For those individuals who have tenaciously clung to Home windows 10As the deadline looms closer, Microsoft’s support for its legacy operating system will officially cease in exactly one year, marking a significant milestone in the company’s transition to newer technologies. Given the mediocre performance of Windows 11 on certain PCs, users may need to consider upgrading their hardware or exploring alternative solutions to optimize their computing experience.
It’s safe to say that Windows 11 failed to make a triumphant entrance to a crowd of eager enthusiasts. When seeking a top-tier gaming PC, high performance is paramount; unfortunately, Microsoft fell short in this regard. Windows 11’s debut was marred by controversy surrounding its revamped design, accompanied by installation nightmares, performance instability, and hardware requirements that effectively rendered older systems obsolete. Microsoft’s struggle to win over gamers’ affections has been hindered by this issue.
If you’re currently using Windows 10, there’s no need to worry – you can continue to utilize it safely for the time being. By October 14, 2025, Windows 10’s lifespan will come to a close, marking its end-of-life status. After this date, the software won’t receive any further security updates or feature enhancements, and technical support will no longer be available.
While the warning doesn’t necessarily mean you must stop using it immediately, doing so without proper precautions could still pose a risk to your gaming PC. As previously reported last month, Windows 11 has gained significant traction among gamers, with Steam adoption exceeding that of Windows 10 – a trend suggesting that the gaming community is proactively migrating to avoid the looming deadline for Windows 10 support.
There’s an issue, although. Not every gaming PC boasts impressive specifications, featuring an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card paired with an AMD Ryzen 9 9000 series processor. Many gaming PCs from a few years ago, running Windows 10 on outdated hardware, present an unfortunate issue: they lack the essential TPM 2.0 security chip required by Windows 11. Without an officially sanctioned upgrade path available, running these programs requires either hardware modifications or unconventional methods to power Windows 11 installation.
As the deadline looms on October’s horizon, the case against upgrading increasingly falters, while the struggle to convince Microsoft to provide official Windows 11 support for still-functional yet aging hardware has long since been lost. While considering alternatives to Windows 11 for gaming, it’s likely that the Steam Deck will remain a unique option, leaving Windows 11 as the remaining mainstream choice.
You’ve still managed to acquire a full year to plan ahead. If you’re unable to upgrade to Windows 11, you may need to begin considering a purchase of a new PC.
For those seeking high-performance gaming PCs without breaking the bank, our curated shortlist offers some great alternatives, such as the Acer Predator Orion 5000, which can fortunately run Windows 11 if you’re not willing to invest in a brand-new build costing several thousand dollars.
