Windows 11 – Memory and Other System Component Requirements
Is my system compatible with Windows 11, or do I need to replace it immediately?
Windows 11 will be released in early October 2021. The new operating system imposes high demands on system hardware. The shortage of electronic components will further increase, and prices for very recent hardware components are likely to continue rising.
Can I install Windows 11 on my existing system?
You can check via software inquiry whether all hardware prerequisites are met to perform the upgrade to Windows 11. Besides the official Windows software (currently only available for the Windows Insider program), there are also other free software options, such as Windows PC Health Check, which checks the hardware for compatibility with Windows 11.
The RAM must have a capacity of at least 4GB for the upgrade to be possible. Based on our initial tests* with the Windows 11 Beta version, almost 5GB of RAM is reserved for the operating system at system startup. Therefore, we recommend at least 8GB of RAM. If you want a little buffer for smooth operation with more demanding applications like photo editing, music, or gaming, feel free to go for 16GB or 32GB of RAM.
Generally, systems manufactured before 2017 will not be compatible with Windows 11. Even for systems sold in 2021, one cannot automatically assume that, for example, the processor supports Windows 11 (see CPU list below).
Is it advisable to switch to the new operating system immediately?
From our perspective, there are two arguments against an immediate transition. You can acquire systems specifically designed for Windows 11 in 1-2 years that will also work perfectly with Windows 11. Another argument for not switching to Windows 11 immediately is to wait for the potential teething problems of the first versions to be resolved with updates.
Our Tip:
If you do not wish to switch to Windows 11 just yet, you can use Windows 10 without worry until October 2025. If you are not satisfied with the current performance of your laptop or PC, you can enhance your system for further operation with Windows 10 by upgrading it with the right memory.
What hardware requirements must be met for the upgrade to Windows 11?
Current minimum hardware requirements for Win11 (as of Sept 21):
– 4GB RAM
– 64GB free space on hard drive or SSD
– UEFI firmware
– Secure Boot with TPM 2.0
– DirectX 12 compatible graphics card
– Display with at least 720p resolution (> 9 inches)
– CPUs supported by Windows 11:
– CPU: 1GHz or faster with 2 or more cores
| AMD | Intel | Qualcomm |
|
