- Windows 10 end of life means only newer hardware can stay fully supported
- Older Intel and AMD chips will lose security and compatibility updates
- Check processor generation before buying new or used computers
Windows 10 has finally reached its end of its life and users looking to buy a new or second-hand computer need to be careful.
Any PC without Windows 11 support will no longer receive updates, leaving it exposed to security risks and compatibility problems. Provided you’re running a good antivirus and anti-malware program that won’t be too much of an issue short term, but it will be down the line.
Windows 11 introduced stricter hardware requirements than any previous version of Microsoft’s operating system. This includes needing TPM 2.0 support, Secure Boot compatibility, and built-in security mitigations.
Check your processor
Because of these restrictions, many older CPUs simply can’t run Windows 11.
That includes many systems running Intel’s 7th generation Core processors and older, as well as early AMD Ryzen chips.
These restrictions mean that older processors lack the underlying design features to meet Microsoft’s new security and reliability goals.
For Intel, Windows 11 compatibility begins with the 8th generation Core series and newer, so includes all i3, i5, i7, and i9 chips from 2017 onwards, as well as modern Xeon and Core Ultra processors.
Anything older, such as 6th or 7th generation Core models, are not officially supported (the exception is the Core i7-7820HQ, found in a few laptops that shipped with newer driver frameworks).
The same is true for older AMD chips. Only Ryzen 2000 series processors and later meet Windows 11’s baseline.
First-generation Ryzen 1000 processors, as well as older FX and A-series chips, don’t, nor do some early Ryzen Mobile ones.
If you’re considering a second hand PC, check what processor it has. Desktops or laptops built before 2018 likely won’t qualify for official Windows 11 updates, no matter how fast they feel.
Windows 11 can be manually installed on some unsupported systems (there are workarounds), but of course Microsoft frowns upon the idea.
If you’re not sure whether the PC you’re considering buying has the right hardware, you can check the list of supported Intel chips here, and the AMD equivalent here.
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