Windows 10 System Requirements

Microsoft yesterday confirmed Windows 10 as the name of its new operating system, adding that users would be allowed to download a preview version today as part of its Windows Insider Program launched together with the operating system.

Of course, many would rush to download the testing bits of the new operating system, but it’s very important to have a look at the system requirements to make sure that your computer can handle Windows 10. Until now, Microsoft hasn’t provided any official details on the hardware requirements of Windows 10, but some company executives have confirmed on Twitter that these are very likely to be the same as on Windows 8. Since Microsoft is offering Windows 10 technical preview free of charge to users, the testing bits are very likely to be downloaded by those who are already running a Windows version to see if the upgrade is worth the effort, time, and money, so the need to know the system requirements is obvious.

“Hardware requirements are the same”

Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s head of communications, said in a short tweet that Windows 10 “hardware requirements are the same” with the ones on Windows 8, thus making the upgrade from the old OS to the new one quite a breeze. Some could change until the final product comes out, but as Neowin points out today, they’re quite low for an operating system such as Windows 10. And still, here’s what you need to run Windows 8.1, and very likely Windows 10:

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Free upgrade from Windows 8.1 could be offered

One of the reasons why Microsoft struggled to keep Windows 10 system requirements as low as possible is a potential upgrade offer that could be released when the final version of the operating system comes out. This is yet to be confirmed, but people close to the matter indicated that Windows 10 could be available as a free upgrade for Windows 8.1 users, while Windows 7 computers might be allowed to do the same for a small fee, of around $30 (€23). There’s no doubt that such promos would be announced when Windows 10 is released, as Microsoft needs not only to boost adoption of its new modern operating system, but also to move more users off the previous Windows versions.

Windows 10 will work on all PCs running Windows 8
Image credits to Microsoft

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