Upgrade your VMs to the latest hardware compatibility

Yes, upgrading the virtual machine hardware compatibility (also called VM hardware version) can significantly improve performance and functionality, especially when you're running older VMs (like Workstation 15.x) on a newer VMware Workstation version (17.6).

Here’s a breakdown of the advantages and considerations:

✅ Advantages of Upgrading the VM Hardware Version

Better Performance Optimization
- Newer VM versions support better CPU scheduling, RAM allocation, and more efficient I/O operations.
Enhanced Hardware Support
- Support for newer virtual devices, such as NVMe controllers, USB 3.1, and improved graphics acceleration.
- Compatibility with newer host hardware features (e.g., AVX-512).
Improved Guest OS Compatibility
- Newer versions provide better integration and support for modern OS features (e.g., Windows 11 TPM and Secure Boot requirements).
Graphics and Display Improvements
- Support for higher display resolutions and 3D acceleration improvements.
- Enhanced DirectX and OpenGL support.
Security Features
- Improved virtual TPM (vTPM) support and encryption options.

⚠️ Things to Consider Before Upgrading

Compatibility: Upgrading the VM version may make it incompatible with older versions of VMware Workstation or ESXi.
Backup First: Always snapshot or back up your VM before upgrading.
No Downgrade Path: Once upgraded, you can't easily revert to a previous VM hardware version.
VM Tools Update Required: You should update VMware Tools inside the guest OS after the hardware upgrade.

🔧 How to Upgrade the VM Version in Workstation 17.6

Power off the VM.
Right-click the VM in the library > Manage > Change Hardware Compatibility.
Select Workstation 17.x (or the latest available).
Follow the wizard to complete the upgrade.
Start the VM and update VMware Tools.