SA329 (82.3 ov)
AUS
BAN177/3 (59 ov)
WI
IND-W
ZIM-W
FC Goa
SCD
MIL
BOL
PAR
UDI
VEN
INT
GEN
JUV
MON
NAP
UAE
OMA
AS Roma4
Cagliari2
Torino1
Como3
Sassuolo2
Lazio6
AFG177
ZIM140 (19.1/20 ov, target 178)
DEN
QAT
KENYA
KUW
SIKM184 & 15/0 (8 ov, target 212)
NAGA187 & 208
JHK131/4 (47 ov)
DELHI515/5d
ODSA194
SVCS13/0 (5 ov)
BRODA616
J & K87/4 (35 ov)
CHD685/5d
HP198/1 (58 ov)
CGR216/8 (95 ov)
AP231
HYD294/4 (91 ov)
PNJB431
KNTKA429/8 (131 ov)
TPURA194
ENG
SL
POA
SPR
BRB
VAG
LIONS
EASTN
WELL
OTAGO
PAK110
NAM316/7
IRE253 (44.5/50 ov, target 317)
NZ198/3
IND199/4 (13.2/20 ov, target 199)
NED371/5
AUCK361/5 (50 ov)
CANT311 (44.1/46 ov, target 345)
Al Khaleej
Al Hazem
Frosinone
Lecce
Abha0
Al Faisaly1
Fleetwood Town1
Arsenal1
Bradford2
Peterborough0
A new Windows 11 Insider build includes a toggle for Intel’s Advanced Performance Extensions, or APX, a major x86 upgrade that doubles the general-purpose registers. It needs new processors such as Intel’s Nova Lake and software built to use it, so today’s PCs won’t get a free boost.
What Was Spotted
Windows enthusiast Xeno found the setting in Insider Preview Build 29695.1001, in the Experimental channel for future platforms. It reads “Let Windows use APX for better performance” and needs a restart. Wccftech has the details. Microsoft hasn’t said when it reaches regular Windows 11.
What Does Windows 11 Prepares for Intel APX
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| General-purpose registers | Doubles from 16 to 32 |
| New instruction forms | Three-operand instructions and conditional operations |
| Intel’s estimate | About 10% fewer memory loads, over 20% fewer stores, about 10% fewer instructions |
| Basis for the estimate | Simulations on SPEC CPU 2017 integer workloads, not real-world gains |
Who Supports It
- Intel: Nova Lake desktop and Diamond Rapids Xeon chips are expected to support it.
- AMD: Expected to adopt it through the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, though its Zen 6 appears to lack documented support and Zen 7 may be first.
- Microsoft: Has added APX detection to the Windows SDK and debugging support.
Learn about the x86-64 architecture. More tech explainers are on TechnoSports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will APX speed up my current PC?
No. It needs a compatible CPU and software compiled for it.
Which CPUs will support APX?
Which CPUs are expected to support APX?
Intel’s Nova Lake is expected to support APX. AMD is also expected to adopt it, though Zen 7 may be the first AMD generation with support.
