Is Windows 10 Home Better For Gaming

Use Windows 10 Game ModeIt's already built into Windows 10 and dedicates system resources to gaming.Manage active hoursWindows 10 installs updates based on these settings. Set them up, so your computer doesn't update while gaming.Tweak the visual effects settingsWindows runs background graphics constantly. Upgrade your laptop GPU and RAMLet a technician do the installation if you don't have laptop experience.Disable background Windows servicesTurn off background services to speed up your Windows laptop. Extended support until January 13, 2032The original release of Windows 10 receives mainstream support for five years after its original release, followed by five years of extended support, but this is subject to conditions.

Microsoft stated that these devices would no longer receive feature updates, but would still receive security updates through January 2023. Microsoft will continue to support at least one standard Windows 10 release until October 14, 2025. The upgrade offer was marketed and initiated using the "Get Windows 10" application, which was first downloaded and installed via Windows Update in March 2015.

Third-party programs were also created to assist users in applying measures to disable GWX. Windows 10 received generally positive reviews upon its original release. DirectX 12 is a real must-have for anyone serious about playing games on Windows 10. Put simply, DirectX is the application the game uses to communicate with your computer and tell it what to do. Tests have shown an % difference in gaming performance between version 11 and version 12. One of the best ways to upgrade your gaming experience is to upgrade your graphics card.

While they can be expensive, having faster GPUs can improve your FPS count significantly, resulting in much smoother gameplay. If your power supply permits, you can also add a second unit of your existing GPU to create a multi-GPU setup for enhanced gaming performance. Device Guard is designed to protect against zero-day exploits, and runs inside a hypervisor so that its operation remains separated from the operating system itself. A new iteration of the Start menu is used on the Windows 10 desktop, with a list of places and other options on the left side, and tiles representing applications on the right. The menu can be resized, and expanded into a full-screen display, which is the default option in Tablet mode. A new virtual desktop system was added by a feature known as Task View, which displays all open windows and allows users to switch between them, or switch between multiple workspaces.

Universal apps, which previously could be used only in full screen mode, can now be used in self-contained windows similarly to other programs. Program windows can now be snapped to quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, Task View appears and the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen (called "Snap Assist"). There are plenty of fancy visual effects in Windows 10 graphical user interfaces . Nevertheless, those pretty background graphics, most of which are turned on by default, can affect the available processing power of your PC when a game is running in the foreground. So, one way to optimize Windows 10 for gaming performance is to sacrifice some, or even all, of those settings.

Here's a quick and easy way to optimize Windows 10 for gaming using a tool that's built into the system. Game Mode appeared in the most recent releases of the OS and is designed to improve the gaming experience by dedicating more system resources to games. It also prevents other programs, such as Windows Update, from hogging system resources while you're playing. The graphics card works to render still images, or frames, while you're playing a game. The card does it so fast that it's measured by the second, and it works in conjunction with other hardware parts like the RAM, CPU, and GPU to create the full gaming experience. If there's any sort of stoppage within any of these components, your FPS will start to go down.

Most gamers prefer a 60 FPS rate while playing, but most games are actually fine at 30 FPS. The importance of this specific addition that Windows 10 brings to gamers simply can't be stressed enough. DirectX is the application programming interface that games use to communicate with your computer – it's the platform a game uses to get your computer to do what the game wants it to do.

Up until Windows 10, DirectX 11 was the latest and greatest in this pretty long line of toolsets. With Windows 10, Microsoft introduced DirectX 12, bringing gamers tons of amazing new features and advantages. The time of Windows 8 and 8.1, though, has long since passed – now is the time of Windows 10.

With Windows 10, Microsoft tried their best to avoid the mistakes they made with its predecessor and tried their damndest to minimize issues and problems with the Operating System upon launch. Unfortunately, Microsoft wasn't able to hold to their ambitions and Windows 10 was only a little short of a catastrophe for the gaming community upon launch. Despite increased support for macOS and Linux from game developers, Windows 10 is the go-to choice for most PC gamers worldwide. However, the OS still has a few issues that you need to iron out before it offers you optimal gaming performance.

