Gamer Test Finds Disabling Windows 11 Memory Integrity Delivers Almost No FPS Gain

A recent hands-on test by MakeUseOf has thrown cold water on one of the most stubborn pieces of Windows gaming folklore: the idea that flipping off Memory Integrity will unlock a noticeable frame-rate boost. After benchmarking Counter-Strike 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Valorant with the feature enabled and disabled, the site found the performance difference ranged from zero to a couple of frames per second on modern hardware—hardly the “free upgrade” that has circulated in optimisation guides for years.

The finding, published on July 27, 2026, challenges blanket advice that has persisted since Windows 11’s early days. For most gamers running current processors, the security trade-off now easily outweighs any hypothetical frame-rate benefit. Here’s what you need to know about the test, the security under the hood, and what to do before you consider disabling Memory Integrity on your own PC.

The test that upended conventional wisdom

MakeUseOf’s author, Afam Onyimadu, ran three titles specifically chosen to stress different system components: Counter-Strike 2 (a CPU-bound competitive shooter), Cyberpunk 2077 (a GPU-heavy single-player title), and Valorant (a popular esports game with kernel-level anti-cheat). On a modern PC, the results were remarkably consistent:

• GPU-bound AAA game: No noticeable difference between Memory Integrity on and off.
• CPU-bound esports title: Occasionally a gain of one or two frames, but often nothing at all.
• Everyday Windows use: No perceptible change.

These findings align with what Microsoft has documented about the hardware that underpins Memory Integrity. The feature, officially called Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI), sees a dramatic drop in overhead when running on processors with Mode-Based Execution Control (MBEC) on Intel or Guest Mode Execute Trap (GMET) capabilities on AMD. Microsoft’s own guidance notes that Memory Integrity “works better with Intel Kaby Lake and higher processors with Mode-Based Execution Control, and AMD Zen 2 and higher processors with Guest Mode Execute Trap capabilities.” On older CPUs without those hardware assists, the integrity checks are performed in software, and that’s where historically measurable frame-rate dips could occur.

What you’re actually turning off

Memory Integrity’s name can be deceiving. It isn’t a memory cleaner, a performance booster, or a generic antivirus component. It’s the consumer-facing label for HVCI, a core part of Windows’ Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) stack. In simple terms, the Windows hypervisor creates a secure, isolated environment that vets every kernel-mode driver and process before it’s allowed to run. By design, only code that passes strict integrity checks can execute with the highest system privileges.

“Kernel-mode code has an extraordinary degree of control over the computer,” Microsoft’s security documentation explains. “A malicious application running at an ordinary user privilege level is dangerous. Malware or an abused driver operating in kernel mode can be far worse.” Memory Integrity is designed to stop exactly that—preventing unsigned, tampered, or compromised drivers from loading and gaining that deep access.

It’s important not to confuse Memory Integrity with Secure Boot or TPM 2.0. Secure Boot verifies the boot chain when the PC starts, while TPM handles cryptographic keys and can support features like Windows Hello and device encryption. Memory Integrity runs after the system is up, continuously guarding the kernel while Windows is in operation. Disabling it removes a layer of active runtime protection that is separate from—and complementary to—those other features.

Why the “disable for FPS” tip took root

In Windows 11’s early days, Memory Integrity was enabled by default on many new compatible PCs, but the hardware landscape was different. Systems with 7th-gen Intel or first-gen AMD Ryzen CPUs often relied on software-based HVCI enforcement, which could add measurable latency to every kernel transition. Gamers with those rigs noticed genuine frame-rate hits, particularly in CPU-intensive titles that generate long driver calls—think anti-cheat checks, audio processing, and heavy input/output.

That real-world experience birthed a wave of performance-tuning articles, YouTube videos, and Reddit threads declaring “Disable Core Isolation for more FPS!” Over time, the nuance vanished. The advice was repeated for all Windows 11 systems regardless of hardware generation or driver stack, until it became a piece of received wisdom even for brand-new gaming builds.

