Microsoft Windows 11 system & hardware requirements

Microsoft Windows 11 system & hardware requirements

This is what you will learn in this topic:

• Microsoft Operating System History;
• Windows 11 features and specifications;
• Windows 11 computer requirements;
• How to check if your computer hardware is capable of running windows 11 or not;
• How to upgrade your computer hardware on your own to be able to run Windows 11;
• How to use some important system commands such as "DXDIAG" and Windows system information to check your computer System and hardware configuration;
• The difference between 32-bit computer and 64-bit computer, and much more;

Windows 11 is one of the latest versions of operating systems that will meet the needs of computer users, greatly due to the new and advanced features it contains.

 In this article, I will explain to you everything related to Windows 11: Windows 11 features and specifications, computer requirements, How to check if your computer hardware is capable of running windows 11 or not, how to upgrade your computer hardware on your own to be able to run it, how to disassemble any computer and upgrade its hardware parts to meet Windows 11 requirements, How to choose/buy a computer that meets the requirements for installing Windows 11, How to download Windows 11 Operating System and much more.

Microsoft windows editions : 

Microsoft windows operating system or simply MS Windows OS is developed by Microsoft corporation since 1981. It offers both operating systems for computers and also for servers and mobile devices.

Microsoft Windows OS editions for computers:

• Microsoft Disk Operating System or MS-DOS
• Windows edition 1.0/2.0
• Windows edition 3.0/3.1
• Windows 95 (appeared in 1995)
• Windows NT
• Windows 98 (appeared in 1998)
• Windows Millennium Edition or ME
• Windows 2000 (appeared in 2000)
• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Windows 8
• Windows 10
• Windows 11

Microsoft Windows OS for Servers and Mobile Devices:

• Windows Server 
• Windows Home Server
• Windows CE 
• Windows Mobile
• Windows Phone

Windows 11 specifications and features

The new version of Windows has had many updates and improvements. These improvements included:

• Start Menu:

This feature is no longer on the left of the screen, as it has shifted to the center of the desktop at the taskbar level and with new features

• New Apps
• New Features in Windows Settings
• New Themes with New Designs
• Integration of New Widgets
• Flexibility and Ease When Switching between Slides
• More Compatibility with Gaming
• Enhanced Store with Android Apps
• Designed for many devices

- Some features in Windows 11 have increased their requirements

• BitLocker:  requires a USB flash drive.
• 5G support requires 5th Generation modem.
• Auto HDR requires an HDR monitor.
• Client Hyper V requires a processor (CPU) with (SLAT) capabilities.
• Cortana requires a mic & speaker. It is now available on Windows 11 for many countries: 

United States

Mexico

Spain

United Kingdom

Germany

India

Italy

Japan

China

France

Australia

Brazil

Canada

• Direct Storage: requires 1 Terabytes or more in order to run and store games that uses the SNVM .Express Controller driver and GPU with DirectX 12
• Presence: requires distance sensor.
• Smart Video Conferencing: requires camera, mic, and speaker.
• Multiple Voice Assistant: requires a mic and speaker.
• Microsoft Teams: requires camera, mic, and speaker.
• Touch: requires a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• Authentication: requires PIN, biometric or a phone that supports Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
• Voice Typing: requires a mic.
• Windows Projection: requires a display adapter which supports WDDM 2.0 and a Wi-Fi Direct.
• Xbox application: requires an Xbox Live account.

Windows 11 computer requirements will include the following

• PC Architecture         
• CPU Compatibility
• CPU Core Count/Number
• CPU Frequency
• DirectX & WDDM2
• RAM Installed
• Display
• Storage Available
• TPM Version
• System firmware
• Internet connection
• Microsoft accounts
• Graphics card

- Windows 11 computer requirements

• Processor (CPU):            have to be 1 gigahertz GHz or faster with two or more cores.
• CPU:                               have to be 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC).
• Memory:                  4 GB RAM or more.
• Storage (HDD/SSD):      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.x driver
• Display:                    High definition Resolution (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, and 8 bits per color channel.

- Question

How can I check If my computer system and hardware Configuration is even capable of running Windows 11 or not? 

- Answer

Using 3 Ways :

1. DXDIAG Command.
2. Checking Computer System Information. 
3. Using “WhyNotWin11” Compatibility Checker Tool. 

1. Checking computer system and hardware Configuration using DXDIAG command:

First of all type, "windows + R" buttons from the keyboard and then write down DXDIAG and press OK.

You will get the DirectX diagnostic tool where you will find the system and hardware Configuration for PC in detail, see pictures below:

 + R

2. Checking computer system and hardware Configuration using System Information tool:

Folow the path below

Start menu > windows administrative tools > system information. See pictures below:

3. WhyNotWin11 Compatibility Checker Tool:

"WhyNotWin11" is a free Tool that you can download on google. Once you download it, you have to open it and click the Run button.

The Tool will scan your PC, and than gives you the results: If you get a results with a lot of green colors, that’s mean you PC can run Windows 11, but If you get a results with a lot of red colors, that’s mean your PC probably can not run Windows 11.

- How do you upgrade your computer hardware on your own to be able to run Windows 11? 

If you your computer doesn't meets the windows 11 minimum system and hardware configuration, then you have to either upgrade your pc by making necessary changes to your computer hardware like replacing the processor, adding RAMs or compatible graphic card or you may have to purchase a new computer that meet windows 11 requirements.

Maybe you wonder, what is the difference between 32-bit system and 64-bit system?

Answer:

There are two types of Computers, 32-bit computers, and 64-bit computers. 

The difference between a 32-bit system and a 64-bit system is that : Computers with 32-bit processors are slower and less secure, while computers with a 64-bit processor are newer, faster, and more secure.

The computer central processing unit (CPU) controls the flow of data for all parts of the computer, That's why The type of processor (32-bit system and a 64-bit system) that your computer uses affects its performance.

Computers with 32-bit processors can handle 2E32 (or 4,294,967,296) bytes of DATA, but Computers with 64-bit processor can handle 2E64 (or 18,446,744,073,709,551,616) bytes of DATA. Thus, a Computer with a 64-bit processor can process more data than a Computer with a 32-bit processor, this means that your computer will work faster when launching applications or games.

Notice that, 64-bit applications won’t run on a 32-bit system. 

Note:

If your computer does not meet these system requirements, you may not be able to install the new operating system, Windows 11 on your computer and you may have to buy a new computer. If you are not sure if your device meets these system requirements, you can verify and check with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of your PC or if your computer is already working with Windows 10, you can use the PC Health Check application to evaluate compatibility.