So use this in-depth guide to optimize your Windows 10 computer for the best gaming performance. Once you have done that, check out the best tips and tricks to speed up Windows 10, the best ways to improve battery life of your Windows 10 laptop, and the best mechanical keyboards for gaming. SysMain is a built-in Windows feature that improves startup times for apps and Windows itself. Indeed, background activity often increases when it is enabled, but turning it off can improve gaming performance on your Windows 10 PC. Check out our detailed guide on reducing CPU and memory usageto learn how you can turn off SysMain on your computer.

10 heavily emphasizes freemium services, and contains various advertising facilities. Some outlets have considered these to be a hidden "cost" of the free upgrade offer. On May 2, 2017, Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 S , a feature-limited edition of Windows 10 which was designed primarily for devices in the education market , such as the Surface Laptop that Microsoft also unveiled at this time. The OS restricts software installation to applications obtained from Microsoft Store; the device may be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for a fee to enable unrestricted software installation.

As a time-limited promotion, Microsoft stated that this upgrade would be free on the Surface Laptop until March 31, 2018. Windows 10 S also contains a faster initial setup and login process, and allows devices to be provisioned using a USB drive with the Windows Intune for Education platform. Windows 10 provides greater integration with the Xbox ecosystem. Windows 10 also allows users to control and play games from an Xbox One console over a local network.

The Xbox Live SDK allows application developers to incorporate Xbox Live functionality into their apps, and future wireless Xbox One accessories, such as controllers, are supported on Windows with an adapter. Windows 10 Home also has the Game Mode which boosts performance and lets you stream video from PC to mixer without having to download any extra software. Game Mode minimizes computational processes that interfere with gaming applications.

Most users claim Game Mode helps performance, but there is a dedicated anti-Game Mode demographic of gamers. The main reason why is that there are some games that just do not play well with Game Mode, whether it's because they are too large or if they are just built that way. The option to defer new features is another helpful feature of Windows Home 10. System updates can improve the operating system's efficiency, but they also run the risk of mucking with game-specific settings. Auto-updates could overwrite stored game parameters, forcing you to re-enter them manually. Updates may wreak havoc on the gaming routine, especially if you earn your gameplay by streaming or publishing discussion videos.

While Windows 10 in S Mode might not be the powerhouse of productivity that some heavy-handed users may be accustomed to, it certainly does shine for others. In the world of education, Windows 10 in S Mode provides students with the tools they need to work and collaborate safely without taking a security risk. For older users who might not be up to date on the latest in tech and cybersecurity, Windows 10 in S Mode provides a way for them to still stay connected on a fast device that doesn't put their data at risk.

Finally, for the basic email-checking, Facebook-scrolling, YouTube-watching internet user, Windows 10 in S Mode helps keep your device running at its peak performance without sacrificing access to your favorite apps. With Game Mode, it's our goal to provide a better and more consistent gaming experience on Windows 10, by dedicating more system resources to your game. To enable Game Mode while playing a game, pull up the Game bar (Windows key + G) and click on the Settings button to opt the running game into using Game Mode.

The Creators Update is just the first milestone in our commitment to Game Mode and Windows 10 performance improvements for PC gaming. This edition is designed for "special-purpose devices" that perform a fixed function . For this reason, it excludes Cortana, Microsoft Store, and all bundled Universal Windows Platform apps . Windows 10 is available in five main editions for personal computing devices; the Home and Pro editions of which are sold at retail in most countries, and as pre-loaded software on new computers. Home is aimed at home users, while Pro is aimed at power users and small businesses. Enterprise and Education, the other editions, contain additional features aimed towards business environments, and are only available through volume licensing.

The new Start menu takes after Windows 7's design by using only a portion of the screen and including a Windows 7-style application listing in the first column. Myerson said that these changes would occur in a future update, but did not elaborate. Windows Phone 8.1 would share nearly 90% of the common Windows Runtime APIs with Windows 8.1 on PCs. Windows 10 has a lot of power-saving functions for laptops to help keep them alive for longer durations. This will affect the gaming experience dramatically as your RAM, graphics cards, and CPU won't run at full capacity. To fix this, connect your laptop to its external power supply and be sure that your control settings allow full performance with it connected.

Windows 10 includes several cool features that gamers will appreciate, including the ability to play games across platforms, stream games, and record your gameplay in real time. The enhancements of Windows 10 over previous versions require higher hardware specifications to run as they're intended, so you can upgrade your existing system to take advantage of the gaming features in Windows 10. With SSD prices hitting all-time lows, there's no good reason not to ditch mechanical hard drives for good. That's especially true if you are a gamer, given the massive performance gains offered by solid-state drives in terms of read/ write speeds.