Microsoft’s own enablement documentation makes clear how the ground has shifted. On a clean installation of Windows 11 22H2 or later, Memory Integrity is only turned on automatically when the PC meets a strict set of hardware and software prerequisites. Those include a supported processor (Intel 8th-gen Core or newer, AMD Zen 2 or newer), adequate memory, SSD storage, and—crucially—all installed drivers must be compatible with HVCI. If your system shipped with Memory Integrity active and you haven’t swapped in legacy hardware, it’s already passed Microsoft’s compatibility checks.

The real security cost: BYOVD attacks

Among the threats Memory Integrity is built to blunt, Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks stand out for their relevance to gamers. A BYOVD attack doesn’t require a hacker to write novel malicious code. Instead, they locate a legitimate but flawed driver that is digitally signed—sometimes by a major vendor—and then exploit that driver to execute code with kernel privileges.

Once inside the kernel, an attacker can disable security software, steal credentials, hide processes, or monitor everything the PC does. The technique has been used in high-profile breaches, and Microsoft explicitly warns that vulnerable drivers are “a common tampering route for gaining kernel access.” Even if you only download games from Steam or the Microsoft Store, the risk escalates when you install other software that ships with driver components: motherboard utilities, RGB control panels, audio interfaces, capture-card software, and especially cheat engines or “trainer” tools from unverified sources.

Memory Integrity blocks these attacks by preventing any driver from loading unless it passes code-integrity checks inside the hypervisor-protected environment. Windows 11 also includes a Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist that stops known risky drivers, but Microsoft is clear that the blocklist is not a complete defense. “A blocklist cannot guarantee every vulnerable driver will be stopped,” the documentation states. “Compatibility and reliability must be weighed against security, which can delay or limit blocking rules.” Layering HVCI on top provides defense-in-depth against the kernel-level compromise path that BYOVD relies on.

Before you flip that switch: a safer performance checklist

If you’re chasing every last frame, the correct first step is not to disable Memory Integrity. It’s to identify the real bottleneck on your system. A controlled benchmark process reveals far more than toggling a security feature and hoping for the best.

1. Run a reproducible benchmark. Use the same scene, graphics preset, driver version, and background-app state. Record average FPS, 1% lows, and frametimes. Run at least three passes and compare medians, not the single best result.
2. Check Core Isolation warnings first. Open Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details. If Windows has flagged incompatible drivers, those are your likely problem. Update the driver from the hardware maker’s website, not just through Windows Update. Uninstall any leftover RGB utilities, outdated overclocking tools, or audio-interface software that you no longer use.
3. Pursue FPS gains that don’t trade away kernel integrity. Tune in-game resolution, shadows, ray tracing, and CPU-heavy effects. Use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS where supported. Confirm your GPU drivers are current and clean-installed. Remove redundant startup apps, overlays, and peripheral management suites. Verify that RAM is running at its rated speed, and that neither your CPU nor GPU are thermally throttling.
4. If you must test Memory Integrity off, treat it as a diagnostic, not a permanent tweak. Re-enable it the moment you confirm that a specific driver is at fault and you’ve addressed the conflict. Microsoft’s Event Viewer logs (Applications and Service Logs\Microsoft\Windows\CodeIntegrity\Operational, Event ID 3087) can point to the exact driver causing HVCI compatibility issues.

The table below summarises how to approach the setting based on your scenario.

The verdict: a myth that’s outlived its usefulness

The MakeUseOf test confirms what hardware-aware gamers and Microsoft’s documentation have been saying: on a modern PC, the performance cost of Memory Integrity is so small that it’s virtually invisible in actual gameplay. The days of swapping kernel security for a measurable frame-rate boost are gone, buried by processor improvements and smarter driver management.

For the vast majority of Windows 11 gamers, keeping Memory Integrity enabled is a low-effort, high-value decision. It strengthens your PC’s resistance to kernel-level threats without stealing frames. The real “free upgrade” isn’t flipping a toggle in Windows Security—it’s cleaning up your driver stack, benchmarking honestly, and refusing to trade real security for a gain that, more often than not, only exists in stale forum posts.