What’s different about this compared to other optimizers / debloaters?

1. Can be fully uninstalled without resorting to: system restore, backups, reinstalling Windows.

2. The number one focus of breaking nothing by default, and not assuming what the user wants.
   Not guaranteed for: Minimize forensics / local data, and Minimize Microsoft online data.

3. Very easy to use.

4. Heavily documented source code (only for the Windows changes).

5. Specific use cases are covered, such as fully installing .appx and WinGet support on Windows LTSC builds.

6. No false claims that this will boost performance in video games, except for those that have issues with FTH such as Assetto Corsa.

   • Primarily it is only to improve the responsiveness and usability of the Windows operating system, to make it feel better than it was prior.

I recommend checking "Minimize Microsoft online data" if you don’t care if the way you use Windows is changed, it makes Windows less bloated.

Recommendations

Windows

1. Install the following:

   • Winaero Tweaker to set personal preferences.

   • StartAllBack to speed up Windows 11, and also restore old interface elements from Windows 7 or 10.

   • Icaros for better and faster image & video thumbnails. Be sure to activate "Thumbnailing", "Properties", and "Cache" (use Dynamic) in IcarosConfig. You can set the locations for "Cache" to all your disks/drives and build the cache for them in advance.

   • Fort Firewall to reduce the amount of network traffic to and from Microsoft.

2. To reduce third-party program telemetry, download toptout and open PowerShell as administrator:

   • Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

   • .\toptout-master\examples\toptout_pwsh.ps1 -Env -Exec

   • Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Restricted -Scope CurrentUser

3. Replace Consumer OEM apps with their Enterprise variant. Such as replacing Lenovo Vantage with Lenovo Commercial Vantage.

4. Third-party anti-malware programs provide better protection, most notably for Kaspersky, ESET, BitDefender, or Sophos, but may have flaws such as slowing down your internet speeds. Be sure to test before and after.

5. Keep the number of apps installed to a minimum, and remove unused apps. This reduces your chances of being impacted by supply chain attacks, prevents causing Windows more issues, and might improve FPS stability.

Backups

Use Veeam Agent. An alternative is UrBackup; downside is that it doesn’t allow you to restore your PC to a previous state, and you will need another computer to store backups on. Veeam Agent or UrBackup will end up costing less long-term than services such as Backblaze, and you completely own your data.

Optionally, you can also use Backblaze for extra redundancy in case of sudden natural disasters, or other situations where you cannot move your backups into a safe location in time.

CPU

1. Install Process Lasso and use Active Power Profile → Bitsum Highest Performance profile.
   Setting this power profile is not recommended for laptops, however there are other benefits to using Process Lasso.

   • This will destroy power savings for little gain, determine whether that trade-off is worth it, especially if paying for electricity.

2. Check if the default process priority located in "Performance Options" → "Advanced" → "Processor scheduling" is set to "Programs". You can search "performance of Windows" in the Start Menu to locate where to open "Performance Options".

3. Ensure Game Mode is on.

   • Also: Optimizations for windowed games.

GPU

1. To enable Multiplane Overlay on NVIDIA cards; which makes Borderless Windowed the same speed as Fullscreen:

   • Set your display’s "Output color depth" to 8bpc.

   • Do not use: custom resolutions, DSR, or scaling.

BIOS

• Enable the following:

  1. I/O APIC (IOAPIC 24-119 Entries)

  2. Above 4G Decoding and Resizable BAR.

     • On ASRock motherboards: C.A.M. (Clever Access Memory)

  3. HPET (High Precision Event Timer)

Ethernet

Avoid Realtek 2.5Gbit adapters, as they are much more CPU intensive than Intel 2.5Gbit adapters.

Note that Intel 2.5Gbit adapters may not work for your motherboard, such is the case for Gigabyte AMD X870E motherboards.

My test results - with pictures

• Intel i225-V rev3 (important, as older revisions have serious issues):

• "Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE Family Controller":

Buying an Intel i225-V PCIe card

The Intel i225-V PCIe card tested is IOCrest’s variant, which works well our 6700k and 12700k PCs.

I have not tested DERAPID’s Intel i226-V PCIe cards, which are similarly priced and rate well.

(Not recommended) Using fullscreen exclusive in games

Lowers input delay and GPU usage; potentially higher FPS, depending on the game.

Drawbacks:

1. Much higher time to switch between the game and another app (Alt + Tab).

2. Increases chances of crashing games.

How to:

1. Unity engine; use the launch option: -window-mode exclusive