They not only deliver faster Windows 10 boot times and lightning-fast access to programs, but they also improve your overall gaming performance significantly. Check out the best budget gaming SSDs you can buy in 2022. In multi-GPU computers running Windows 10, you can manually specify which graphics card a Windows app/ game should use as default to enhance performance. So setting the high-end dedicated graphics card as the default for your games will optimize gaming performance on your Windows 10 PC. We have already discussed the subject in great detail, so check out our dedicated article on how to set default GPU for games and apps in Windows 10. Another easy way to improve access time for Windows apps is to defrag your hard drive.

Windows 10 offers a built-in defragment option, and you can access it by searching for 'Defrag' in the Windows Search Box. You can also download and install Piriform's Defraggler for more power-user options. Do remember that de-fragmentation is only suitable for mechanical HDDs. You should never defrag SSDs because that reduces their lifespan.

If you're a gamer, note that Windows 11 has some exclusive features catered to you. Auto HDR makes your games look more vibrant, and Direct Storage helps your graphics card and solid-state drive communicate faster. In the future, you'll also be able to enjoy some updates to gaming in windowed mode, too. Windows 10 Pro is a Windows OS more designed for professional use. Windows 10 Pro comes with most of the same base features of Windows 10 Home, such as the battery save, game bar, game mode, and graphics capabilities.

However, Windows 10 Pro has a lot more security features, more virtual machine capabilities, and can support a higher max RAM. Game Mode is now available in Windows 10 Home, which improves performance and allows you to stream video from your PC to your mixer without the need to install any additional software. Game Mode reduces the number of computing operations that obstruct gaming apps. Although most users say that Game Mode improves performance, there is a devoted anti-Game Mode gaming audience.

The major reason for this is that certain games just do not work well in Game Mode, either they're too huge or because they are designed that way. Other critics argued that Microsoft should not have triggered any downloading of Windows 10 installation files without user consent. Unveiled March 2014 at GDC, DirectX 12 aims to provide "console-level efficiency" with "closer to the metal" access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU and graphics driver overhead.

DirectX 12 will also feature support for vendor agnostic multi-GPU setups. WDDM 2.0 introduces a new virtual memory management and allocation system to reduce workload on the kernel-mode driver. On September 30, 2014, Microsoft officially announced that Threshold would be unveiled during a media event as Windows 10. Myerson said that Windows 10 would be Microsoft's "most comprehensive platform ever", providing a single, unified platform for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, and all-in-one devices.

Despite these concessions, Myerson noted that the touch-optimized interface would evolve as well on 10. Unlike the Home edition, Windows 10 Pro also includes the ability to connect to a corporate or school network using Active Directory or Azure Active Directory, and there are options to manage devices over the internet. If you need to set up a kiosk device, this edition has a feature to lock the device to use it with a single application. You can also access the Group Policy Editor to manage advanced system settings. Also, if you need to access apps and files remotely, Windows 10 Pro comes with Remote Desktop to connect remotely within the network or across the internet. If you want to boost FPS over 60 with 4K resolution, you'll need a top-of-the line graphics card like the GeForce RTX 3080 — or two of them linked together in SLI, which combines their processing power into a single output.

You'll also need a 4K monitor with a high refresh rate to support 4K gameplay at a high FPS. Updating your graphics card driver is one of the most effective ways to increase FPS and optimize Windows 10 for gaming. And with Avast Driver Updater, you'll never have to worry about doing it yourself.

Enjoy automatic driver updates for all the hardware in your PC for consistently great gaming performance. It not only lets you overclock your graphics card by increasing its clock frequency and voltage but also offers a fan speed control for the right balance between performance and temperature. MSI Afterburner's OS Scanner feature helps automatically find the highest stable overclock settings for your card, giving you a smooth experience with higher FPS in even the most demanding games. For more details, check out our detailed guide on how to overclock your GPU using MSI Afterburner. As we stated earlier, Windows 10 Home is the best version of windows 10 for gaming and will be the optimal choice for the vast majority of gamers.

Windows 10 Home has some great features like the Game Bar, Game Mode, and streaming capabilities, along with the ability to run any modern game at max resolution settings. Windows 10 Pro can do anything that Home can do, but also comes with some extra security features. Windows 10 Home has the Game Bar, a neat application that lets you manage gaming functions.

