Microsoft defends Windows 11 “LLP” CPU burst mode amidst “cheating” allegations

“All Modern Operating Systems do this” – Except Windows… – Microsoft defends Windows 11’s planned “Low Latency Profile”

Last week, we reported on Windows 11’s Low Latency Profile (LLP), a new feature that should dramatically speed up certain OS tasks. Microsoft’s new “Low Latency Profile” (LLP) for Windows 11 will crank up CPU frequencies for short periods to make the OS feel snappier and more responsive. With a 1-3 second boost, applications will load faster, and certain common OS tasks will be completed much faster.

So far, the response to Microsoft’s plans has been mixed. Some have complained that this change will impact battery life. Others have gone so far as to call this behaviour cheating. The reality is that every other major OS does this, and Microsoft is, in fact, far behind its competitors in this regard.

With LLP, launch times for Outlook and Edge will be “up to 40% faster” on Windows 11. For interfaces like the Start Menu and context menus, boosts of “up to 70%” are possible. The feature will also reportedly boost the launch speeds of 3rd party apps. This feature should make Windows 11 feel much faster and snappier, and all it costs is a few seconds of boosted CPU clock speeds.

My thoughts on “LLP” are that Microsoft should have done this a lot sooner. Momentary boosts like this make systems feel much snappier and are part of the reason Apple’s devices feel so responsive. Microsoft aren’t cheating with “LLP”, they are just behind the times. To be honest, that’s probably worse…

Apple does this and y’all love it.

sudo powermetrics –samplers cpu_power

and see it yourself. Let windows cook https://t.co/HqJ5w3TgRG

— Scott Hanselman 🌮 (@shanselman) May 9, 2026

macOS, Linux, and Android already do this

Microsoft’s Scott Hanselman has noted that macOS, Linux, and even Android exhibit similar CPU boosting behaviour. Fast changes in CPU clock speeds can make devices feel responsive, and cores can quickly ramp down to lower speeds to save power.

Regarding power draw, Microsoft’s LLP mode temporarily increases it when boosted CPU speeds are enabled. That said, the short duration of these boosts should not have a huge impact on system cooling and battery life. After all, a few seconds of boost now and then will have a minimal impact when battery life is measured in hours. The reality is that this change will make Windows feel faster in the areas where it is often perceived as most sluggish.

Todos los sistemas operativos modernos hacen esto, incluyendo macOS y Linux. No es “hacer trampa”; así es como los sistemas modernos hacen que las apps se sientan rápidas: suben temporalmente la velocidad del CPU y priorizan tareas interactivas para reducir la latencia https://t.co/kRSRMCB2Mw

— Scott Hanselman 🌮 (@shanselman) May 9, 2026

Microsoft’s LLP feature is part of Windows 11’s “K2” program. This program aims to boost the performance and responsiveness of Windows 11. This will be achieved using software improvements, optimised code, and better hardware utilisation. LLP is reportedly still in “early testing” and may be changed before it is publicly revealed.

Your smartphone already does this. Constantly. Every touch wakes cores, boosts clocks, renders a frame, then drops back to idle milliseconds later. You’ve discovered dynamic frequency scaling

Welcome to modern computer science. Come on in! The water changes temperature often. https://t.co/peGdf6PcF1

— Scott Hanselman 🌮 (@shanselman) May 10, 2026

Windows 11’s Low Latency Profile (LLP) is not cheating, it’s modernisation

If Windows 11’s LLP feature works as intended, it will help Windows feel faster on most mainstream devices. Honestly, “LLP” is the kind of feature that makes me wonder what Microsoft has been doing all of these years. If every other OS does this, why doesn’t Windows? If Apple uses similar technology to make macOS feel faster, why didn’t Microsoft respond to this before now? Why wait until now to implement this feature?

If nothing else, Microsoft’s Low Latency Profile proves that Microsoft didn’t care about how Windows 11 performed. Microsoft is currently working on a suite of Windows 11 updates that aim to boost the OS’ performance. In many ways, Microsoft is reaping a lot of low-hanging fruit with Windows 11 improvements. The fact that these areas of improvement exist at all shows how far Microsoft has fallen. Let’s just hope that Microsoft sticks to its plan and genuinely improves Windows 11 over the long-term. We’ll need more than just LLP to consider Windows 11 “fixed”.

You can join the discussion on Windows 11’s “LLP” feature on the OC3D Forums.