Windows 11 is free, but there are many CPU changes

Windows 11 is free, but there are many CPU changes. The hardware modifications of Microsoft's Windows 11 surprise.

Image: Microsoft

Windows 11 comes later this year as a free upgrade, however for many Windows 10 customers it is not compatible. The minimal hardware requirements of Microsoft have changed, and the CPU modifications are the most unexpected here. Only 8th Gen and new Intel core CPUs, together with Apollo Lake and newer Pentium and Celeron processors will be supported officially by Windows 11.

This may exclude millions of existing Windows 10 computers from Windows 11 upgrades with complete help, and even products, such as Surface Studio 2 from Microsoft itself, which the firm is still selling for $3,499 right now. Other non-official devices will be notified during the installation of Windows 11 that the update is not advised, but the OS should still be installed.

Also only AMD Ryzen 2000 and neighbor CPUs as well as 2nd Gen or newer chips are supported officially by Windows 11. The whole list of processors you may find on Microsoft's webpage, but the fundamental breakdown is the following:

Which INTEL version support Windows 11.

Intel 8th Gen (Coffee Lake)

Intel 9th Gen (Coffee Lake Refresh)

Intel 10th Gen (Comet Lake)

Intel 10th Gen (Ice Lake)

Intel 11th Gen (Rocket Lake)

Intel 11th Gen (Tiger Lake)

Intel Xeon Skylake-SP

Intel Xeon Cascade Lake-SP

Intel Xeon Cooper Lake-SP

Intel Xeon Ice Lake-SP

Which AMD version support Widows 11.

AMD Ryzen 2000

AMD Ryzen 3000

AMD Ryzen 3000

AMD Ryzen 4000

AMD Ryzen 5000

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000

AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000

AMD EPYC 2nd Gen

AMD EPYC 3rd Gen

For the installation on Windows 11, Microsoft emphasizes that the requirements for CPU generation are the "soft floor" limit. This should allow older CPUs to install Windows 11 with a warning; however, it is not known how long-term support for these machines is provided.

Windows 11 different hardware requirements

Many Windows 10 users download the PC Health App (available here) from Microsoft to test if Windows 11 is running on their computers, only to see whether it fails to monitor. Since Microsoft now demands TPM, this has led to some more uncertainty in hardware support.

A TPM 2.0 support and UEFI Secure boot are required from the Windows 11 system. These two technologies are meant to increase Windows security and to prevent malware and ransomware from being damaged by encryption keys and other secure operating system features.

While Microsoft needed support of TPM to certify OEM hardware since Windows 10, Windows did not actively need this completely. This changes in Windows 11, and means you will have to look for the setting to switch on if your laptop or PC is supplied without these BIOS options being enabled.

"Almost every CPU has a Microsoft TPM in the previous 5-7 years," says David Weston, Microsoft's director of business and security. Weston recommends the use of BIOS settings for "PTT" on Intel system, or "PSP fTPM" on AMD devices, for Windows 10 customers who fail to meet Microsoft's Windows 11 upgrade checker criteria. Every BIOS has various options, and if you have difficulties finding the option, you may have to refer to your laptop handbook.

if Microsoft's Windows 11 upgrade checker is telling you that your PC isn't supported, check your BIOS. You'll need a TPM 2.0 chip and to have Secure Boot enabled in the BIOS pic.twitter.com/fL3s0nTCEJ

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 24, 2021

How to check whether your PC is able to run Windows 11?

If the TPM support has been enabled but your Windows 11 upgrade checker does nonetheless not pass, it is probably because your CPU is not in the completely supported list. Intel's Windows 11 CPU specifications have been verified. "Windows 11, 8th Gen and more recent Intel Core processors, Intel Pentium processors and Intel Celeron processors from generation 'Apollo Lake' are expected to support a wide variety of Intel-based platformen and new ones," an Intel spokesman said .

This is the first major update in Windows hardware requirements since Windows 8 was launched in 2012 and changes in the CPU are surprising. For all Windows 11 devices other than desktop PCs, Microsoft is also required for the camera in front of it, starting January 2023. This will affect Windows 11's hardware in the next several years for this change.

H/S: Microsoft, TheVerge