Windows 8 consumer Preview is now available for download. Other than ARM tablets, any of the current PCs, laptops or tablets can run Windows 8. Windows 8 system requirements include a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM (or 2GB for 64-bit), 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit), and a DirectX 9 graphics card.
Hit the jump to learn more about Windows 8 system requirements…
Windows 8 System Requirements
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
- 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 or higher
- To use touch, you need a tablet or monitor that supports multitouch
- To access Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
- To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768
The official Building Windows 8 blog has just published a detailed system requirements for Windows 8:
- One new element to Windows 8 is the requirement that Metro style applications have a minimum of 1024×768 screen resolution, and 1366×768 for the snap feature. If you attempt to launch a Metro style app with less than this resolution (e.g. 800×600, 1024×600) you will receive an error message.
- With the Consumer Preview, if you want to support touch, you will need a screen that supports multi-touch.
- Secured Boot requires a new UEFI BIOS, which is not available broadly on PCs yet, but is starting to be made available. If your machine does have UEFI, you can enable it via BIOS settings.
- BitLocker does not require but performs more seamlessly if your PC has a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Machines that have this sometimes require it to be enabled via BIOS settings. BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive that meets performance criteria evaluated at installation time.
- Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and an additional 2 GB of RAM. You can also enable SLAT via a BIOS setting.
- Some games and other software require graphics capabilities compatible with DirectX 10 or higher (including some games available in the Consumer Preview and in the Windows Store. We will continue to improve the verification of your system prior to downloading or running software with these requirements). Some games and programs might require a graphics card for optimal performance.
- If you clean install instead of upgrade (see below), you should check your PC manufacturer’s website to make sure you install any specific drivers that they provide there. Many laptops will get better battery life with a power-optimized driver that is specific for that PC (often known as ACPI, Power, or Chipset driver).
Even the likes of Dell Inspiron Duo can handle Windows 8 very well. Any system running Windows 7 can easily run Windows 8 no more system requirements.
Also checkout:
- Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview
- Download Windows Server 8 beta
- Windows 8 in action [Video]