Atom x6200FE Atom x6211E Atom x6212RE Atom x6413E Atom x6414RE Atom x6425E Atom x6425RE Atom x6427FE Celeron 6305 Celeron 3867U Celeron 4205U Celeron 4305U Celeron 4305UE Celeron 5205U Celeron 5305U Celeron 6305E Celeron G4900 Celeron G4900T Celeron G4920 Celeron G4930 Celeron G4930E Celeron G4930T Celeron G4932E Celeron G4950 Celeron G5900 Celeron G5900E Celeron G5900T Celeron G5900TE Celeron G5905 Celeron G5905T Celeron G5920 Celeron G5925 Celeron J4005 Celeron J4025 Celeron J4105 Celeron J4115 Celeron J4125 Celeron J6412 Celeron J6413 Celeron N4000 Celeron N4020 Celeron N4100 Celeron N4120 Celeron N4500 Celeron N4505 Celeron N5100 Celeron N5105 Celeron N6210 Celeron N6211 Core i3-1000G1 Core i3-1000G4 Core i3-1005G1 Core i3-10100 Core i3-10100E Core i3-10100F Core i3-10100T Core i3-10100TE Core i3-10100Y Core i3-10105 Core i3-10105F Core i3-10105T Core i3-10110U Core i3-10110Y Core i3-10300 Core i3-10300T Core i3-10305 Core i3-10305T Core i3-10320 Core i3-10325 Core i3-1110G4 Core i3-1115G4 Core i3-1115G4E Core i3-1115GRE Core i3-1120G4 Core i3-1125G4 Core i3-8100 Core i3-8100B Core i3-8100H Core i3-8100T Core i3-8109U Core i3-8130U Core i3-8140U Core i3-8145U Core i3-8145UE Core i3-8300 Core i3-8300T Core i3-8350K Core i3-9100 Core i3-9100E Core i3-9100F Core i3-9100HL Core i3-9100T Core i3-9100TE Core i3-9300 Core i3-9300T Core i3-9320 Core i3-9350K Core i3-9350KF Core i3-L13G4 Core i5-10200H Core i5-10210U Core i5-10210Y Core i5-10300H Core i5-1030G4 Core i5-1030G7 Core i5-10310U Core i5-10310Y Core i5-1035G1 Core i5-1035G4 Core i5-1035G7 Core i5-1038NG7 Core i5-10400 Core i5-10400F Core i5-10400H Core i5-10400T Core i5-10500 Core i5-10500E Core i5-10500H Core i5-10500T Core i5-10500TE Core i5-10505 Core i5-10600 Core i5-10600K Core i5-10600KF Core i5-10600T Core i5-11260H Core i5-11300H Core i5-1130G7 Core i5-11320H Core i5-1135G7 Core i5-1135G7 Core i5-11400 Core i5-11400F Core i5-11400H Core i5-11400T Core i5-1140G7 Core i5-1145G7 Core i5-1145G7E Core i5-1145GRE Core i5-11500 Core i5-11500H Core i5-11500T Core i5-1155G7 Core i5-11600 Core i5-11600K Core i5-11600KF Core i5-11600T Core i5-8200Y Core i5-8210Y Core i5-8250U Core i5-8257U Core i5-8259U Core i5-8260U Core i5-8265U Core i5-8269U Core i5-8279U Core i5-8300H Core i5-8305G Core i5-8310Y Core i5-8350U Core i5-8365U Core i5-8365UE Core i5-8400 Core i5-8400B Core i5-8400H Core i5-8400T Core i5-8500 Core i5-8500B Core i5-8500T Core i5-8600 Core i5-8600K Core i5-8600T Core i5-9300H Core i5-9300HF Core i5-9400 Core i5-9400F Core i5-9400H Core i5-9400T Core i5-9500 Core i5-9500E Core i5-9500F Core i5-9500T Core i5-9500TE Core i5-9600 Core i5-9600K Core i5-9600KF Core i5-9600T Core i5-L16G7 Core i7-10510U Core i7-10510Y Core i7-1060G7 Core i7-10610U Core i7-1065G7 Core i7-1068NG7 Core i7-10700 Core i7-10700E Core i7-10700F Core i7-10700K Core i7-10700KF Core i7-10700T Core i7-10700TE Core i7-10710U Core i7-10750H Core i7-10810U Core i7-10850H Core i7-10870H Core i7-10875H Core i7-11370H Core i7-11375H Core i7-11390H Core i7-11600H Core i7-1160G7 Core i7-1165G7 Core i7-1165G7 Core i7-11700 Core i7-11700F Core i7-11700K Core i7-11700KF Core i7-11700T Core i7-11800H Core i7-1180G7 Core i7-11850H