I set up a second Windows installation just for gaming. Here are 4 reasons why it made my experience so much better

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Key findings

  • Enjoy smoother gameplay and increased performance after reinstalling Windows on a separate SSD for gaming.
  • Removing kernel-level anti-cheat protection from the main installation and isolating this feature to increase security and usability.
  • Experience the mental freedom of separating work and gaming by having different Windows installations for each.



I am a competitive player and play much from Counterattack, BraveAnd Escape from Tarkov to name a few. I'm always looking for a way to give myself a competitive edge, and that includes making sure I have consistent frame times and nothing else gets in the way of my gaming. That said, I've been using the same Windows 11 installation for several years now and finally decided to take the plunge and do a fresh install… sort of.

I had an extra SSD in my PC that I used for clips I shot with Nvidia Shadowplay, but it was mostly an empty 3TB NVMe that really sat unused. I installed Windows 11 on it, unloaded it, and only installed the necessary applications that I need when gaming. This includes Spotify, Discord, Steam, any anti-cheat software, and the games I play. That's all, and there are a few reasons why I'm so glad I did that.


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In my main installation, kernel-level anti-cheat is not required

Some people are not happy with it

In Windows Settings, you will see Riot Games applications, including Riot Client, Riot Vanguard, and VALORANT, with a highlighted option to uninstall.

Many people don't like kernel-level anti-cheating, and for good reason. When you install an anti-cheating program like Faceit Anti-Cheat or Riot's Vanguard, it gets full access to your system and can see everything you do. While applications can see quite a bit on your computer (more than most people realize), there are still some risks in giving a program this access to your computer.


Because I have a second Windows installation set up just for gaming, I can remove all anti-cheat software from my main Windows installation and keep it only on my gaming installation, where I don't do anything else but, well, play games. Not only does this mean I can keep it separate from anything important and not have to worry about it running all the time, but it's also one less thing I have to keep track of on my main Windows installation.

Better performance

Realistically speaking, a matter of course

Counter-Strike 2 runs on the Lenovo G27q-30


What happens if you reinstall Windows, debloat it, and then use only the bare minimum after that? As it turns out, you get pretty good performance. Although I was never really stressed thanks to an Intel Core i9-14900K and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080, I get a decent amount of lag in games like Counterattack than I have ever been before.

Some of the benefits I have experienced are more consistent frametimes with far fewer frametime rendering spikes, resulting in smoother gameplay throughout. Additionally, even basic things like getting in and out of a game are significantly faster and I even experience fewer crashes in games like Counterattack than I had before.


Less disruptive software

It's about gaming, and only gaming

Screenshot of Win11Debloat removing multiple apps from Windows 11

In my normal Windows installation I have a much of programs. I have stuff for work, I have music production software, I have video editing software, I have reverse engineering software and really just a lot Things. Although it doesn't usually run in the background, sometimes it does. It can be annoying and disruptive, and it can also affect performance.


So it's really nice to just have a Windows installation that shuts all that out and just leaves me with the games I'm interested in. I can boot my PC with that SSD when I want to play games and I don't have to worry about getting distracted by something or doing something I shouldn't be doing because there's nothing else to do on it anyway.

This is also helped by reducing the amount of Windows overhead, as you have fewer programs running in the background to bother you. There are far fewer pop-ups, no suggested apps, and no ads. This is Windows as it should be.

Laptop with Windows

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Separate games from work

And work with games

An image showing a phone in a person's hand with the description of Slack's self-text chat window displayed.


With a second setup, it's very easy to focus on either gaming or work without it bleeding in between or into each other. When I work, I work, and when I game, I play. It's incredibly healthy to separate work from everyday life as much as possible, and since one of my most consistent hobbies is gaming, it can be bad to also be in “work mode” while I'm trying to relax.

For example, let's say you might have an office at home that's just for working, but in the next room you have a computer that you play games on. Psychologically, it's the same thing. I'm in work mode when my PC is booted up in one mode, and I'm in gaming and relaxation mode when it's booted up in another mode. I've found this to be hugely mentally freeing, and especially if you work from home, it's worth a try.


If you are curious, try it out

I wasn't sure how good it would be when I reinstalled my Windows as I expected the performance to stay more or less the same as always, but I was surprised that while my performance did increase, it was just a better gaming experience In generally too. If you're curious and have a spare SSD, definitely give it a try. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it, but I'm so glad I did because it was definitely worth it.

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