Win11 23H2 vs 24H2: Core i5 14400F Gaming Test

1. Introduction

Once upon a time, for most gamers, mentioning the “best gaming processor” automatically referred to Intel’s mid-to-high-end models, which for many years held the title of “top-tier gaming CPU” in the hearts of players, such as the Core i9-14900KS.

As for AMD processors, most gamers in the past looked down upon them, considering them to have inferior performance, high power consumption, and poor compatibility—essentially “unloved by anyone,” met with disdain.

However, that’s all in the past; the situation has completely reversed. AMD has successfully made a comeback, and today, AMD processors have gradually replaced Intel processors as the favorite and first choice for many gamers, especially the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which has been making waves and dominating the scene.

Earlier this month, Microsoft officially released Windows 11 24H2, which both Microsoft and AMD have promoted as delivering noticeable gaming performance improvements. Testing has shown that AMD’s claims are generally accurate; while the actual performance gains aren’t as significant as advertised, there are still noticeable improvements.

Intel, on the other hand, has remained relatively low-key on this front, seemingly less prominent. So, can Windows 11 24H2 boost or improve gaming performance for Intel processors? This article will reveal the answer.

2. Test Platform Configuration

The main configuration is as follows:

Processor: Core i5-14400F; Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming; Memory: 32GB DDR5 6000MHz; Graphics Card: ; Hard Drive: Two Samsung 970 EVO 1TB drives; Operating Systems: Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 11 24H2.

3. Game Testing

The following tests cover seven games, all set to 1080P with the highest graphics settings. In the images below, Windows 11 23H2 platform results are on the left, and Windows 11 24H2 platform results are on the right.

Game 1: God of War

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 189, Minimum FPS: 139, Frame Time: 5.5 ms, CPU Usage: 39%, Power: 61W, Temperature: 52°C, Memory Usage: 11.2GB, GPU Usage: 57%, VRAM Usage: 6.5GB, GPU Power: 195W, GPU Temp: 47°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 188, Minimum FPS: 136, Frame Time: 5.8 ms, CPU Usage: 40%, Power: 60W, Temperature: 50°C, Memory Usage: 10.5GB, GPU Usage: 67%, VRAM Usage: 6.5GB, GPU Power: 252W, GPU Temp: 49°C.

In this game, both platforms show similar CPU usage. Windows 11 24H2 uses 0.7GB less memory and 10% more GPU, while VRAM usage is identical. Performance metrics are essentially the same, with the main differences being lower memory usage and higher GPU utilization for Windows 11 24H2.

Game 2: Horizon Forbidden West

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 148, Minimum FPS: 93, Frame Time: 6.6 ms, CPU Usage: 76%, Power: 71W, Temperature: 54°C, Memory Usage: 10.6GB, GPU Usage: 76%, VRAM Usage: 9.5GB, GPU Power: 219W, GPU Temp: 47°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 147, Minimum FPS: 94, Frame Time: 6.8 ms, CPU Usage: 73%, Power: 71W, Temperature: 52°C, Memory Usage: 11.6GB, GPU Usage: 74%, VRAM Usage: 8.3GB, GPU Power: 217W, GPU Temp: 44°C.

Here, Windows 11 24H2 has 3% lower CPU usage, 1GB higher memory usage, 2% lower GPU usage, and 1.2GB lower VRAM usage. Overall performance is nearly identical, with the only noticeable difference being the reduced VRAM usage on Windows 11 24H2.

Game 3: Cyberpunk 2077

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 75, Minimum FPS: 65, Frame Time: 11.8 ms, CPU Usage: 77%, Power: 69W, Temperature: 52°C, Memory Usage: 10.8GB, GPU Usage: 58%, VRAM Usage: 8.2GB, GPU Power: 177W, GPU Temp: 43°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 77, Minimum FPS: 60, Frame Time: 10.4 ms, CPU Usage: 75%, Power: 70W, Temperature: 52°C, Memory Usage: 9.7GB, GPU Usage: 53%, VRAM Usage: 8.4GB, GPU Power: 188W, GPU Temp: 45°C.

For this game, Windows 11 24H2 has 2% lower CPU usage, 1.1GB lower memory usage, 5% lower GPU usage, and 0.2GB higher VRAM usage. Performance metrics are essentially identical within normal error margins.

Game 4: The Witcher 3

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 86, Minimum FPS: 53, Frame Time: 11.1 ms, CPU Usage: 50%, Power: 59W, Temperature: 51°C, Memory Usage: 12.0GB, GPU Usage: 70%, VRAM Usage: 7.5GB, GPU Power: 234W, GPU Temp: 46°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 88, Minimum FPS: 51, Frame Time: 10.0 ms, CPU Usage: 53%, Power: 61W, Temperature: 50°C, Memory Usage: 12.0GB, GPU Usage: 76%, VRAM Usage: 7.2GB, GPU Power: 240W, GPU Temp: 45°C.

