Is windows going to expand its list of compatible CPU's?

Question

Is windows going to expand its list of compatible CPU's?

Holly Dow 0

I have a Intel Core i7-7700 HQ CPU @ 2.80 GHz which apparently is not one of the supported CPU's so I can't download Windows 11. This is the only spec that doesn't meet the requirements. Its got 16 GB RAM and quad core. Its only 7 years old, am I seriously not going to be able to get windows 11?

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Answer 1

Steve Kent 31

Microsoft is being sued over its policy on Windows 10. There are millions of computers that will end up in landfills in some way over this. Clearly the planet is a dumping ground as far as Microsoft's investors are concerned or they would say something about this. I would not be surprised if Microsoft lost the lawsuit in some fashion, and even if they settle, that is precedent for millions of other users to sue them. My other half had a problem with a car manufacturer. They were unreasonable in handling a situation they should have. She sued and they settled. She got all her money back. That settlement became part of several hundred thousand people suing the same manufacturer over the same issue - so these things do blow up when a manufacturer takes a strong arm position. All Microsoft has to do is say yes you can put Windows 11 on any computer it will work on. We won't mess with you if you do, and we will provide updates, doing our best to not harm anyone. If instead they say "we have to get rid of W10 because it is a security risk," then they are admitting they sold a defective product to millions of people. I wonder how that would go over in a class action. Time will tell. We have two seven year old computers that were top of the line that are going out in the neighborhood cleanup next month. Really sad. