open Core isolation first. Windows lists incompatible drivers right there. Updating that one driver from the manufacturer usually fixes it, and you keep the protection.

FAQ

Will Windows turn memory integrity back on if I switch it off?

Not through this rollout. Microsoft has said devices where memory integrity was already disabled will keep that setting. A future Windows change could revisit that, so check the Core isolation page after big feature updates. It takes a minute, and the toggle is always in the same place in the Windows Security app.

Does memory integrity affect laptops more than desktops?

It depends on the processor, not the form factor. The overhead comes from virtualisation work the CPU does, so older and lower-power chips feel it more. A thin laptop with an older processor is more likely to show a difference than a current desktop chip. Run the same benchmark with it on and off to know for your machine.

Why is the memory integrity toggle greyed out?

Usually because of an incompatible driver, or because virtualisation is turned off in the BIOS. The Core isolation page lists incompatible drivers when that is the cause. Update or remove the driver it names, then restart. If virtualisation is off in the BIOS, that is a firmware setting, and we are happy to do it for you at the store.

Is memory integrity the same as VBS?

Not quite. Virtualisation-based security, or VBS, is the isolated area of memory Windows creates. Memory integrity, also called HVCI, is one feature that runs inside it and checks drivers before they load. The October updates turn on memory integrity, and switch on VBS as well where a PC does not already have it running.

My FPS dropped after the October update. Is this the reason?

Possibly, but check two other things first. A Windows update sometimes replaces your graphics driver with an older one, and that alone can cost more than memory integrity. Reinstall the latest driver from Nvidia, AMD or Intel, then compare. If the drop is still there and memory integrity is newly on, run the on and off test described above.

If your frame rate changed after this month's update and you cannot work out why, bring the machine to the store in Nehru Place and we will look at it with you.

Related: Nvidia's new GeForce driver is causing stutter issues · NAND prices are climbing too, not just RAM · Is GTA 6 coming to PC? What we actually know

Geeta Rajput tracks vendor pricing, EOL notices and driver updates across the Nehru Place supply chain for Get Right PC. Published 14 October 2026.