PC requirements for installing windows 10. Downgrading from a previous version of Windows

For each new release of Windows 10, Microsoft updates the hardware requirements. In particular, they have been updated for Intel and AMD processors. If you have Windows 10 1903 running, you have nothing to worry about.

After the release of Windows 10, version 1903, Microsoft updated the system requirements. Users whose PCs have the minimum hardware required to install Windows 10 may have already noticed that the OS is literally unusable because it is so slow. Technically, it will work with minimal requirements, but the experience won't be the best. Here are the real recommended hardware requirements that your device must meet in order to have impressive performance with the latest OS from Redmond.

Officially, Windows 10 version 1909 will require a PC that meets the following specifications:

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Hard disk space: 32 GB for 64-bit and 32-bit OS
• Video card: with support for DirectX 9

Anyone trying to run Windows 10 on this kind of hardware can attest that these system requirements are very optimistic. 2 GB of RAM is nothing for the OS, and a regular hard drive greatly affects its performance.

Other official document, sheds light on what hardware Microsoft deems appropriate for its product. As you can see from the document, you must have 8GB of RAM or better 16GB, and SSD / NVMe plays an important role in device configuration.

From my own experience, I can say that a laptop with an assembly of 20H1 with an Intel Core i7 Mobile processor and 16 GB of RAM, on a classic hard drive: has a very low performance, so the requirements for a solid state SSD make sense.

The document mentions these requirements from a security point of view.

"If you decide to purchase new devices and want to include the best possible security configuration, your device must meet or exceed these standards."

Other notable hardware requirements include processors:

Intel Xeon processors are only supported on Windows 10 Pro for Workstations and Windows 10 Enterprise.

AMD Opteron and AMD EPYC processors are only supported on Windows 10 Pro for Workstations and Windows 10 Enterprise.

Hard drive size requirements.

Previously, there was enough 16 GB of disk space for Windows 10 32-bit and 20 GB for 64-bit, Now the company has raised it in both versions to 32 GB of RAM. This means that hardware manufacturers (OEMs) who pre-install the desktop version of Windows 10 now need to bundle the device with at least a 32GB hard drive.

It makes sense - 16GB on some tablets was completely insufficient and usually caused problems with updates. And secondly, in Windows 10 1903 was added. A small portion of the disk space will be reserved for use by updates, applications, temporary files, and system cache.

Storage size requirements for devices running Windows 10 for desktop editions:

So, the optimal hardware configuration for Windows 10 looks at least as follows:

• Processor: Intel 8th Gen (Intel i3 / i5 / i7 / i9-7x), Core M3-7xxx, Xeon E3-xxxx and Xeon E5-xxxx, AMD 8th Gen (A-Series Ax-9xxx, E- Series Processors Ex-9xxx, FX-9xxx) or ARM64 (Snapdragon SDM850 or later)
• RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) for 32-bit or 16 GB for 64-bit
• SSD / NVMe: 128GB minimum for 64-bit and 32-bit OS
• Video card: DirectX 9 or later
• Screen resolution: 800 x 600, minimum diagonal size for main display 7 inches or larger.

The relatively new "operating system" Windows 10, which became available for download and installation at the end of July 2015, caused an unprecedented excitement and, at the same time, a lot of discussions about its perfection and the feasibility of installation. However, the minimum requirements for Windows 10 in terms of computer systems, or rather, hardware, do not look too high as one might expect.

What are the system requirements?

Before considering the issue of Windows 10, let's first define what the concept of "system requirements" itself includes. The simplest interpretation of this term is a description of the intended set of characteristics of the hardware segment (in other words, "hardware"), which includes the main components of a computer or smartphone, which must have certain characteristics and parameters, and such that they can support the operation of the software environment (in our case operating system Windows 10).

In other words, the Windows 10 requirement applies to the processor (number of cores, clock speed), RAM (type, size), video adapter (type, amount of dedicated memory, frequency of the integrated graphics processor, support for a specific version of DirectX), display (type, resolution, support additional functions), hard disk (enough free space to copy the files of the "operating system"), etc. That is, we are talking about the "iron" stuffing, which is inside a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

System bit concept

When installing the latest "operating systems" from Microsoft, you should take into account the so-called system architecture, which is directly related to the same processor or RAM.

Today there are two types: 32 bits (referred to as x86) and 64 bits (referred to as x64). The difference between them is quite serious. The main difference is that 32-bit systems support the installation of sticks of RAM up to 4 GB in size (in fact, the system "sees" about 3 GB, and even then not always).

