Windows 11 System Requirements & Release Date

Another year, another Windows iteration. Windows 11 has been intentionally designed to be as easy to run as possible for the most users, so the system requirements aren’t too different from those of Windows 10 – think of it in some ways as an upgrade on the existing OS, however, readers running particularly old hardware may have some compatibility issues.

Below we have listed the major changes between the older operating system and the new one as well as the minimum and recommended system requirements for Windows 11.

The Changes From Windows 10 – Higher RAM And Better Security On Windows 11

The minimum requirements listed below have changed in a few main areas:

• Firstly, the amount of RAM required has increased from 2GB to 4GB.
• Secondly, whilst the clock speed of your CPU won’t need to be any higher, it will now need to have at least two cores and be 64-bit (32-bit is no longer an option). Some older CPUs that meet these requirements are unfortunately also no longer compatible with Windows 11 – you can see a full list of these here.
• Thirdly, the amount of HDD space you will need at a minimum has increased from 16GB to 64GB, though Microsoft has stated that this may increase over time when updates are made to the operating system. The WePC recommendation is that you set aside 100GB on your hard drive.
• Fourthly, and this is the thing which may catch the most people off guard, is that users will need to have both a processor that is fitted with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, of at least version 2.0. and a motherboard whose firmware supports a UEFI, Secure Boot capable BIOS. Both of these features are, in Microsoft’s view, crucial to boosting the security of your machine, which is something the company is putting increasing priority on with Windows 11. Users running on older CPUs, such as Intel processors older than 4th Gen, will likely come across a ‘TPM 2.0 not found’ error, and those running on older motherboards may lack UEFI secure boot. You can read more about the TPM feature on the Microsoft website and we are in the process of putting together our own guide to more clearly explain both of these features.
• Finally, you will apparently only be able to run Windows 11 on a screen that has at least 720p resolution, that is of at least 9″ in size and has 8-bit color channels. For the vast majority of users, none of these should be a problem, unless you ar running off an especially old CRT monitor.

In short, the power needs of Windows 11 are no greater than those of Windows 10, however it does require more up-to-date hardware that comes with certain features. Despite these changes, the vast majority of people who have bought a PC in the last 7+ years will have no problems in running Windows 11, particularly if you have a desktop gaming PC with even a low-level CPU or GPU. Even the majority of tablet users should really have no problems in running Windows 11, though if you have a particularly old piece of kit you may want to check the below system requirements to make sure.

How To Check If You Can Run Windows 11

Microsoft has released a tool that can tell you whether or not your PC will be able to run Windows 11, which is probably the quickest way of working this out, however quite a few users have reported that the tool is telling them they will not be able to run the OS, even though they in fact are able. Hopefully Microsoft will resolve this issue in the near future.

If you just want to compare your specs against the system requirements however, but aren’t sure of the specifications of your current machine, take a look at our easy-to-follow step-by-step guide on how to look up your specs. Compare these against the minimum and recommended requirements listed below.

We typically say you want to aim for the recommended system requirements just to ensure your user experience is as smooth as possible. Currently, the recommended system requirements you see below are only an estimation, as we are still waiting on official information from Windows as to what they are – as soon as we get them we will update the below specs.

If you’re looking to get a new Windows 11 ready laptop or desktop PC checkout HP for some great deals on some quality machines.

• Release Date: Late 2021 (current estimates October-November 2021)
• System Requirements: Low
• Genre: Operating System
• Developer: Microsoft
• Publisher: Microsoft

Windows 11 is the latest in the long-running, most famous operating system in the world. The announcement of its release may come as a surprise to some, who took Microsoft at their word when they said that Windows 10 would be the last iteration of the OS (the idea being it would be perpetually updated), however, most tech consumers were skeptical of this proclamation even at the time. Windows 11 borrows various aesthetic design cues from Mac OS (which we’d consider to be a good thing) and the more stripped back, minimal clicks design is targetted particularly at users of tablets and other non-desktop devices. The other governing philosophy behind the new operating system has been to make the installation of drivers and updates as automatic and painless as possible, maximizing ease of use and the compatibility of the platform – a welcome improvement for gamers!

The minimum system requirements listed below are the official specifications given by Microsoft. No recommended system requirements have been provided as of yet, so these are our own estimates on what would be the best setup for good performance with the operating system, based off our knowledge of Windows 10. These will be subject to change as we have more hands-on experience with the new operating system.

Generally speaking, the major differences between the minimum requirements from those of Windows 10 is the aforementioned increase in RAM to 4GB, and the need for a CPU with two or more cores (and 64-bit only), and the aforementioned requirement for a TPM and UEFI BIOS.

Windows 11 Minimum Requirements

• CPU : 1 GHz or faster (two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC)
• RAM : 4 GB
• HDD : 64 GB of storage space (initially – further updates may require more space)
• GPU : Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver
• System Firmware : UEFI, Secure Boot capable
• TPM : Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
• DirectX : Version 12
• Display : High definition (720p) display, 9″ or greater monitor, 8 bits per color channel
• Network : Internet connection required to set up and update

Windows 11 Recommended Requirements

• CPU : 2 GHz or faster (two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC)
• RAM : 8 GB
• HDD : 100 GB of storage space
• GPU : Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver
• System Firmware : UEFI, Secure Boot capable
• TPM : Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
• DirectX : Version 12
• Display : High definition (720p) display, 9″ or greater monitor, 8 bits per color channel
• Network : Internet connection required to set up and update

Virtually any desktop PC we’d recommend will be able to run Windows 11.

If your interests are limited to web browsing, watching Netflix, and very light, non-demanding gaming, then we’d suggest looking at one of our custom PC builds for $300 or $400, or, if you don’t want to put together your own PC, one of our suggested pre-built PCs for under $500.

More mid-range options for dedicated gamers include our best PC build for under $1,000 or rebuild for under $1,000.

If you want to push things to the higher settings on the most demanding games on Windows 11 at 1080p resolution then we’d suggest a $1,500 self-build or a $1,500 pre-build.

Finally, if 4K Windows 11 gaming is more what you’re aiming for, then we’d recommend a $2,000 self-build, a $2,000 pre-build, or above.

Source: wepc.com