Upcoming Update to Windows Update

...this particular update won’t really change the way the client looks or feels to you, but you may notice some improvements in the length of time it takes Windows Update to scan for updates and how quickly you’ll receive signature updates. For example, in this update, we’ve invested heavily in reducing the amount of time it takes the Windows Update agent to scan to see if new updates are available. In this case, we’ve seen some instances of the scan times on some machines decreasing almost 20 percent.

More: MS Update Team Bog

Take all recommendations with grain of salt - suggest to review the updates offered by selecting 'Custom Install' - Microsoft is known to classify non-security updates as Priority or Critical, when in fact they aren't.