That is why if you want to use the "RAM" to the maximum (if there are more than 4 "gigs"), it makes no sense to install a 32-bit version of Windows 10. Although the system itself is seemingly the most modern, nevertheless, as they say, "squeezing" out of the computer everything that it is capable of in terms of performance will not work in any way.

File systems

Considering the system requirements for a computer, one cannot ignore the concept of file systems. Today, the most common are FAT32, NTFS and the relatively recent ReFS. ExFAT is used more on mobile systems.

The main thing here is that FAT32 has a larger small amount of data storage, but when accessing heavy files, the rotation of the hard disk slows down. When using NTFS or ReFS, access to large files is much faster, and the speed of reading data from the sectors of the hard drive does not decrease.

In addition, it should be noted that the requirement of Windows 10 for installation is such that, for example, you can put a 32-bit version of an "operating system" into the NTFS file system, but a 64-bit version in FAT32 will not work. You will have to format the disk or partition. By the way, the same applies to installing a Windows version below the "ten".

Mandatory system requirements Windows 10 Technical Preview

As you know, initially "ten" was available only in the form of a Technical Preview, which was an update of the existing OS to version 10.

At the same time, not paying attention to the general "hardware" configuration, for Windows 10 the requirements were reduced to one main condition - the presence of all installed service packs and service packs of the existing system. That is, first it was necessary to install all uninstalled updates, and only then proceed to download the distribution kit with the subsequent installation of "dozens". In addition, the update is only possible on systems starting from the seventh version. Vista and XP do not support this upgrade.

Windows 10 Standard Types: Minimum System Requirements

Over time, the first version of the system was withdrawn, and instead of it, standard versions such as Home, Pro, Enterprise, etc. appeared.

Actually, the minimum requirements for Windows 10 of any version are practically the same. It all depends only on the chosen architecture.In any case, the minimum requirements for Windows 10 with 32 and 64 bit architectures are as follows:

As you can see, there is nothing supernatural.

Despite the fact that "ten" can easily work in outdated computer systems, nevertheless, in order to use its capabilities to the maximum, it is desirable to have

higher parameters of "iron". Most often this applies to processors and graphics chips, which must be obligatory to support the latest version of DirectX 12.

Processors are more complicated. As a rule, the system requirements of Windows 10 for multi-core platforms do not play a special role. Rather, the problem here is how to use all the cores to optimize performance. But this is a separate topic for conversation.

Additional requirements for accessing some features

Separately, it should be said about what the specialized system requirements of Windows 10 (x64 or x32) are. But they mostly relate to the functioning of certain specialized services. Some of them may not be available in different versions, some may work only in certain regions (for example, Cortana - only in the USA, Britain, several European countries and China).

To recognize speech commands, you need a high-quality microphone with a set of appropriate drivers, to use the Hello service - an illuminated infrared camera capable of analyzing the iris of the eye, for fingerprint scanning - an appropriate built-in module, to switch to tablet mode you need an appropriate monitor or screen. supporting multi-touch function.

In some cases in Windows 10, the requirements are reduced to having an activated Microsoft account. Secure downloads require a Microsoft Center certificate and UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B software.

To use BitLocker, for example, for Windows 10 (64), the system requirements can be reduced to the mandatory presence of a USB device and the so-called trusted TPM version 1.2 or 2.0. Hyper-V mode is enabled only on a 64-bit system with the obligatory SLAT address translation capability (second level).

When installing the same 64-bit system, the processor must support SAHF / LAHF, PrefetchW and CMPXCHG16b technologies.

If we talk about using the Miracast function, the Windows 10 requirement is as follows: you must have a graphics chip that supports the installation of the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver and a wireless adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct. By the way, the same goes for Wi-Fi printing of documents.

The use of the InstantGo module implies a connection standby mode, which is not present in all computer systems. By the way, the Windows 10 requirement for the InstantGo module plus TPM 2.0 support (at least) is a prerequisite for encrypting the device or terminal itself. In general, as you can see, there are enough hidden requirements. And not all are described yet.

What else do you need to know?

It should be added that many users unknowingly consider versions 8, 10 to be absolutely identical. This is a clear delusion. Perhaps the system requirements of Windows 10 and Windows 7 (or 8) are very similar in terms of the hardware configuration used, but this is not entirely true.

