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Windows 11 Compatibility

Blog by Michael Cousins, GTS Managed & Professional Services Operations Coordinator at Galtec

 
 

With vision of Windows 10 eventually retiring, it’s time to prepare for an upgrade to Windows 11. Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 until October 14, 2025. So, what are the hardware requirements for Windows 11?

The new minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, and likely any OS that supersedes it are as follows:

  • TPM2.0 enabled processor.

  • 4GB RAM

  • 64GB HDD/SSD

  • GPU compatible w/ DirectX 12 or later

With the new TPM 2.0 requirement and a restricted list of compatible CPUs, many people found that their devices with chipsets up to the Intel 7th generation and first-generation AMD Zen CPUs, which run Windows 10 flawlessly, can no longer upgrade to Windows 11.

Intel’s rate of change since the final 7th gen chipset was launched in late 2017 has been staggering with a new generation launched each year, with improved variations dropping in later quarters of the launch year.

In part has been driven by AMD processors which traditionally had excelled in gaming and consumer environments, their Ryzen range proved more competitive in the business marketspace than anticipated. The integration of security, graphics, quantities of cores, and thread count and size, have all improved through to the current generations of both.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Is it time to upgrade?

Each business needs to consider their options in the coming 18-month period. For businesses with an entirely compatible estate, smaller quantities of devices, or planned refresh cycles, this question might be simpler than for others.

Some could go online and find workarounds – like editing the device registry information - for making their legacy devices forward compatible. There are media creation tools, workarounds, and third-party support providers who will continue to support Windows 10 with unofficial patches.

For those companies, we appreciate that some legacy software tools cannot be brought forward and remain important, even critical, to businesses running. As long as the applications and software tools you utilise remain compatible, you could muddle along in the same way some businesses have with Windows 7 machines. Like those businesses running Win 7 still though, we’d recommend the device is offline, and off the main network, for security reasons.

Other businesses may need to spend months developing and testing a new image before they’re able to rollout any new operating system. A large enough estate can also mean the logistics of a rollout alone can be tricky. The licensing, development, and logistical, costs associated with this might mean a more budget conscientious approach is needed.

Tailoring the correct solution, whether its procuring the latest and greatest tech, budget conscientious solutions, or road-mapping a solution integrating the imaging creation and deployment; Galtec can be there to help find the right device for your requirement.

This article is based on information provided by: Bleeping Computer, Ars Technica, Windows Latest, Infiniwiz, onMSFT