Windows 10 May update could boost performance in older PCs

Windows 10 May Update is on the way and one major change is the method by which Windows Search indexes files. After the update, less load will be placed on storage devices, which could provide a decent performance boost for PCs that still use mechanical storage.

Since indexing also uses a few processor cycles, the update should also offer a marginal improvement for anyone using SSD storage, albeit this will not be noticeable at all for users with the latest CPUs. The change comes in response to feedback that Microsoft collected from users who, for various reasons, turned off indexing entirely in the operating system.

DirectX 12 Ultimate

The biggest news though is probably Windows Display Driver Model 2.7 and DirectX 12 Ultimate. These offer a number of enhancements such as hardware-accelerated graphics card schedulers, which should reduce latencies and give a general performance-boosting effect in new games.

Support for running multiple screens at different refresh rates should also be significantly improved. Not least, the next-generation ray tracing interface in the form of DXR 1.1 is introduced. Equally forward-looking are the new Mesh and Amplification Shaders, which drastically change how geometry is handled in 3D graphics.

In addition to optimization of the indexing service and improvements to graphics cards, the May update also offers an improved experience with Cortana, now with support for text chat with Cortana in addition to voice assistant mode. Microsoft also mentions that Cortana will be better at productivity tasks rather than acting as the less specific Google Assistant and Apple Siri.

In other interesting news, Windows recovery options will be expanded from using only local storage to now being able to download the latest Windows version for a system restore.

Other Win 10 May Update contents

Support for displaying disk type (SSD or HDD) as well as GPU temperatures

Windows Game Bar is equipped with an FPS counter

Bandwidth limitation can be expressed in Mbps instead of percent

Clearer overview in network manager of available networks and how you are connected

New Linux kernel in WSL 2.0

Faster file system, full system call support, ARM64 support

Faster pairing of Bluetooth devices

Windows now gets built-in support for IP cameras

The Windows search engine will exclude more file types

Virtual Desktop can now use specific names rather than “Desktop 1” etc.

Control is given as to whether Windows should automatically launch the programs you were previously running

Windows Hello cow completely turn off the ability to use standard password login

The above news are only a selection of further interesting changes. At the time of writing, Microsoft has not announced an exact date for when the update will be rolled out to the public. That it will happen in May, however, is pretty evident from the update’s name.