Windows 11 is coming but Microsoft still updates the list of compatible CPUs: here are which PCs will be able to run the latest Windows operating system and which won’t
We’re now a handful of weeks away from the arrival of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 11, but once again users are forced to deal with the requirements. Although the list, published by the Redmond team on the official blog of the OS, are substantially scarce, a recent decision will leave dry the owners of a substantial slice of computers still running with Windows 10.
It has already been released for those enrolled in the Windows Insider program, dedicated to those who want to test a preview of the company’s innovations, yet the next-generation OS continues to change the cards on the table for owners of older computers. With a presentation that draws it as “the operating system that has the power and security of Windows 10 with a totally redesigned and modern look,” the eleventh iteration is giving some users a run for their money. This time, Microsoft’s target is the type of processor that, unless a further change is made, could exclude a wide range of PCs and laptops.
Windows 11, who’s left out?
It was in June that Microsoft officially released the main specifications that PCs must have to allow the use of Windows 11. First of all the processor, 64-bit and with a speed of 1GHz or higher, at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of disk space. To these, then, we also add the presence of a DirectX 12-compatible graphics card and support for UEFI Secure Boot BIOS and TPM 2.0.
After feedback from the Windows Insider community, Redmond has decided to revise the blacklist of excluded chips, cutting out two particularly large families. These are the AMD Ryzen Zen 1 group of processors and many of Intel’s seventh-generation processors. Intel Core X-Series, Xeon W-Series and Intel Core 7829HQ (only some models) are included.
According to the blog, the percentage of crashes that occur when apps run in kernel mode, i.e. with maximum system privileges, is 52% higher according to the results of the tests carried out by the team. It’s a different story for compatible computers: the entire process and use of the new OS resulted in 99.8% of cases free of errors and lockups attributable to processors that ended up on the “good” list.
To verify requirements, Microsoft has released a preview version of the PC Health Check app, which can accurately verify compliance with the details needed to safely accommodate Windows 11 on your machine. The final one, however, will only arrive in the coming weeks.
Windows 11, what changes for Macs?
Different is ìthe Mac issue, which still remains completely in the dark. Microsoft has not yet expressed itself on the support through Boot Camp and, given the absence of the TPM 2.0 standard on Macs with Intel processors, Windows 11 could be incompatible at least passing through the official ways.
In fact, some users have already found tricks to overcome the TPM 2.0 controls; this does not mean that with the final release the process could be banned by Microsoft. At the moment, there’s one solution that seems to be viable, and that is the use of Parallels that, with the next update, should prove to be a safe haven for those who want to install the OS on Mac.