On Thursday 24 June 2021, Microsoft gave us a sneak peek at what the future looks like for the company when they launched Windows 11 — showing us the new specs and features, including an app to check if our PCs meet the requirements to run the new operating system.
According to The Verge, Windows 11 will require Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen 2 CPUs and up, TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) support, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.
Microsoft changes hardware requirements for security reasons
Microsoft reportedly made changes to the hardware requirements because of security concerns. With these new requirements, it seems like it is compulsory to enable a more modern BIOS (UEFI) that supports features like Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module).
Security expert, Kevin Beaumont, took to social media to critisize Windows 11’s hardaware requirements.
This is what he had to say:
Sysadmins have been respectfully warning Microsoft for the past few days about the situation in real world vs what Microsoft’s bubble view is.
— Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog) June 28, 2021
Microsoft have not been listening. https://t.co/xeLTm86pIH
Requirements for Windows 11 to run on your PC
Microsoft posted the following requirements on their website:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- RAM: 4 gigabyte (GB)
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device
- System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
- Display: High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
- Internet connection and Microsoft accounts: Windows 11 Home edition requires internet connectivity and a Microsoft account to complete device setup on first use.
PCs who don’t meet the requirements on the PC Health Check app won’t be able to install the new update.