Is Windows 10 Home Best For Gaming The game bar lets you stream video/audio and take recordings/screenshots. The Game Bar is also fully customizable so you can tinker with the settings to find something you like. The Game Bar features will appeal to gamers who like sharing with the larger community. For starters, by default, in the main Windows 11 settings under the Gaming tab, a new feature called Game Mode is active. Users of Windows 8 may breathe a sigh of relief since the start menu has returned in Windows 10.

How To Upgrade From Windows 7 To Windows 11

Original equipment manufacturers can still ship computers without a TPM 2.0 coprocessor upon Microsoft's approval. Some third-party software may refuse to run on unsupported configurations of Windows 11. For now, Windows 7 users might upgrade to Windows 10 and wait for the official public launch of the new operating system by Microsoft. If your existing Windows 10 PC is running Windows 10 20H1 or later and meets the minimum hardware specificationsit will be able to upgrade to Windows 11.

The upgrade rollout plan is still being finalized, but for most devices already in use today, we expect it to be ready sometime in early 2022. Not all Windows 10 PCs that are eligible to upgrade will be offered to upgrade at the same time. To see if your PC is eligible to upgrade, refer to our knowledge base for a list of tested systems. Once the upgrade rollout has started, you can check if it is ready for your device by going to Settings/Windows Updates.

Similar to how end users are notified when updates are available in Windows 10, end users will see an indication in the notification areas of the taskbar in the bottom right, that the upgrade is available. More information on how that is presented will be available at a later date. Additional desktop notification options may be also be added at a later date.

According to an FAQ page recently published by Lenovo, Windows 7 users will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 through a clean install. However, only the devices that meet the minimum Windows 11 hardware requirements will be able to run Windows 11. From what it looks like, Windows users have three options to upgrade to the upcoming version of the operating system. They can either upgrade, clean install a new version or reimage their devices. Citing security considerations, the system requirements for Windows 11 were increased over Windows 10. While the OS can be installed on unsupported processors, Microsoft does not guarantee the availability of updates.

Windows 11 also drops support for 32-bit x86 CPUs and devices which use BIOS firmware. The official, release version of Windows 11 is now available as a free upgrade to anyone who has Windows 10 and a PC that meets Microsoft's minimum hardware requirements. However, the Redmond software giant isn't pushing the upgrade to every eligible system at once. Some users will be offered the option to upgrade in their Settings menu on or around the October 5th official launch date while others may be waiting until 2022. Microsoft does not recommend downloading Windows 11 on PCs that do not meet its standards, such as minimum 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, TPM chips, and supported processors.

Windows 11 will not come as an automatic update for unsupported devices, but users will be able to download it off the web. Microsoft has an app called PC Health Check, which can be used to determine if a PC is ready for Windows 11. Some PCs also have TPM chips installed but disabled and you can turn them on by going into your BIOS settings.

He also acknowledged the expansion of Microsoft Store to include more "traditional" desktop applications. For both types of upgrades, head to Microsoft's Windows 11 download page. To perform an in-place upgrade, use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. For a clean install, you must create a bootable USB drive or DVD disc. Windows users should first try the Media Creation Tool for this process, since it does all the work for you. Mac and Linux users will have to flash or burn the ISO file for Windows 11 to a drive or disc, respectively.

You can check out our guide on how to upgrade to Windows 11 for more details on each of these methods. If you have a computer running Windows 7, it is possible to upgrade to Windows 11 without losing your files using the ISO file, but the process will require a complete reinstallation. This means that your apps and settings won't carry over to the new installation. However, before you upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 7, you will still need to make sure the laptop or desktop meets the minimum system requirements. For example, the device must include a motherboard with UEFI firmware, and the processor must be an Intel's 8th Gen or newer or an AMD Zen 2 or newer. This is in addition to the requirements of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot and a minimum of 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.

Windows 11 has higher technical requirements than Windows 10, is possible to install Windows 11 on devices that don't meet the minimum requirements. Upgrading unsupported hardware to Windows 11 will require you to install the update manually using an ISO. There is a different set of minimum minimum requirements your PC will have to meet including 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage space, and two-core 64-bit 1 GHz processor. After a heavy buzz of rounded-corners design and android apps support following its announcement in August, Windows 11 finally arrived earlier this month on October 5. The arrival certainly means big for Microsoft Windows fans as they are getting to try their hands on the brand-new operating system. But not everyone is happy with the arrival of the latest update, thanks to a big if that came with the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 11.