Core i7-1185G7 Core i7-1185G7E Core i7-1185GRE Core i7-1195G7 Core i7-7800X Core i7-7820HQ Core i7-7820X Core i7-8086K Core i7-8500Y Core i7-8550U Core i7-8557U Core i7-8559U Core i7-8565U Core i7-8569U Core i7-8650U Core i7-8665U Core i7-8665UE Core i7-8700 Core i7-8700B Core i7-8700K Core i7-8700T Core i7-8705G Core i7-8706G Core i7-8709G Core i7-8750H Core i7-8809G Core i7-8850H Core i7-9700 Core i7-9700E Core i7-9700F Core i7-9700K Core i7-9700KF Core i7-9700T Core i7-9700TE Core i7-9750H Core i7-9750HF Core i7-9800X Core i7-9850H Core i7-9850HE Core i7-9850HL Core i9-10850K Core i9-10885H Core i9-10900 Core i9-10900E Core i9-10900F Core i9-10900K Core i9-10900KF Core i9-10900T Core i9-10900TE Core i9-10900X Core i9-10920X Core i9-10940X Core i9-10980HK Core i9-10980XE Core i9-11900 Core i9-11900F Core i9-11900H Core i9-11900K Core i9-11900KF Core i9-11900T Core i9-11950H Core i9-11980HK Core i9-7900X Core i9-7920X Core i9-7940X Core i9-7960X Core i9-7980XE Core i9-8950HK Core i9-9820X Core i9-9880H Core i9-9900 Core i9-9900K Core i9-9900KF Core i9-9900KS Core i9-9900T Core i9-9900X Core i9-9920X Core i9-9940X Core i9-9960X Core i9-9980HK Core i9-9980XE Core m3-8100Y Pentium 6805 Pentium Gold 4417U Pentium Gold 4425Y Pentium Gold 5405U Pentium Gold 6405U Pentium Gold 6500Y Pentium Gold 7505 Pentium Gold G5400 Pentium Gold G5400T Pentium Gold G5420 Pentium Gold G5420T Pentium Gold G5500 Pentium Gold G5500T Pentium Gold G5600 Pentium Gold G5600T Pentium Gold G5620 Pentium Gold G6400 Pentium Gold G6400E Pentium Gold G6400T Pentium Gold G6400TE Pentium Gold G6405 Pentium Gold G6405T Pentium Gold G6500 Pentium Gold G6500T Pentium Gold G6505 Pentium Gold G6505T Pentium Gold G6600 Pentium Gold G6605 Pentium J6426 Pentium N6415 Pentium Silver J5005 Pentium Silver J5040 Pentium Silver N5000 Pentium Silver N5030 Pentium Silver N6000 Pentium Silver N6005 Xeon Bronze 3104 Xeon Bronze 3106 Xeon Bronze 3204 Xeon Bronze 3206R Xeon E-2124 Xeon E-2124G Xeon E-2126G Xeon E-2134 Xeon E-2136 Xeon E-2144G Xeon E-2146G Xeon E-2174G Xeon E-2176G Xeon E-2176M Xeon E-2186G Xeon E-2186M Xeon E-2224 Xeon E-2224G Xeon E-2226G Xeon E-2226GE Xeon E-2234 Xeon E-2236 Xeon E-2244G Xeon E-2246G Xeon E-2254ME Xeon E-2254ML Xeon E-2274G Xeon E-2276G Xeon E-2276M Xeon E-2276ME Xeon E-2276ML Xeon E-2278G Xeon E-2278GE Xeon E-2278GEL Xeon E-2286G Xeon E-2286M Xeon E-2288G Xeon Gold 5115 Xeon Gold 5118 Xeon Gold 5119T Xeon Gold 5120 Xeon Gold 5120T Xeon Gold 5122 Xeon Gold 5215 Xeon Gold 5215L Xeon Gold 5217 Xeon Gold 5218 Xeon Gold 5218B Xeon Gold 5218N Xeon Gold 5218R Xeon Gold 5218T Xeon Gold 5220 Xeon Gold 5220R Xeon Gold 5220S Xeon Gold 5220T Xeon Gold 5222 Xeon Gold 5315Y Xeon Gold 5317 Xeon Gold 5318N Xeon Gold 5318S Xeon Gold 5320 Xeon Gold 5320T Xeon Gold 6126 Xeon Gold 6126F Xeon Gold 6126T Xeon Gold 6128 Xeon Gold 6130 Xeon Gold 6130F Xeon Gold 6130T Xeon Gold 6132 Xeon