Update on June 28: Microsoft appears to be having a change of heart. After receiving strong criticism for its strict CPU requirements, the company is now attempting to run Windows 11 on 7th Gen Intel and AMD Zen 1 processors. We will update this article if Microsoft makes any changes to its requirements.
Microsoft is set to launch Windows 11 later this year, and the company updated its minimum CPU requirements needed to run the new era of OS — including older Intel, AMD and Qualcomm processors.
While the TPM 2.0 requirements for Windows 11 confused many users when trying to find out if their desktop or laptop could handle the OS, Microsoft has now updated its list of chips required that will officially support Windows 11.
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Speaking to Microsoft, the company clarified the basic hardware requirements a desktop or laptop will need. This includes at least a dual-core 1GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, and at least a 64GB hard drive. Your display must be at least 9-inches with a 720p or higher resolution. Your graphics card will need to be compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
As for CPUs, Windows 11 will officially support 8th Gen Intel Core processors and newer, along with AMD Ryzen 2000 generation chips and up. The new OS will also support older Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, including the Microsoft SQ1, Snapdragon 7c and more.
Of course, the latest laptops that sport the most recent Intel 11th Gen CPUs and AMD Ryzen 5000-series, but aging desktops that are due for a processor update will have the most trouble getting the free Windows 11 upgrade.
There are many chips Windows 11 will officially support. Here's a quick look at the required CPUs:
Windows 11 Intel CPU requirements
- Intel Atom
- Intel Celeron
- Intel Pentium
- Intel Xeon
- Intel Core 8th Gen
- Intel Core 9th Gen
- Intel Core 10th Gen (Comet Lake)
- Intel Core 10th Gen (Ice Lake)
- Intel Core 11th Gen (Rocket Lake)
- Intel Core 11th Gen (Tiger Lake)
Windows 11 AMD CPU requirements
- AMD Ryzen 2000
- AMD Ryzen 3000
- AMD Ryzen 4000
- AMD Ryzen 5000
- AMD Athlon
- AMD EPYC 2nd Gen
- AMD EPYC 3rd Gen
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3000
Windows 11 Qualcomm CPU requirements
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 850
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx (Gen2)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
- Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
You can find the full list of supported Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors over on Microsoft's support page.
Window 11 is a completely free upgrade for Windows 10 users, but there are a few more requirements your laptop or desktop will need to run Microsoft's latest OS. Check if your laptop can run Windows 11.
