The first native NVIDIA driver arriving for Windows 11 ARM is here, as the company begins to optimize its RTX Spark for a future launch. However, one intrepid developer managed to run an RTX GPU on the aforementioned operating system, which might sound like an excellent way to run an amalgamation of hardware tailor-made for different platforms, unless you realize what you’re giving up in performance.
A 24-core Huawei server processor was paired with an RTX 4060 GPU; the results will make you want to stick to the x86 version of Windows
A video posted on Bilibili by an individual called VoidTech and spotted by Windows Latest shows the Huawei Qingyun W510 server CPU with 24 cores running Windows 11 ARM alongside the RTX 4060. The remaining specifications include 32GB of DDR4 RAM clocked at 2,933MHz, making for semi-decent hardware. Even so, booting up Windows 11 ARM was the first challenge, but this roadblock was bypassed using an open-source patch.
There was also the problem of getting the RTX 4060 to run on Windows 11 ARM. As the majority of you are aware, Windows 11 can run the majority of x64 apps through a translation layer, but running kernel-level drivers isn’t possible. Fortunately, with the RTX Spark now featuring a native driver as mentioned above, it was possible to get the required software installed and running. With all the roadblocks scaled, it’s now time to look at the performance side of things, and you’ll be happy you didn’t take this route.
Windows 11 ARM is barely usable with the RTX 4060 installed
Gaming performance is one of the weakest we’ve seen from this configuration. It was always guaranteed that games running through a translation layer were going to deliver subpar framerates, but it’s also the CPU that’s bottlenecking the GPU. Even with 24 cores handling nearly every task, the Qingyun W510 processor’s weak single-core CPU performance leaves a ton of performance on the table.
For instance, the visually impressive but graphically demanding Black Myth: Wukong achieved an average FPS of 21 at 1080p, with Genshin Impact reaching 20FPS at the same resolution. The native ARM64 versions of 3DMark Night Raid, Solar Bay, and Speed Way ran without issues, with the hardware obtaining scores of 43,530, 32,370, and 2,252, respectively.
In short, the latest results indicate why it’s a terrible idea to install mismatched hardware and run it on software not tailor-made for it, and if you want to try it out for the sake of sating your curiosity, have a go right now.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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