Microsoft Windows 11 will be compatible with more PC chips

Microsoft said on Friday that it will allow a wider variety of PC chips to run Windows 11, the next-generation desktop operating system it plans to release later this year.

This move has the potential to reduce the number of people and organizations that would otherwise need to purchase new computers to access the latest Windows features. This can impact the Windows business, which accounts for 14% of Microsoft’s total revenue and is more profitable than other products the company sells.

At the same time, Microsoft wants to minimize the frustration of its customers. Some people thought that Microsoft was unnecessarily restricting its system requirements for Windows 11.

When Microsoft announced the new version in June, it looked to limit support for AMD’s Zen 2 chips, Intel’s eighth-generation chips, and Qualcomm’s 7 and 8 series chips.

The company directed users to an application called PC Health Check to see if their PCs could run Windows 11. However, the program was not specific about which computer components did not meet Microsoft’s requirements, which prompted complaints. reviews.

Additionally, Microsoft’s website has shown conflicting information about the hardware specifications computers need for Windows 11. A page suggested that PCs with older security processors and chips could be upgraded, while a different page suggested otherwise.

Four days after the initial announcement, Microsoft attempted to clarify matters. The company said in a blog post it was temporarily removing the PC Health Check app, insisted that PCs need newer security chips, and said it would “test to identify devices running on 7th Gen Intel and AMD Zen 1 that might respond to our principles “.

Microsoft said in a new blog post Friday that Windows 11 will not support AMD Zen 1 chips, although it is compatible with the seventh generation Core X and Xeon W chips. The operating system can also be installed on certain computers with the seventh generation Intel 7820HQ processor, including Microsoft’s Surface Studio 2 all-in-one PC, which would have been left out as part of the policy. origin.

Intel’s seventh generation processors debuted in 2016, followed by eighth generation processors in 2017. Windows 10, currently the world’s most popular PC operating system with 1.3 billion active devices, was released in 2015.

Microsoft has announced the release of an updated version of the PC Health Check app that will point out specific computer parts that do not meet the latest requirements and direct users to information on how to become compliant. The software is initially only available to testers of Microsoft’s Windows Insider program. It will be accessible to all in the coming weeks.

The company highlighted data from its Insider program that suggests PCs that meet the requirements will be more reliable.

“Those who did not meet the minimum system requirements had 52% more kernel mode crashes (blue screens) than those who met the requirements,” Microsoft said Friday. “Additionally, app crashes are 17% more likely, and for proprietary apps, we’re seeing 43% more crashes on unsupported hardware.”

Microsoft has also championed the minimum requirements for security and compatibility reasons.

“We used over 8,200 billion signals from Microsoft’s threat intelligence, reverse engineering of attacks as well as input from leading experts such as the NSA, the UK National Cyber ​​Security Center and the Canadian Center for Cyber ​​Security to build a security foundation in Windows 11 that addresses the growing threats that software alone cannot address, ”the company said in a blog post on Friday.

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