More details emerge about Windows 10 Game Mode

Next month Microsoft will roll out its Windows 10 Creators Update. It will be an update that focuses heavily on augmented and virtual reality applications, but it will also contain several other novelties like a Game Mode for Windows 10.

Described as a feature that will focus the existing hardware on providing the best possible gaming experience, Microsoft claims Game Mode will be able to improve the performance of games by at least a couple of percentage points. This is achieved by letting Windows isolate and optimize CPU and GPU resources to devote as much attention to the game as possible.

ARS Technica has some extra details about the specifics behind Game Mode:

On the CPU side, Game Mode allocates a majority of the CPU's cores to be devoted exclusively to the target game, so an eight-core system might get six gaming-dedicated cores when running in Game Mode (depending on what other processes are running). The system then moves threads devoted to other processes off of those gaming-focused cores, reducing thread contention among the various gaming process threads and improving performance.

On the GPU side, Windows already gives the bulk of processing time to whichever window is in focus at any specific point. In Game Mode, though, the system gives an even greater majority of GPU cycles to the active game, reducing the time available for everything else. Game Mode also gives favorable GPU memory residency to assets associated with the game, resulting in smoother performance and the ability to show more detail on the same hardware, [Eric] Walston [from the Xbox Advanced Technology Group] said.