I'm building a PC with a Ryzen 7 1700, 32GB of RAM, a 500GB SSD, and a 6GB graphics card. I'll mainly use it for gaming, schoolwork, music production, and photo editing. Someone suggested using Rufus to create a debloated Windows installer, but I'm unsure whether Windows 10 or 11 would be the better choice.
I prefer Windows 10's file management, Start menu, and general layout. I also dislike Windows 11's AI-related features, although some of its newer features are appealing. Windows 10 has felt more stable to me, but I've heard newer Windows 11 releases may perform better in games.
My processor isn't officially supported by Windows 11, so I'd need to bypass the hardware check. Is Windows 11 worth using anyway, and what are the best ways to make it feel more like Windows 10?
5 Answers
There’s no universal answer here. Some people genuinely prefer Windows 10’s layout and dislike Windows 11’s design, while others find the differences minor. Since your processor is unsupported, Windows 10 would be the less complicated option today, but Windows 11 is the better option for continued support. I’d install Windows 11 cleanly, customize the interface, and switch back only if your hardware or software runs into compatibility problems.
The day-to-day differences are smaller than they seem. File Explorer is mostly familiar, and Windows 11 even adds tabs. The biggest annoyances are probably the condensed right-click menu and the redesigned Start menu. You can restore the classic context menu, move the taskbar icons, adjust the Start settings, and remove or disable features you don’t want. After a few days, most of it becomes easy to ignore.
Windows 10 is reaching the end of its normal support life, so Windows 11 is probably the more practical long-term choice if you want to stay with Windows. Your Ryzen 7 1700 isn’t officially supported, but installation tools can bypass that check. Just be aware that future major updates might require manually downloading and running a newer installer instead of arriving normally through Windows Update.
I’d avoid installing a heavily modified or “debloated” image unless you know exactly what it removes. Those builds can disable services, break updates, or cause problems with games and creative software. A clean official installation with unwanted apps and settings removed afterward is safer and easier to troubleshoot.
Windows 10 can still be used during its extended-support period, but it’s not a great long-term plan for a new build. Windows 11 should work for gaming, school, music, and photo editing, though the unsupported CPU means you should keep backups and expect that some future updates may need extra effort. If you strongly prefer Windows 10’s interface, you can customize Windows 11 rather than staying on an increasingly outdated system.
The old Start menu’s grouped live tiles are one of the things I still miss most from Windows 10.