If you’re running HVCI with VBS enabled on a 14th-gen rig, expect real overhead on the 1% lows — I’ve seen 5–15ms of added input latency in CS2 matches straight from the hypervisor isolation layer, and frame pacing gets noticeably choppier during server-side interpolation spikes. For anything time-sensitive, disable VBS (Core Isolation > Memory Integrity off) and boot into test-signing mode, otherwise your self-signed Ring 0 driver won’t load at all since HVCI blocks non-Microsoft-signed binaries.
The biggest PatchGuard trap is hooking the SSDT the old-school way — KPP will BSOD you instantly if you touch protected kernel structures. Stick to documented KMDF dispatch routines and never intercept system calls directly. When reading MSRs, drop to PASSIVE_LEVEL before rdmsr/wrmsr; calling them at HIGH_IRQL or dispatch level trips an illegal instruction fault. Server interest management and tick-rate-sensitive loops belong on a separate dispatch object with proper IRQL handoff, not inline in your ISR.
Keep the DPC queue shallow for polling-rate work — one heavy DPC wrecks frame pacing and produces stutter spikes that rival a throttled GPU. Profile with WPP/ETW before shipping anything.
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