Gold 6134 Xeon Gold 6136 Xeon Gold 6138 Xeon Gold 6138F Xeon Gold 6138P Xeon Gold 6138T Xeon Gold 6140 Xeon Gold 6142 Xeon Gold 6142F Xeon Gold 6144 Xeon Gold 6146 Xeon Gold 6148 Xeon Gold 6148F Xeon Gold 6150 Xeon Gold 6152 Xeon Gold 6154 Xeon Gold 6208U Xeon Gold 6209U Xeon Gold 6210U Xeon Gold 6212U Xeon Gold 6222V Xeon Gold 6226 Xeon Gold 6226R Xeon Gold 6230 Xeon Gold 6230N Xeon Gold 6230R Xeon Gold 6230T Xeon Gold 6234 Xeon Gold 6238 Xeon Gold 6238L Xeon Gold 6238R Xeon Gold 6238T Xeon Gold 6240 Xeon Gold 6240L Xeon Gold 6240R Xeon Gold 6240Y Xeon Gold 6242 Xeon Gold 6242R Xeon Gold 6244 Xeon Gold 6246 Xeon Gold 6246R Xeon Gold 6248 Xeon Gold 6248R Xeon Gold 6250 Xeon Gold 6250L Xeon Gold 6252 Xeon Gold 6252N Xeon Gold 6254 Xeon Gold 6256 Xeon Gold 6258R Xeon Gold 6262V Xeon Gold 6312U Xeon Gold 6314U Xeon Gold 6326 Xeon Gold 6330 Xeon Gold 6330N Xeon Gold 6334 Xeon Gold 6336Y Xeon Gold 6338 Xeon Gold 6338N Xeon Gold 6338T Xeon Gold 6342 Xeon Gold 6346 Xeon Gold 6348 Xeon Gold 6354 Xeon Gold Gold 5318Y Xeon Platinum 8153 Xeon Platinum 8156 Xeon Platinum 8158 Xeon Platinum 8160 Xeon Platinum 8160F Xeon Platinum 8160T Xeon Platinum 8164 Xeon Platinum 8168 Xeon Platinum 8170 Xeon Platinum 8176 Xeon Platinum 8176F Xeon Platinum 8180 Xeon Platinum 8253 Xeon Platinum 8256 Xeon Platinum 8260 Xeon Platinum 8260L Xeon Platinum 8260Y Xeon Platinum 8268 Xeon Platinum 8270 Xeon Platinum 8276 Xeon Platinum 8276L Xeon Platinum 8280 Xeon Platinum 8280L Xeon Platinum 8351N Xeon Platinum 8352M Xeon Platinum 8352S Xeon Platinum 8352V Xeon Platinum 8352Y Xeon Platinum 8358 Xeon Platinum 8358P Xeon Platinum 8360Y Xeon Platinum 8362 Xeon Platinum 8368 Xeon Platinum 8368Q Xeon Platinum 8380 Xeon Platinum 9221 Xeon Platinum 9222 Xeon Platinum 9242 Xeon Platinum 9282 Xeon Silver 4108 Xeon Silver 4109T Xeon Silver 4110 Xeon Silver 4112 Xeon Silver 4114 Xeon Silver 4114T Xeon Silver 4116 Xeon Silver 4116T Xeon Silver 4208 Xeon Silver 4209T Xeon Silver 4210 Xeon Silver 4210R Xeon Silver 4210T Xeon Silver 4214 Xeon Silver 4214R Xeon Silver 4214Y Xeon Silver 4215 Xeon Silver 4215R Xeon Silver 4216 Xeon Silver 4309Y Xeon Silver 4310 Xeon Silver 4310T Xeon Silver 4314 Xeon Silver 4316 Xeon W-10855M Xeon W-10885M Xeon W-11855M Xeon W-11955M Xeon W-1250 Xeon W-1250E Xeon W-1250P Xeon W-1250TE Xeon W-1270 Xeon W-1270E Xeon W-1270P Xeon W-1270TE Xeon W-1290 Xeon W-1290E Xeon W-1290P Xeon W-1290T Xeon W-1290TE Xeon W-2102 Xeon W-2104 Xeon W-2123 Xeon W-2125 Xeon W-2133 Xeon W-2135 Xeon W-2145 Xeon W-2155 Xeon W-2175 Xeon W-2195 Xeon W-2223 Xeon W-2225 Xeon W-2235 Xeon W-2245 Xeon W-2255 Xeon W-2265 Xeon W-2275 Xeon W-2295 Xeon W-3175X Xeon W-3223 Xeon W-3225 Xeon W-3235 Xeon W-3245 Xeon W-3245M Xeon W-3265 Xeon W-3265M Xeon W-3275 Xeon W-3275M |
Snapdragon 850 Snapdragon 7c Snapdragon 8c Snapdragon 8cx Snapdragon 8cx (Gen2) Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 |
