You’ve arrived here wondering ‘what is AtlasOS‘? So this article will provide the information you need about the open-source system that is targeted at gamers. We’ll cover what the OS does, whether it’s for you, and some key considerations to bear in mind about the OS too. Let’s get going.

What is AtlasOS?

Although AtlasOS’s name would suggest it is an operating system, that’s not quite right. It is, in fact, an open-source modification of Windows 10, which looks to remove the negative drawbacks associated with lower system performance. According to the project information, it targets anything that it can to boost performance, with the priority being for gamers to benefit.

The three key areas that the AtlasOS project focuses on are performance, latency, and privacy. Ultimately, this involves:

• removing ‘unnecessary components’
• disabling power-saving features which limit performance
• introducing an ‘optimized’ power plan,
• fine-tuning processes and networking elements
• “eliminating Microsoft’s notorious tracking, pre-installed apps, and bloatware”

With these changes in place, AtlasOS is targeted as the best custom OS for PC gamers, given the mod prioritizes maximum performance from the components users have available.

What does AtlasOS remove?

It removes Windows components and some features. The primary focus is components that provide any kind of tracking or data collection for Microsoft, with a view to making AtlasOS more secure as well as improving performance. However, do note that applications and components removed include Windows Defender, as well as features like System Restore.

Is AtlasOS good for gaming?

Reportedly, it offers a gaming boost of around 1% in frames-per-second lows. This may not sound like a lot, but the project states it’s also seen increases from 289fps to 394fps in gaming performance. Such gains make sense as RAM usage appears to plummet from over 2GB for Windows to just 900MB for AtlasOS. That’s combined with a huge reduction in processes running in the background.

What are the system requirements for AtlasOS?

While we’ve yet to track down the official system requirements for AtlasOS, note this. If your system is running Windows 10 or 11, it should be able to run AtlasOS with ease. The whole point of it is that it is easier to run and less of a system resource hog than Windows. Should you want to try or install AtlasOS, check out the official site for the project for a download link and supporting information.

About the Author

Kevin Pocock

Kevin has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs, and all things consumer tech. And more than 17 years experience in tech journalism.