Hidden Windows 11 FAQs Can Tell You Why Your PC Is so Slow

If you’ve ever sat in front of your Windows PC and wondered what exactly is making it run so slowly, some clarity may be on the way: Microsoft is testing a new FAQ page in Windows 11 that will analyze your system’s specs and give you some tips on why you might not be seeing your maximum speed.

The feature is currently hidden in Windows preview—it’s not active even in the earliest version tested—but developer @ phantomofearth.bsky.social was able to access the relevant screens and learn how they work. The new page will obviously be located in the System tab in Settings.

Based on screens posted online, an example of a frequently asked question is: “Is my GPU good enough for high-quality games and videos? How can having a dedicated GPU improve my experience and performance?” The answer then explains that less than 4GB of memory for the GPU may result in reduced performance and image quality.

And then there’s the question: “How does having 4-8GB of RAM affect my computer’s performance? Can I run modern applications with this amount of RAM without any problems? The answer explains that you will be able to edit documents and browse the web, although tasks such as photo and video editing may be more challenging for your system.

These questions and answers will obviously be tailored to each specific system, so you will only receive information that is relevant to your own setup. This can potentially be very useful when you need to figure out what’s slowing down your computer’s performance or get advice on which component needs an update.

It’s worth keeping in mind that a significant portion of Windows users don’t even know what RAM is, let alone how it affects their system’s performance. For these users, I believe the FAQ section will be useful – certainly more useful than a dry list of system specs, which is all that is available right now.

However, the answers are somewhat general (I really hope Microsoft didn’t commission Copilot to write them). Information like “a high-end GPU can deliver better graphics, smoother gameplay, and faster processing” isn’t a revelation and doesn’t quantify how much improvement a user might see when upgrading a graphics card, so some estimates of potential performance gains would be welcome.

However, the more precise these FAQs are, the greater the risk of inaccuracy: Microsoft wouldn’t want a user to be in the situation of purchasing an expensive GPU upgrade only to see a minimal performance improvement due to a slow CPU, for example. Assessing the speed of a PC and the contribution of each component is a difficult task, which is probably why these FAQs are pretty vague at the moment.

Let’s hope Microsoft can work out some details before this feature actually launches without risking misleading users. Of course, many details may also change between now and until this is brought to the attention of all Windows users – if it actually ever sees the light of day. But it’s a potentially useful new addition to the OS that will provide additional context for your system’s performance.

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