AMD 3015e AMD 3020e Athlon 3000G Athlon 300GE Athlon 300U Athlon 320GE Athlon Gold 3150C Athlon Gold 3150G Athlon Gold 3150GE Athlon Gold 3150U Athlon Silver 3050C Athlon Silver 3050e Athlon Silver 3050GE Athlon Silver 3050U EPYC 7252 EPYC 7262 EPYC 7272 EPYC 7282 EPYC 7302 EPYC 7313 EPYC 7343 EPYC 7352 EPYC 7402 EPYC 7413 EPYC 7443 EPYC 7452 EPYC 7453 EPYC 7502 EPYC 7513 EPYC 7532 EPYC 7542 EPYC 7543 EPYC 7552 EPYC 7642 EPYC 7643 EPYC 7662 EPYC 7663 EPYC 7702 EPYC 7713 EPYC 7742 EPYC 7763 EPYC 7232P EPYC 72F3 EPYC 7302P EPYC 7313P EPYC 73F3 EPYC 7402P EPYC 7443P EPYC 74F3 EPYC 7502P EPYC 7543P EPYC 75F3 EPYC 7702P EPYC 7713P EPYC 7F32 EPYC 7F52 EPYC 7F72 EPYC 7H12 Ryzen 3 3100 Ryzen 3 2300X Ryzen 3 3200G mit Radeon Vega 8-Grafik Ryzen 3 3200GE Ryzen 3 3200U Ryzen 3 3250C Ryzen 3 3250U Ryzen 3 3300U Ryzen 3 3350U Ryzen 3 4300G Ryzen 3 4300GE Ryzen 3 4300U Ryzen 3 5300U Ryzen 3 5400U Ryzen 3 PRO 3200G Ryzen 3 PRO 3200GE Ryzen 3 PRO 3300U Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G Ryzen 3 PRO 5350GE Ryzen 3 PRO 5450U Ryzen 5 2600 Ryzen 5 3600 Ryzen 5 2500X Ryzen 5 2600E Ryzen 5 2600X Ryzen 5 3400G mit Radeon RX Vega 11-Grafik Ryzen 5 3400GE Ryzen 5 3450U Ryzen 5 3500-Prozessor Ryzen 5 3500C Ryzen 5 3500U Ryzen 5 3550H Ryzen 5 3580U MS Surface Edition Ryzen 5 3600X Ryzen 5 3600XT Ryzen 5 4500U Ryzen 5 4600G Ryzen 5 4600GE Ryzen 5 4600H Ryzen 5 4600U Ryzen 5 5300G Ryzen 5 5300GE Ryzen 5 5500U Ryzen 5 5600G Ryzen 5 5600GE Ryzen 5 5600H Ryzen 5 5600HS Ryzen 5 5600U Ryzen 5 5600X Ryzen 5 PRO 2600 Ryzen 5 PRO 3600 Ryzen 5 PRO 3400G Ryzen 5 PRO 3400GE Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G Ryzen 5 PRO 4650GE Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U Ryzen 5 PRO 5650G Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U Ryzen 5 PRO 5750G Ryzen 5 PRO 5750GE Ryzen 7 2700 Ryzen 7 5800 Ryzen 7 2700E Ryzen 7 2700X Ryzen 7 3700C Ryzen 7 3700U Ryzen 7 3700X Ryzen 7 3750H Ryzen 7 3780U MS Surface Edition Ryzen 7 3800X Ryzen 7 3800XT Ryzen 7 4700G Ryzen 7 4700GE Ryzen 7 4700U Ryzen 7 4800H Ryzen 7 4800HS Ryzen 7 4800U Ryzen 7 5700G Ryzen 7 5700GE Ryzen 7 5700U Ryzen 7 5800H Ryzen 7 5800HS Ryzen 7 5800U Ryzen 7 5800X Ryzen 7 PRO 2700 Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U Ryzen 9 5900 Ryzen 9 3900 Ryzen 9 3900X Ryzen 9 3900XT Ryzen 9 3950X Ryzen 9 4900H Ryzen 9 4900HS Ryzen 9 5900HS Ryzen 9 5900HX Ryzen 9 5900X Ryzen 9 5950X Ryzen 9 5980HS Ryzen 9 5980HX Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 Ryzen Threadripper 2920X Ryzen Threadripper 2950X Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3995WX |
*In our test system with Windows 11 Beta, the following hardware was used:
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M S2H
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G
RAM: 16GB RAM
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
Operating System: Windows 11 Beta Version