Do windows updates slow down the computer?

[TheUninvited]

So what do you think about it?

 

[P4-630]

If you have recent hardware you won't notice much, if anything.
(At least I haven't noticed with my 2016 rig)

If you mean while it's in the process of updating, it can.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Not a simple question, largely no they make it quicker except while updating but security issues and other optimization can lead to slightly slower performance in some use cases.


Just my opinion on it not the law.

 

[arnold_al_qadr]

No.
Currently using 14393.1884 LTSB.
Update set to automatically on my 2011 laptop, old hardware..

 

[Frick]

If you mean while it's in the process of updating, it can.

That's about the only thing I've noticed about it.

It also depends on if you account for bugs or not.

 

[EarthDog]

Vague question as written.. seriously. what exactly do you mean by slow down? Boot? Windows desktop? Gaming? While you are updating like someone mentioned.

Be clear, please, for the best answers.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Do windows updates slow down the computer?

Not a clear enough question (EarthDog beat me to it while I was typing). As P4 correctly noted, while the updates are being applied, it is like performing any task on your computer, the process utilizes CPU and RAM resources which can affect the performance of other tasks that are running.

But once the update has been applied/installed, and any housekeeping is done (like a reboot), performance should return back to normal (or even improve).

 

[StefanM]

Go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4000825/windows-10-windows-server-2016-update-history and read the change log of each update.
Many of them claim to be a "quality improvement" which might contain a speed-up.
I would be surprised if Microsoft ever announced an update that slows down things.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I would be surprised if Microsoft ever announced an update that slows down things.

Nor would they release one, unless it patched a very critical security vulnerability. And even then, it likely would be a temporary patch.

Of course performance is a two-way street. Hardware makers need to do their part too and ensure their drivers are coded to optimize performance with the OS they support.

 

[Jetster]

Sometimes on a new install pre SP on Vista and 7 it can but only until it completes. With 10 no not even on old hardware. With the creators update you can't use the computer during the update

 

[theFOoL]

Not much. As long the install is on a SSD but even on a HDD you won't notice but just slightly slower boot time

 

[EarthDog]

even on a HDD you won't notice but just slightly slower boot time

its night and day between a hdd and nvme based drive...

 

[TheUninvited]

Vague question as written.. seriously. what exactly do you mean by slow down? Boot? Windows desktop? Gaming? While you are updating like someone mentioned.

Be clear, please, for the best answers.

Performance i guess.

 

[EarthDog]

Then you have you answers since everyone threw a dart at the dart board.

 

[TheGuruStud]

Pffft, slow as molasses at times even with SSD. It's just another reason to disable updates until you want to install them.

 

[wurschti]

While downloading and installing the updates, Windows tends to be sloooow, especially if you lack an SSD. Also RAM and CPU are limiting factors. For best performance I'd suggest at least 2C4T (i3, i5) CPUs, 6GB+ RAM and an SSD. You won't notice any performance loss.

 

[Bill_Bright]

It's just another reason to disable updates until you want to install them.

Not even!

By a very wide majority, most users never experience problems with Windows Updates in the first place.

The excuses given to disable updates are like saying you don't wear seatbelts because you might get trapped in a car fire. While that is possible, it is a very remote possibility. You have a much better chance of surviving a crash if you wear your seatbelts and as the driver, you have a much better chance of maintaining or regaining control if you are held in place instead of thrown about or worse, out of the car.

For Windows Updates, the benefits (in security and performance) far outweigh any downside. But even if there is a problem, Microsoft soon releases a fix.

Unless you are a true Windows expert on par with the professional developers with all the inside knowledge at Microsoft to truly know exactly what your system needs ("wants" are immaterial) and what you can do without, AND you have the self-discipline to routinely check, verify and install needed updates on a timely bases, leave the defaults alone!

Contrary to what some may want us to believe, Microsoft really does have some pretty sharp people over there. Those who do experience problems with Windows Updates are really few and far between. They just make a lot of noise - amplified by headline seeking wannabe journalist in the IT press, bloggers who parrot everything they hear without verifying if true, and of course, the Windows bashers who hate anything with the Microsoft brand on it.

 

[yogurt_21]

slow down? not since I swapped to ssds. Now on my laptop if the fan is going nuts while it appears to be doing nothing, I can rest assured its just windows updates making my normally 5-10db laptop sound like a Harrier.

 

[jaggerwild]

Mine keeps trying to update, and has even put a short cut on my desk top(windows 10 update), my windows drive has grown in size(Windows 10 upgrade file). It told me I had to un compress my windows 10 NVME, so I did that still wouldn't update(slow internet).

 

[Bill_Bright]

Now on my laptop if the fan is going nuts while it appears to be doing nothing, I can rest assured its just windows updates making my normally 5-10db laptop sound like a Harrier.

lol

My Toshiba does that sometimes too. Fortunately, it soon settles back down.

 

[Easo]

Not really, no, if you have SSD. But even with HDD it is almost only DURING updating, which is normal, as it is the same as installing new software, but not afterwards.
In short, as so many others said, the question is too broad.

 

[natr0n]

I remember a windows update back in XP's time. From SP2 to SP3 one game I use to to play took double the time to load.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I remember a windows update back in XP's time. From SP2 to SP3

Installing a new service pack is not the same thing. A new service pack is pretty near installing an entirely new operating system - and that often requires updated drivers which are the responsibility of the hardware makers.

Fortunately, modern Windows are not XP. Things have come a long ways since then. Even from W7 to W10.

 

[Surtsey Ana]

Very late to this one . . . but of course Windows Update slows your computer. It's not rocket science. Updates are patches . . . added code. The more code your computer is required to read and process, the longer it's going to take to do it. The more bloated the code, the more RAM it requires.

Or let me put it another way: most people update or replace their computers because they are 'getting slow'. Computers don't get tired with age - what could possibly be slowing them down?

Windows Update and driver updates are the worst culprits. And the general advice to always update software and drivers is misguided.

There are a million different configurations of PCs in the world. Microsoft and other manufacturers cannot test the software on every spec. Over time problems are discovered running software on specific hardware. e.g. Windows 10 running Firefox from an SSD, using intel HD graphics on an AMD dual core processor will hang if Adobe is installed.

Microsoft or Intel with issue a patch to fix this. This patch will installed on every machine regardless of its configuration. So, even if you don't use Firefox, have an SSD or a dual-core processor your machine will run whatever patch code to accomodate the non-compliant configuration - thus slowing the system down.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Most updates have a negligible impact on performance. The Specter fix, however, can seriously reduce performance. Be fast or be vulnerable: it's a crappy choice.