All Windows 7/8 Machines Can Be Upgraded to Windows 10

Reading time icon 1 min. read


Readers help support MSpoweruser. We may get a commission if you buy through our links. Tooltip Icon

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help MSPoweruser sustain the editorial team Read more

As widely expected the hardware requirements for Windows 10 will be the same as Windows 7.  The news was confirmed today in a heated exchange on twitter by Microsoft executive Frank Shaw. The vast majority of users should be able to upgrade their machines to Windows 10.  Microsoft has now kept the same minimum hardware specification since Windows Vista.

  • 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

One of Microsoft strategies will be going after the low end of the market to compete with Android tablets. Keeping the hardware spec the same allows OEMs to produce lower cost devices. It is also believed Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for any user using Windows 7 or 8.  This will also be good new for enterprises looking to extend the life of their hardware.

idiotjoanna frank ks

Source: Frank Shaw via Neowin

More about the topics: hardware requirement, specs, windows 10, windows 7, windows 8, Windows 9