This will not erase any of your personal files and is similar to an OTA (over-the-air) update – however, it's always advisable to have backups. Similarly, you can create a bootable USB drive or a disk image to perform a clean install. As part of the minimum system requirements, Windows 11 only runs on devices with a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 security coprocessor. According to Microsoft, the TPM 2.0 coprocessor is a "critical building block" for protection against firmware and hardware attacks. In addition, Microsoft now requires devices with Windows 11 to include virtualization-based security , hypervisor-protected code integrity , and Secure Boot built-in and enabled by default. The operating system also features hardware-enforced stack protection for supported Intel and AMD processors for protection against zero-day exploits.

The rest of the process is just like any regular old bootable USB installation. Attach the USB drive to the system you want to upgrade to Windows 11, and boot it up. You can now boot into the Windows 11 bootable USB by bringing up your Boot device menu by pressing the boot options key specific to your system. It's usually the Delete key or one of the function keys.

You can look up the key binding specific to your system. Once the boot device menu shows up, select the USB drive, and follow the Windows 11 installation setup. Navigate to the downloaded Windows 11 ISO file, and select it. You should see the Target System label reflect your BIOS Mode as you switch the Partition Scheme.If you have a rather old 64-bit system you're attempting this on, check the Add fixes for old BIOSes option. Your final Rufus screen should look something like this.

At least 16GB of RAM The basic system requirements of Windows 11 differ significantly from Windows 10. Windows 11 only supports 64-bit systems such as those using an x86-64 or ARM64 processor; IA-32 processors are no longer supported. Thus, Windows 11 is the first ever consumer version of Windows not to support 32-bit processors and 16-bit software . The minimum RAM and storage requirements were also increased; Windows 11 now requires at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

S mode is only supported for the Home edition of Windows 11. The compatibility list includes the Intel Core i7-7820HQ, a seventh-generation processor used by the Surface Studio 2, although only on devices that shipped with DCH-based drivers. Microsoft offers several ways to download Windows 11 manually.

One is to use the Installation Assistant app, which you install on your PC to trigger a normal upgrade install via Windows Update. The second is to use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, which automates the process of creating a bootable USB install drive or downloading an install ISO file. Once you have a USB drive, you can either boot from it to perform a clean install or run the Setup app from within Windows 10 to do a normal upgrade install. You can also burn the ISO to a DVD, but installing from any USB drive, even an old USB 2.0 drive, will be much faster, so you shouldn't do that. Finally, you can just download an ISO file directly from Microsoft's site. "Most devices available for purchase now will be upgradeable to Windows 11.

You will have the option to upgrade, clean install, or reimage Windows 10 devices to move to Windows 11. For Windows 7 devices that meet hardware requirements, you will need to clean install or reimage to go directly to Windows 11," the guide on Lenovo's website reads. There are many users who, after the release of Windows 11, went ahead and checked whether their PC is eligible to be upgraded with Windows 11. Sadly, they found out that their PC does not meet the minimum requirements to install Windows 11. In this case, the question arises what options are left then?

Can You Upgrade To Windows 11 For Free From Windows 7 To put it simply, the best option here is to buy a new PC before the deadline, i.e. 2025. Windows 11 will be provided as a free update to all eligible devices that are currently running Windows 10. Eligibility for automatic upgrade is based on certain minimum hardware requirements.

After the announcement of the launch of Windows 11, there was a lot of fuss about the devices that could support it. Windows 11 officially requires a Trusted Platform Module 2.0, UEFI, and Secure Boot in order to run on a machine, and if yours doesn't meet those requirements, you will not be able to install it. The easiest way to check whether your hardware is eligible is by installing Microsoft's own PC Health Check application. Internet Explorer has been replaced by the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge as the default web browser, and Microsoft Teams is integrated into the Windows shell.

Microsoft also announced plans to allow more flexibility in software that can be distributed via Microsoft Store, and to support Android apps on Windows 11 . You can refer to our knowledge base for a list of tested systems to determine if your device eligible to upgrade to Windows -11. Many PCs that are less than four years old will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. They must be running 20H1 or later version of Windows 10 and meet the minimum hardware requirements to receive the Windows 11 upgrade. Devices that do not meet the minimum system requirements will remain on Windows 10 and continue to be supported with security updates. Customers using long term service releases will continue to be supported through the published end of support dates.

