Windows 11 feature spotted in testing promises another speed boost

(Image credit: Getty Images) A new Windows 11 feature is in testing, but it doesn't work yetIt's an option to enable Intel's 'Advanced Performance Extensions' or APX to boost the performance of some appsThis will benefit Intel's next-gen CPUs, and AMD's processors will be in line for this speed boost eventually, tooThere's a new Windows 11 feature to boost the performance of apps that's been spotted in testing, but only PCs with Intel's next-gen desktop CPUs (codenamed Nova Lake) will benefit from this initially.Windows Latest noticed that a regular Windows 11 watcher, XenoPanther on X, posted a screenshot of an option for 'Advanced Performance Extensions' (APX) which is present in a recent preview release of Microsoft's OS (build 29695).Intel explains that APX "expands the entire x86 instruction set with access to more registers and adds new features that improve general-purpose performance."This means that app developers can take advantage of this feature to speed up the performance of their software. How much of a boost any given app might get is, as ever, going to be variable, but some applications might end up with a nice performance bump (games probably won't get much benefit, in case you were wondering).There are a couple of catches here, however, including that apps will have to be recompiled to take advantage of APX, although Intel observes that actual changes to the application's code aren't expected to be necessary.It's worth noting that Linux already added support for APX some time back.Analysis: there are barriers to entry – but AMD chips will get this (Image credit: Windows Latest / Microsoft)Right now, this APX toggle is present in Windows 11 test builds, but it doesn't do anything at all, which is hardly surprising given that there aren't any Intel CPUs which support the feature yet. What this shows is that Microsoft is preparing the ground for this capability, which will be supported with Intel's next generation of desktop silicon. These Intel Core Ultra Series 4 processors are expected to debut early in 2027, so they are still some way off.Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.Existing generations of silicon from the Intel Core Series 3 families and earlier won't ever get the benefit of APX, as this is something that needs to be baked into the chip at production. So, existing PCs will not get the speed boosts from this feature, which is a shame.Theoretically, this could be an additional reason to upgrade your CPU, but there's another catch here in that Intel's Core Series 4 CPUs require a new processor socket, and therefore a new motherboard for your PC. So that means an extensive upgrade for a desktop PC – or an impossible one for laptop owners – meaning that both Intel and Microsoft could be hoping that APX is another way to shift some new laptops in difficult conditions when the market is dipping.How about AMD processors? This is an Intel technology, as noted, so you might assume you can forget about seeing APX with a Ryzen CPU, but actually as Windows Latest points out, Team Red is collaborating with Team Blue to get the benefit of this feature.With AMD involved, it's more likely that developers will use the feature, and that'll help Intel's case for its usefulness. However, again, the support needs to be baked into the chip, so the earliest this might happen on the Ryzen side would be the Zen 6 family – or possibly the following generation (rumors seem to favor the latter). At any rate, support is coming for AMD chips as well.Meanwhile, some of the online commenters remain skeptical. One Redditor observes of this potential speed boost: "I'll believe it when I see it!"Others aren't happy about the support here, and the need for an upgrade, complaining: "Imagine locking a performance boost behind a platform..."But as noted, this is a feature that requires new hardware in the chip itself, it's not something that can be added to finished silicon.As far as Windows 11 itself is concerned more broadly, Microsoft is busy working to boost performance in all kinds of ways, including applying a couple of new tricks to speed up the launch times of apps and menus. There's also a major goal to ensure that Window 11 runs better on 8GB of RAM, too. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).