An nameless reader shares a Tom’s {Hardware} report: Sadly, a default setting in Home windows 11 Professional, having its software program BitLocker encryption enabled, robs as a lot as 45 p.c of the velocity out of your SSD because it forces your processor to encrypt and decrypt all the things. In response to our checks, random writes and reads — which have an effect on the general efficiency of your PC — get harm probably the most, however even giant sequential transfers are affected.
Whereas many SSDs include hardware-based encryption, which does all of the processing immediately on the drive, Home windows 11 Professional force-enables the software program model of BitLocker throughout set up, with out offering a transparent solution to decide out. (You possibly can circumvent this with instruments like Rufus, if you would like, although that is clearly not an official resolution because it permits customers to bypass the Microsoft’s intent.) When you purchased a prebuilt PC with Home windows 11 Professional, there is a good probability software program BitLocker is enabled on it proper now. Home windows 11 House would not assist BitLocker so you will not have encryption enabled there.
To seek out out simply how a lot software program BitLocker impacts efficiency, we ran a collection of checks with three eventualities: unencrypted (no BitLocker), software program BitLocker (the Home windows 11 Professional default), and with {hardware} BitLocker (OPAL) enabled. Whereas the software program encryption elevated latency and decreased switch charges, {hardware} encryption and no encryption in any respect had been principally tied. When you have software program BitLocker enabled, you might wish to change your settings.
