A PC needs a minimum of 4GB RAM memory and 64GB of storage, a
graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 or later, an 8th
generation or newer processor and a Trusted Platform Module
(TPM) 2.0 to *officially* run Windows 11. While TPM is included
in all modern PCs, the compatible processor list is indeed
short and absurd.

Only 8th generation or newer processors are officially
supported. Owners of relatively recent PCs with 7th Gen
Intel Core CPUs are ineligible for Windows 11. While processors
like Core i7-7660U are not on the list of supported CPUs, it is
still possible to install the OS by modifying Registry.

In one of the Windows Insider webcasts
where the company teased a
new colourful Task Manager, one of the employees was
spotted running Windows 11 on Core i7-7660U. A Program Manager
at Microsoft showed off his Windows 11 desktop and Task Manager
running on a device equipped with Core i7-7660U.

It’s possible that the screenshot is from a virtual machine,
but it doesn’t really matter as virtualization uses the
underlying physical CPU, which means the employee’s hardware
was indeed running Windows 11 installation on a Core i7-7660U.

Revisiting Microsoft’s absurd CPU requirements for Windows 11

The list of supported Intel processors didn’t change and won’t
be changing when Windows 11 version 22H2 launches in the fall.
Microsoft has previously said it “analyzed” the 7th- generation
of Intel hardware including the powerful Core i7 lineup and
concluded that the lineup doesn’t deserve to be officially
supported.

In a long blog post, Microsoft justified the new system
requirements by citing the performance and security benefits of
new processors. By enforcing the sticker standards, the company
plans to make Windows 11 PCs more secure, reliable and faster
than their predecessors.

According to Microsoft telemetry, devices failing to meet the
minimum system requirements had 52% more kernel mode crashes.
On the other hand, supported hardware had a 99.8% crash-free
experience.

This data doesn’t mean Windows 11 is bug-free. In fact, a quick
glance at Feedback Hub reveals that the operating system is
plagued with numerous bugs, including a slow context menu.

Microsoft’s CPU requirements don’t make sense, but the
company’s argument is acceptable when it comes to the security
argument.

That’s because the TPM 2.0 enables hardware-based
authentication and it significantly improves the overall
security standard of the operating system by enforcing features
like secure storage of Bitlocker disk encryption keys.