WINDOWS 11: CHECK WHETHER YOUR PC IS COMPATIBLE
Here, we’ll explain the minimum system requirements for Windows 11, and how to check whether your computer meets them. Although we cover upgrade options below, don’t rush out to buy components (or even a new computer) if your PC or laptop isn’t up to scratch. Microsoft has admitted that it is still investigating precisely what hardware can run Windows 11 (read the blog post at www.snipca.com/38800), so we wouldn’t be surprised if it relaxes the system requirements over the next few months, allowing less powerful computers to upgrade to Windows 11.
Processor and memory
Microsoft has released a list of compatible processors for Windows 11. You can view the supported Intel processors at www. snipca.com/38804, and AMD processors at www.snipca.com/38805.
To check which processor you have inside your computer, open Settings (press the Windows key+i), select System, then About. Your processor will be listed on the right-hand side of the page ( 1 in screenshot top right). Once you have this, go to the Intel or AMD list (as above) and check whether it’s there.
If not, you could upgrade your processor, but it’s neither quick nor easy (on most laptops, it’s impossible). However, we think many of you will want to try in the next few months, so we’ll explain how in a forthcoming issue.
We expect Microsoft to add more processors to these lists over time. It may even change it from ‘compatible’ lists to ‘recommended’ ones, meaning you’ll be able to use older processors but with a warning that Windows might run slowly.
Windows 11 requires a minimum of 4GB of memory to accompany your processor (double that of Windows 10). You can check how much your computer has in the ‘Installed RAM’ section of the About page 2 .
Memory upgrades for laptops and PCS are both relatively cheap (4GB costs around £20) and easy to carry out. You just need to make sure you buy the right type for your computer.
Crucial’s Advisor tool ( www.snipca. com/38811) scans your computer to show what type of memory is compatible with it. You can then buy your memory modules directly from Crucial or shop around for the similar memory elsewhere.
Hard drive
You’ll need a hard drive with a capacity of at least 64GB on which to install Windows 11, which is more than three times what Windows 10 requires. This shouldn’t be a problem because it’s highly unlikely that your hard drive is smaller than 64GB. To check, open File
Explorer (press the Windows key+e), select ‘This PC’ in the menu on the left, then right-click your C drive and select Properties. You’ll see your hard drive’s total size listed next to Capacity in the General tab (see screenshot below left).
If you need more storage, Crucial’s Advisor tool – as mentioned earlier – will recommend compatible upgrades (Crucial’s 500GB SSD costs just £39 from www.snipca.com/38812).
Graphics card
Microsoft hopes the new Xbox app in Windows 11 will prompt more of us to play games, and has upped the graphics requirements accordingly. You’ll need a graphics card that supports Directx 12, which helps boost frame rates in games. To check whether your computer’s graphics card supports this, click Start, type dxdiag, then press Enter. The Directx version of your graphics card will be listed in the System tab (see screenshot above right).
If your PC’S graphics card doesn’t support Directx 12, you can replace it with one that does relatively easily. You can get a Directx 12 card for under £50 (such as Nvidia’s Geforce GT 710 – £42 from www.snipca.com/38809). However, upgrading a laptop’s graphics is extremely difficult, bordering on impossible. Hopefully, Microsoft will reconsider the requirement for a Directx 12 graphics card. Not everyone is interested in gaming, after all.
Trusted Platform Module
Finally, Windows 11 requires your PC to have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which helps secure your computer by storing encryption keys. The good news is that most computers built in the past eight or so years have a TPM (on some it’s built into the processor, others have a separate TPM chip on the motherboard). There are two versions (TPM 1.2 and 2.0), and Microsoft originally said Windows 11 would work with both. However, a few days after Windows 11 was announced, it quickly changed its mind, saying Windows 11 would be compatible with TPM 2.0 only. Additionally, on some computers you have to enable the TPM in the BIOS for Windows to see it.
Confused? You’re not alone. We’ll try to clarify things in our Mini Workshop below, where you can check whether your computer has a TPM, enable it (if necessary) and check what version it is.
If yours has a TPM 1.2, it’s worth checking your computer manufacturer’s support site because some let you upgrade to TPM 2.0 via a firmware update (such as on some Dell computers – www.snipca.com/38810).