A recent performance comparison tested Windows 7 against Windows 11 on modern hardware, specifically AMD's AM5 platform with an RDNA 2 GPU. The benchmark suite included ten titles, featuring eight DirectX 11 and two DirectX 9 games, to evaluate legacy OS speed.
Windows 7 lacks native NVMe and USB 3.0 support, requiring CSM enabled and Secure Boot disabled. While Windows 11 uses the D3D9On12 mapping layer for older titles, Windows 7 runs DirectX 9 natively, resulting in better 1% lows in games like Metro 2033 Redux.
Results varied by title; Windows 7 led in Left 4 Dead 2 and Batman: Arkham Origins, while Windows 11 won in Arkham City and Arkham Knight. Despite the aging codebase of its Adrenalin 22.6.1 drivers, Windows 7 remains competitive in specific legacy scenarios.