New Windows 11 update seems to be a bit of a lottery for PC gamers

Windows 11 received a new cumulative update last week, but it appears that the September patch gives with one hand, and takes away with another, at least going by some reports of bugs with KB5043076. Don't get mad..

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. erm, alright, do get mad - we really wouldn't blame you if this update ties a lead weight to your frame rates (Image Credit: Pixabay) The main gift of this patch - outside of the usual security updates - is that it comes with branch prediction code improvements for AMD Ryzen CPUs (Ryzen 7000 and 9000 chips to be precise). These usher in some impressive frame rate boosts indeed, to the tune of 10% on average as we've heard before (with some bigger leaps, too).

The bugs are the downside, of course, and as a report from Windows Latest underlines, there's a fair old smattering of glitches of one sort of another - an unusual number of gremlins in the works, in fact, some of which are (ironically) affecting PC gamers. Looking at Reddit , there are some worrying pieces of feedback from Windows 11 users who have found the September update has caused problems with stuttering in games, as well as in the operating system in general - along with complaints of random crashing. Windows Latest flags up reports of the patch failing to install (which is nothing new for a cumulative update from Microsoft), File Explorer crashing (when launched from the taskbar) and the anti-phishing tech in Windows Security turning itself off (following the PC being shut down or restarted).

There are other miscellaneous complaints about the Windows search function taking too long to appear when invoked, and apps failing to load after KB5043076 has been installed. All in all, this sounds like one to steer clear of, for now, at least until Microsoft investigates some of the more pressing sounding concerns that have been aired. The trouble with not installing a Windows 11 update, though, is that you are left without the latest security fixes, which means your PC is somewhat more vulnerable to attack.

Balancing the plus and negative points in this case might depend on what CPU you have - Ryzen 7000 and 9000 owners are certainly going to want to jump on this update, no doubt. Also, if you do go ahead and install the September update and subsequently run into trouble, it's always possible to uninstall the upgrade. By the looks of things here, though, Windows 11 users should proceed with some caution.

Let's hope Microsoft is forthcoming with some info on what may have gone awry here, as well as possible resolutions. For now, some folks may just want to sit tight and put off that update. Read more: Google Chrome could detect websites that are bogging down performance - and deal with them.