The relatively new Windows OS of the tenth version, which became available for download and installation at the end of July 2015, caused unprecedented excitement and, at the same time, a lot of discussion about its perfection and expediency of installation. However, the minimum requirements for Windows 10 in relation to computer systems, more precisely, hardware, do not look too high, as one might expect.
What are system requirements?
Before considering the question regarding Windows 10, for a start we will decide what exactly the concept of "system requirements" includes. The simplest interpretation of this term is a description of the proposed 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, such that they can support the operation of the software environment (in our case Windows 10 operating system).
In other words, the requirement of Windows 10 concerns the processor (number of cores, clock frequency), RAM (type, size), video adapter (type, amount of allocated memory, frequency of the integrated GPU, support for a specific version of DirectX), display (type, resolution, support additional functions), a hard disk (sufficient free space for copying files of the “OS”), etc. That is, we are talking about the “iron” hardware located inside a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
The concept of system capacity
When installing the latest "OSes" from Microsoft, one should take into account the so-called system architecture, which is directly connected to the same processor or RAM.
Today, there are two types: 32 bits (denoted by x86) and 64 bits (denoted by x64). The difference between them is quite serious. The most important difference is that 32-bit systems support the installation of RAM strips up to 4 GB in size (in fact, the system “sees” about 3 GB, and this is not always the case).
That is why if you want to use the "RAM" to the maximum (if it is more than 4 "gigs"), installing a 32-bit version of Windows 10 makes no sense. Although the system itself seems to be the most modern, nevertheless, they say, “squeezing” out of a 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 in Windows 10 , one cannot ignore the concept of file systems. Today, the most common are FAT32, NTFS, and relatively recent ReFS. In mobile systems, exFAT is used more.
The main thing here is that FAT32 has a larger cluster size for storing small data, 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 sectors of the hard drive is not reduced.
In addition, it should be noted that the requirement of Windows 10 for installation is such that, for example, a 32-bit version of the “OS” can be put into the NTFS file system, but the 64-bit version in FAT32 cannot work. You have to format the disk or partition. By the way, the same applies to installing a version of Windows below the "tens".
Mandatory system requirements for Windows 10 Technical Preview
As you know, initially the “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, while 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, at first it was necessary to install all the uninstalled updates, and only then proceed to download the distribution package with the subsequent installation of the “tens”. In addition, updating is only possible on systems starting with version seven. Vista and XP do not support such an upgrade.
Standard Windows 10 Types: Minimum System Requirements
Over time, the first version of the system was removed, and instead standard versions such as Home, Pro, Enterprise, etc. appeared.
Actually, the minimum requirements for Windows 10 of any version are practically the same. Here everything depends only on the chosen architecture (x86 or x64). In any case, the minimum requirements for Windows 10 with 32 and 64 bit architectures are as follows:
As you can see, nothing supernatural.
Recommended Configuration
As such, the recommended parameters when installing the "tens" is not provided. This is understandable, because for Windows 10 the system requirements for the computer are initially presented in the form of a minimum configuration.
Despite the fact that the “top ten” can easily work in aging 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, in which must be present mandatory support for the latest version of DirectX 12.
With processors more difficult. 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 discussion.
Additional requirements for access to some functions
Separately, it is worth mentioning what the specialized system requirements of Windows 10 (x64 or x32) are. But they mostly concern the functioning of certain specialized services. Some of them may not be available in different versions, some may work exclusively in certain regions (for example, Cortana - only in the USA, Britain, several countries of Europe and in China).
Recognition of voice commands requires a high-quality microphone with a set of appropriate drivers, to use the Hello service, an infrared camera with backlight capable of analyzing the iris of the eye, to scan fingerprints, the corresponding built-in module, you will need an appropriate monitor or screen to switch to tablet mode, supporting multi-touch function.
In some cases, in Windows 10, the requirements come down to having an activated Microsoft account. Secure downloads require a Microsoft certificate and software with UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B support.
To use BitLocker, for example, for Windows 10 (64), system requirements can be reduced to having a USB device and the so-called reliable TPM module version 1.2 or 2.0. Hyper-V mode is enabled only on the basis of a 64-bit system with the mandatory ability to translate SLAT addresses (second level).
When installing the same 64-bit system, it is mandatory that the processor supports the SAHF / LAHF, PrefetchW, and CMPXCHG16b technologies.
If we talk about using the Miracast function, the requirement of Windows 10 is as follows: you must have a graphic chip that supports the installation of the WDDM driver (Windows Display Driver Model) and a wireless adapter with Wi-Fi Direct support. By the way, the same applies to Wi-Fi-printing documents.
Using the InstantGo module implies a connection standby mode, which is not present on all computer systems. By the way, the requirement of Windows 10 for the presence of the InstantGo module plus support for TPM 2.0 (not lower) is a prerequisite for encrypting the device itself or the terminal. In general, as you can see, there are enough hidden requirements. And far from all are described.
What you need to know more?
It should be added that many users, unknowingly, probably consider the system requirements of Windows 7, 8, 10 versions to be absolutely identical. This is a clear fallacy. 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 due only to the fact that the “top ten” has a much larger number of additional and often hidden opportunities, and using them without some mandatory conditions is simply impossible. Of course, there are also enough of them in the G7 and G8, however, as they say, they did not stand next to the tenth version of Windows. Here the question is different - how demanded by the average user will be all these additional modules, and in general, is it worth using them?
As for mobile technology, in relation to these gadgets, the "ten" is also not too picky. But here there is a direct connection between the diagonal and 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 is no problem with permanent memory either - only 4 GB.
Conclusion
In general, as is clear from the foregoing, in Windows 10 the minimum system requirements are not too high (neither for the desktop version, nor for the mobile). Another thing is that access to some functional features of the new system is limited only because something is missing, something does not support such a function or has underestimated characteristics and parameters. But in general, in the majority of existing computer and mobile systems, the “ten” can be installed and used without any problems, even at the minimum configuration.