This is only due to the fact that the top ten has a very large number of additional and often hidden opportunities, and their use is simply impossible without some mandatory conditions. Of course, there are enough of them in the G7 and Eight too, but with the tenth version of Windows they, as they say, did not stand next to each other. Here the question is different - how much will be in demand among the average user will be all these additional modules, and in general, is it worth using them?

As for mobile technology, the “ten” is also not too picky about these gadgets. But here there is a direct connection between the diagonal and the screen resolution, on which the minimum amount of RAM depends. In other words, the graphic component plays the leading role here. Of course, it is desirable to have a powerful processor, say, with at least four cores, but this is not a prerequisite. There are no problems with permanent memory either - only 4 GB.

Conclusion

In general, as is clear from the above, in Windows 10 the minimum system requirements are not too high (neither for the desktop version, nor for the mobile version). Another thing is that access to some functional features of the new system is limited only because this and that is absent, that something does not support such and such a function or has understated characteristics and parameters. But in general, in most of the existing computer and mobile systems, the "ten" can be installed and used without any problems, even on a minimal configuration.

Others are already ready to register. But you need to understand what system requirements Windows 10 must meet in order for everything to work well.

Iron

You don't need a lot of hardware to make everything more or less functional. It:

• Processor with a clock speed of at least 1 Gigahertz;
• The amount of RAM from 1 Gigabyte for 32-bit operating systems, and from 2 Gigabytes for 64-bit operating systems;
• Free space on hard disk from 16 Gigabytes for 32-bit operating systems and from 20 Gigabytes for 64-bit operating systems;
• A video adapter is required with DirectX 9 and later, with a WDDM 1.0 driver;
• The display resolution is suitable from 800 to 600.

Thus, it turns out to be a rather weak computer on which the requirements for installing Windows 10 will be satisfied. This does not mean that magic will happen, and old pieces of iron will begin to demonstrate the wonders of their capabilities. Most likely, with such parameters, you will have to unscrew all the graphic effects of the desktop into a minus.

Moving from a previous version

So Microsoft launches a new trick, and allows. To do this, you need to have Windows 7 with the first service pack or Windows 8.1 on your computer. Where will the old operating system go after installing a new one? Correct answer: it will remain on the computer for one month. Then Windows 10 will remove this version. That is, users have the opportunity to roll back within one month.

If your hard disk space is low

Well, suppose the computer is not able to install a new operating system because of a small amount of memory. There is a reserve for this - connect a USB drive. Windows 10 will automatically report that there is not enough hard disk space and additional memory is required that can use the USB stick. You should know that there is critically little space for the new operating system - this is 32 Gigabytes.

Any operating system requires free space to function properly. It's all about the files that create applications for the duration of their work or forever. If you run out of free space, then Windows starts to slow down. You can uninstall the old version of the operating system after installing the new one. Of course, rollback after this will become impossible, but free space will appear.

Network connection

No matter how trite it may sound, you need to have an Internet connection. Yes, for those who connect via a 3G modem, you need to know that the downloadable installation file weighs 3 Gigabytes, and money can be charged for this traffic.

Software compatibility

The most interesting question: will my favorite applications remain on the computer after reinstallation? Yes and no. The new operating system from Microsoft thoroughly checks not only hardware compatibility, but also tests programs. So, if the required driver is not found, then Windows 10 will not save the program. The license term is also checked, for example,. If it has expired, then the application will not be installed. Microsoft says that even if there is no software compatibility, application developers are given the opportunity to complete their products. In fact, they notify Microsoft, and after that Windows 10 transfers the adapted applications to the new system.

To have full functionality

In order for all modern features of Windows 10 to work to their fullest, manufacturers say about the need:

• For Cortrana's assistant to work, you must live in the USA, China, France or Italy;
• Speech will be recognized qualitatively if you install a high-quality microphone for this purpose;
• For the Windows Hello utility to function, you need to install infrared cameras and devices for analyzing the iris of the eye;
• User authentication works if you put fingerprint readers;
• Sensory capabilities only work when using touch hardware;
• To print using Wi-Fi Direct technology, you need special equipment that supports this technology.

You can view the characteristics of a computer on Windows 10 by holding down a few keys. Most of the information is presented in the Task Manager. You just need to know where to look. The rest of the data can be retrieved from the Options snap-in.

Today is not the best day to look at System Properties for this purpose, but we will do that too. So that readers have a full range of knowledge on the specified topic. You will see that you can learn almost everything about your PC without resorting to specialized utilities.