In this game, Windows 11 24H2 has 3% higher CPU usage, equal memory usage, 6% higher GPU usage, and 0.3GB lower VRAM usage. Overall performance metrics are similar.

Game 5: Star Wars Outlaws

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 101, Minimum FPS: 77, Frame Time: 9.0 ms, CPU Usage: 75%, Power: 72W, Temperature: 55°C, Memory Usage: 15.0GB, GPU Usage: 70%, VRAM Usage: 12.4GB, GPU Power: 241W, GPU Temp: 50°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 99, Minimum FPS: 73, Frame Time: 8.3 ms, CPU Usage: 73%, Power: 70W, Temperature: 52°C, Memory Usage: 15.8GB, GPU Usage: 65%, VRAM Usage: 12.1GB, GPU Power: 219W, GPU Temp: 46°C.

For this game, Windows 11 24H2 shows 2% lower CPU usage, 0.8GB higher memory usage, 5% lower GPU usage, and 0.3GB lower VRAM usage. Performance is once again nearly equal.

Game 6: Hogwarts Legacy

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 51, Minimum FPS: 34, Frame Time: 18.2 ms, CPU Usage: 31%, Power: 52W, Temperature: 46°C, Memory Usage: 19.5GB, GPU Usage: 40%, VRAM Usage: 10.5GB, GPU Power: 163W, GPU Temp: 45°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 52, Minimum FPS: 33, Frame Time: 19.0 ms, CPU Usage: 34%, Power: 52W, Temperature: 47°C, Memory Usage: 20.5GB, GPU Usage: 43%, VRAM Usage: 10.7GB, GPU Power: 168W, GPU Temp: 41°C.

Here, Windows 11 24H2 has 3% higher CPU usage, 1.5GB higher memory usage, 3% higher GPU usage, and 0.2GB higher VRAM usage. Performance metrics remain close.

Game 7: Starfield

• Windows 11 23H2: Average FPS: 94, Minimum FPS: 76, Frame Time: 9.4 ms, CPU Usage: 78%, Power: 70W, Temperature: 53°C, Memory Usage: 12.6GB, GPU Usage: 65%, VRAM Usage: 6.5GB, GPU Power: 206W, GPU Temp: 45°C.
• Windows 11 24H2: Average FPS: 98, Minimum FPS: 79, Frame Time: 9.2 ms, CPU Usage: 81%, Power: 70W, Temperature: 52°C, Memory Usage: 11.6GB, GPU Usage: 63%, VRAM Usage: 6.3GB, GPU Power: 211W, GPU Temp: 45°C.

For this game, Windows 11 24H2 has 3% higher CPU usage, 1GB lower memory usage, 2% lower GPU usage, and 0.2GB lower VRAM usage. Performance metrics are close across both platforms.

4. Comparison Conclusion

Overall, there is virtually no difference in gaming performance for the Core i5-14400F between Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 11 24H2. All performance metrics and overall hardware resource usage are very close, with fluctuations within normal error margins. On the Windows 11 24H2 platform, there is no significant advantage in some performance aspects.

The conclusion, therefore, is that Windows 11 24H2 does not improve Intel processor gaming performance—a disappointing result.

It should be noted that this conclusion applies only to the Core i5-14400F. Given that the Core i5-14400F is a mid-to-low-end model in its series and paired with a GeForce RTX 4090, there may be bottlenecks. Thus, this conclusion does not apply to all Intel processor models. For a fairer assessment, future testing with Intel’s mid-to-high-end models is necessary—stay tuned.

5. Additional Information

For those interested in whether Windows 11 24H2 improves AMD processor gaming performance, check out the article “Win11 24H2 vs. Win10 22H2: Is Gaming Performance Really Better? Test Results Revealed” on the author’s homepage.

This article provides a detailed comparison of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D running on Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 24H2, serving as a general reference for readers.

Related:

1. Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs Core i3 14100F: 4K Gaming Test
2. Ultra 9 285K or Ryzen 7800X3D: Gaming Test Insights
3. Core Ultra 9 285K vs Ryzen 9 9950X: Performance Gap?
4. Ryzen 5 5600 vs Core i5 12400F: Gaming Showdown
5. Core Ultra 5 245K vs i5 14600K: Gaming Power Compared
6. DDR4 vs DDR5: How Does Core i5 12400F Perform?
7. Ryzen 5 7600X3D + RTX 4060: Gaming Performance Review
8. Game Performance Test: Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs Core 9 285K

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