Windows 10 is the latest version in line of Windows operating systems provided by Microsoft. With regular upgrades in applications and system specifications, Windows 10 is regularly updated to ensure that different Windows 10 tools, applications, and software functions smoothly, without crashes on computer systems. But, due to high reliability on network connection and additional features for virus protection and system troubleshooting, Windows 10 requirements for installation have also changed with time. It’s important to understand that not every system would run Windows 10 that effectively. There are minimum requirements for Windows 10 updates and installation that the concerned system to fulfil.
Let’s check whether you can run Windows 10 on your system. Now, any new system comes with a pre-installed Windows 10 with the latest version. So assuming you’re still stuck on previous versions of Windows operating system, these points would come really handy for you:
System Requirements for Windows 10 Installation
Windows 10 system requirements comprise of hardware necessities as well as graphics and display requirements needed to run Windows 10 on a system at a fast and reliable speed. Basic requirements for installing Windows 10 are:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster
- RAM: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)
- Graphics: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
- Hard Disk: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- Display: 800×600
With these Windows 10 requirements fulfilled, you can install the OS and get it to run on your required system. But would this go compatible with all system functionalities and user preferences?
What May Render Windows 10 Update in your System Useless?
The specifications mentioned above are minimum requirements for installing Windows 10. But if you think that getting your system ready with these specs only would help you run Windows 10 properly, you’re wrong. To ensure that Windows 10 support all the applications on your system without crashes and unwanted halts, you need to ready your system accordingly. Without that, Windows 10 would perform poorly and would heavily hamper your daily work and experience on your computer, giving different errors on-screen.
So, what are your backup options to get Windows 10 run without any hassle on your system? The answer depends on your usage and the purpose of using a computer system. The heavier your usage is, the better should be your system specs. Let’s break this down into three categories, and you can check in which one you’d fall:
General Usage
General usage would mean minimal use of network connection and using your system majorly as a storage unit for your media files, official documents, and other professional/personal stuff. General users would mostly confine their system use to accessing MS-Office applications and being offline most of the time, besides checking mail and uploading drafts over the cloud.
Windows 10 requirements for such users do not need a heavy processor to attain faster speeds. A basic 1GHz processor with a 4GB RAM setup would work fine in this case. A 4GB RAM would ensure that the other applications do not crash or slow down the system and that there is enough to load up the forthcoming Windows 10 updates. The hard drive can vary as per the user preferences and can be changed if needed.
Heavy Internet Usage
Users falling in this category are bifurcated in two sections. Some professionals use the internet for office work. For example, writers using the web for content research, sales personnel who run related software applications on the web, IT professionals, social media specialists, etc. Then some people are into high-end video streaming on platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and VEVO. In all these cases, browsers are loaded with heavy sites and multiple pages, which ultimately put that load on system RAM. In case the RAM is overloaded, there are always possibilities of a system crash or errors in running programs. Moreover, the tabs running on browsers also affect Windows 10 performance in terms of speed, webpage loading, and start-up time.
Minimum Windows 10 requirements for systems running constant network connection for online streaming would include an 8GB RAM setup powered by a 2.0 GHz processor. Since the web pages would require storage for cache memory, 500GB hard drive would be essential. For users having other heavy files for storage, the hard drive capacity can be extended to 1TB. If you’re streaming in high-resolution, then the original Windows 10 graphics specs may render your system slow. A dedicated graphics card with 2GB-4GB memory would be a perfect add-on to your original Windows 10 requirements.
Gaming: Both Online and Offline
Computer systems dedicated towards heavy gaming need to have the ultimate specs to support the Windows 10 update and keep the system in good shape in its latest OS version. The most basic, and technically the only difference between a Gaming PC and an enormal consumer-end PC is discrete GPU. To fulfil the Windows 10 requirements and ensure smooth functioning of the OS on a gaming-dedicated PC, a minimum of 4GB high-end GPU is necessary. Besides that, the CPU is required to have 8GB+ RAM setup with a minimum of 1TB of hard drive.
These specs for gaming PCs do not ensure a fast and hassle-free gaming experience. There are games with more burdensome requirements as specified by the game manufacturers. However, most of the gaming PCs have sufficient storage and memory to suffice for latest Windows 10 version. So, if you’re planning to buy such a PC, you need not worry about any issues in Windows 10 installation.
Other Requirements
Other Windows 10 requirements generally consist of hardware specifications, that change per every user and his/her system use. For example, a system running continuously over the internet would require a high-speed connection to support Windows 10 background troubleshoots and other processes. Besides this, a gaming PC would best support Windows 10 updates and other functions if there is a high-resolution monitor attached to it. It wears of the load on the system. External accessories such as air vents for better air-flow and prevention of heat-related issues should also be considered.
Driver Updates in Windows 10
One of the prominent tasks in Windows 10 is to regularly update the OS and supporting drivers else your system specifications would be of no use. Microsoft offers constant Windows 10 updates to fix bugs and provide faster processing. On the other hand, the system drivers need to be updated to support resolution settings, video streaming, audio, and network connection facilities over the system.
Updating these drivers is a necessary process and should be repeated at regular intervals. But updating all these drivers can be hectic and time-consuming. It’s better to automate the driver-update process and save yourself all the hassle.
Advanced Driver Updater (ADU) is the best driver updater software that can help you automate the driver update process. ADU enables you to recognize all the drivers that require updates and allow you to update them all at a single click.
Once you install Advanced Driver Updater, you’ll scan for all the potential driver updates on your system. The scanning process would list out all the drivers that have updates available. Next, all you have to do is just click on Update All button and let ADU do its job. Once your drivers are updated, the software proceeds towards backing-up previous driver versions, which provides for roll-back changes if ever required. As the installation is completed, restart your PC, and you’ll be good to go.
General Windows 10 requirements only signify eligibility for its installation. The essential needs for making it function at its best are much broader and expanded. With regular modification in Windows 10 OS, it becomes necessary to upgrade system hardware for better support to the latest OS versions. Moreover, Windows 10 driver updates become more critical when your system uses are exceeded beyond its general capacity. With Advanced Driver Updater, that issue is entirely resolved for all users.
Subscribe Now & Never Miss The Latest Tech Updates!