Command line

The command line is becoming more and more like a tool to execute. The only difference is in the way of calling:

1. Command line via Win + X.
2. Run - Win + R.

Both tools can be called crosswise. Command line from Run via cmd, and Run from the command line via C: \\\\ Windows \\\\ system32 \\\\ rundll32.exe shell32.dll, # 61. You should understand that both instruments are very similar to each other. Find out the characteristics of the OS:

What have we learned from this screen? A lot of things:

• The professional version of the ten is used.
• Anniversary Update 1607 installed.
• Build - 14393.693.

But these data are still scarce. Why Billy Gates did not specify the bit depth remains a mystery. Generally speaking, Microsoft has taken a course to get rid of 32-bit hardware, so in 5 years no one will have such questions as we do.

Via System Properties

Press Win + Break to see a little more information.

Some data on the hardware are already presented here. In addition, we see that the system capacity is 64 bits. Here's what you can understand from the screen:

1. Intel processor generation i5 with a frequency of 3.2 GHz.
2. The RAM size is 16 GB, of which so many are available.
3. The name of the PC and its working group have become known.

Actually, that's all. In our opinion, it is bad that the number of cores, the type of graphics, the location and occupancy of DIMM slots, and the speed of memory access are not indicated. On some laptops, this combination does not work (given the fact that sometimes you have to press Fn). In this case, go through the Control Panel:

Via Options

In fact, we see the same as in the Properties ...

Task Manager

We still have something to learn about the graphics part of the PC.

Other information via DirectX dialog

• Win + R.
• We type dxdiag.
• Enter.

Motherboard

Already in the first window we see the missing information.

After the language, the data goes in order:

1. Motherboard manufacturer.
2. The name of the motherboard.
3. BIOS firmware version.
4. Swap file size.
5. DirectX version.

Graphics

The following screen demonstrates the graphics capabilities.

In order, here are indicated:

1. Graphics type. In this case, it is the HD Graphics 530 integrated into the processor.
2. Memory.
3. Current screen resolution.

You can look at other bookmarks, but the information taken from there will tell a lot only to professionals.

What else?

What more could you ask for more than we already have? Well, I would like to have an idea about the following parameters:

1. Processor socket name.
2. The number of connectors for graphics accelerators.
3. Hard disk interface.

Actually, many will limit themselves to this. That is, we have already received all the information from the system utilities, and now we are thinking about where to get the rest. Usually they use AIDA. Here is an example of CPU data.

Socket type is now known - LGA 1151. With this data, you can look after a new processor. Was it possible to do without this information? Oh sure. Third-party utilities are needed by professionals whose time is money. Billy Gates will help mere mortals get the system settings in Windows 10.

Microsoft has never been humane in its demands on PC hardware. Unlike Linux, which is installed on even the smallest computer, the system requirements for Windows 10 are quite high.

What determines the system requirements for Windows 10

First of all, they are influenced by the graphical shell and new features. The 10 was developed in accordance with new developments in the field of software. All its capabilities are provided by high hardware performance.

Although a dozen is announced as a more economical operating system than 7 or 8, it is gradually overgrown with updates that consume more and more resources. All the new products announced in it require RAM, hard drive space and processor speed.

The announcer will speak too slowly, Cortana will be annoying with delays in the execution of commands, and "Movie Studio" will constantly freeze if your computer is not at its best.

In general, you have to pay for everything. With only the minimum system requirements of Windows 10, you won't get high speeds and lightning-fast performance. Do not forget about additional programs that are inevitably installed on any PC.

Experienced users multiply the metrics by two. And judging by Microsoft's notes, that won't be enough. The system requirements of Windows 10 for a laptop are completely similar to those indicated for computers.

How to find out your system requirements for installing Windows 10

As far as your computer is suitable for installing 10-ki, you can before starting it. The installer will analyze your hardware and tell you if you have enough resources.

You can find out some parameters in the system properties. Right-click on the This PC desktop icon and select the last item.

In the properties window, you will learn about the RAM and the processor.

The capacity of the hard drive can be found in the conductor. Right-click on the disk with the installed OS and select properties.

Look at the values.

To find out everything along with the video indicators, use the dxdiag utility. Press WIN + X and enter the command.

In the window you will see absolutely all the technical characteristics of your PC.

If your PC has normal parameters for Windows 10, but the OS is still very slow and does not work correctly, you may have problems with the registry. Read and clean it up.