For more information about Windows 10 support, see HP products tested with Windows 10. Microsoft has an official support page that details its stance on installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. First of all, there are possible compatibility issues. Windows 11 is still very early and hasn't been tested enough to determine if there will be any crippling compatibility issues if you run it on unsupported hardware.

It is safe to assume that this is a potential problem you may face. Microsoft also says that if you install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, your system loses the guarantee of system updates, including but not limited to security updates. Microsoft makes you accept that the company can stop providing updates, and security patches to Windows 11 on these devices. While Microsoft is unlikely to do that in practice, it's still better to be on the safer side. Also, you're likely to run into driver incompatibility issues on unsupported devices.

Especially, if your computer is running hardware that is more than 5-6 years old. Click the advanced options link during the installation process and choose to run the install without online assistant or updates. We want to install from the file we copied over and not from a file stored in the cloud.

This means there will be updates to download and install after the initial process is completed. To assure we are all on the same page, the following procedure will update an existing unsupported Windows 10 PC to Windows 11. On qualifying hardware, this upgrade is performed automatically as part of the standard security update process. On hardware failing to meet the requirements, the installation must be performed manually. For Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices that meet hardware requirements, you will need to clean install or reimage to go directly to Windows 11.

So this means that you can perform an in-place upgrade to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11, but you will have to perform a Clean install to move from Windows 8.1/7 to Windows 11. Windows 11 is the first version update to the most widely used PC operating system in the world in more than five years. There is a way to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, but we wouldn't recommend it.

Although Microsoft hasn't confirmed it, the company has heavily implied that unsupported users won't receive critical security updates. If you still want to install, you can do so using the Media Creation Tool, which bypasses hardware checks. Microsoft officially released its new operating system on 5 October, but warned that most people will be waiting a while for the free upgrade from Windows 10.

Indeed, if you're running older hardware that's still supported, it could be mid-2022 before the update appears on your device. After the download, double-click the ISO file and then double-click the setup.exe file. Click Next at the initial install screen to check for and download any updates to Windows 11. At the Ready to Install screen, you will see that Windows 11 will be installed and personal files and apps will be kept by default. Click Next to have Windows 11 check for any updates, then accept the license terms.

The Ready to install screen shows that Windows 11 will be installed and that your personal files and apps will be kept. You can then elect to keep personal files and apps, personal files only, or nothing. Many games that use Anti-cheat tools also have started relying on Windows 11 security features to provide fair gameplay.

While these games still work on Windows 10, it is only a matter of time before Windows 11 ends up becoming a requirement. You're going to have a tougher time if you own an older PC that doesn't meet Microsoft's hardware requirements. You'll need a compatible Intel, AMD or Qualcomm processor; 4GB of RAM; and at least 64GB of storage. Also, you'll have to enable Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 , features that should make it harder for spyware and malware to attack your OS. Microsoft's PC Health Check app can help you see if your system is ready for Windows 11. I'd expect many consumers will be upgrading their existing Windows 10 systems, rather than setting up a new computer.

Unfortunately, Microsoft didn't have a way for me to upgrade my PC with a final Windows 11 release. Based on what I've seen with the latest Windows 11 Insider previews, though, moving to the new OS appears to be very similar to installing a major Windows 10 update. On a Surface Laptop 4 I had lying around, the upgrade process took around 15 minutes after downloading the new OS via Windows update. Microsoft has made it abundantly clear that it wants to limit Windows 11 installations to certain PCs with appropriate hardware security features. Unfortunately, those requirements block many older, yet still useable, PCs from the Windows 11 upgrade.

The implication is that users will need to buy new hardware to accommodate Windows 11 sooner rather than later. A Microsoft account is mandatory to access all features. If you haven't checked already, the first step is to make sure your Windows 10 device will be compatible with Windows 11. Microsoft has updated the hardware requirements, meaning plenty of older hardware won't be officially supported. Legacy BIOS is no longer supported; a UEFI system with Secure Boot and a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 security coprocessor is now required. The TPM requirement in particular has led to confusion as many motherboards do not have TPM support, or require a compatible TPM to be physically installed onto the motherboard.