Skip to main content

Windows 10’s minimum requirements present an olive branch to outdated PCs

Windows Platforms OS
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Microsoft has set the minimum system requirements for its newest operating system in stone.

As expected, Windows 10 follows more in the line of 7 than it does 8, wrapping all but the most pitiful of PCs under its umbrella of coverage.

Given that Microsoft plans to support 10 universally across a wide variety of smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, it’s not exactly surprising that you can almost run the new OS on a toaster if you really wanted to.

Minimum system requirements for Windows 10 include a 1GHz processor or faster (single-core). 1GB of RAM will be necessary for the 32-bit version, while you’ll need to bump your computer up to 2GB if you plan on picking up the 64-bit build.

The 32-bit OS will use 16GB of hard drive space, while the 64-bit will top out just around 20GB of storage. A graphics card capable of supporting DirectX 9 or above with at least a WDDM 1.0 driver will handle video output of the display, which will need to measure at a minimum resolution of 1,024 x 600.

Several other important details to note from today’s release include the region restrictions of the virtual assistant Cortana, which will only be supported in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and China upon its initial release. Plans to add more countries are in the works, but no word on how far along that process is just yet.

Other notes about Windows’ upcoming security feature Windows Hello were also found in the release, specifically the need for a specialized, illuminated infrared camera in order to use the facial recognition password lock for each user signed into a particular PC.

The news comes right on the heels of the announcement that Windows 10 will officially drop on July 29th, and will be offered as a free upgrade for users who already own a copy of Windows 7 or 8.

Editors' Recommendations

Chris Stobing
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Self-proclaimed geek and nerd extraordinaire, Chris Stobing is a writer and blogger from the heart of Silicon Valley. Raised…
I saw the AI future of Windows 11, and it blew me away
Microsoft Copilot allows you to ask an AI assistant questions within Office apps.

I don't blame you if you're fed up with all of the AI talk. It started with ChatGPT, it moved to Bing Chat, and now you can't open up Apple News without a deluge of AI news. It's overwhelming. And now, Microsoft wants you to use AI as an assistant throughout all of Windows 11. No thanks.

Call me a cynic, but I pushed back. Bing Chat following me around Windows 11 didn't sound like a good time, but I swallowed my pride, decided to do my job as a tech journalist, and kindly asked what it could do at Microsoft's September 2023 event. And Windows Copilot blew me away.

Read more
The best Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts
Close up of Microsoft Surface Pro 6 keyboard.

Keyboard shortcuts can speed up even the most mundane of Windows 10 tasks. Learning the best of them can make your PC experience faster, more efficient, and, in some cases, even more enjoyable.

These are the essential Windows 10 shortcuts that can make you feel more like a PC wizard. A master of the keys, so to speak.

Read more
Ranking all 12 versions of Windows, from worst to best
Windows 7 desktop.

You can tell a person's age by which version of Windows is their favorite. I have fond memories of XP and Windows 98 SE, so you can take a guess at mine, but I have colleagues who are much more enamored with Windows 7 or Windows 95. We all have something disparaging to say about Windows 8 though, and the less said about Windows Vista the better.

Ranking the different versions of Windows is about more than what era of computing you grew up in, though. There are some very serious duds in Microsoft's back catalog, just as there are a few wins too. With rumors about Windows 12 swirling, it's worth looking back at some of all the previous versions, ranked from the absolute worst to the very best.
12. Windows ME

Read more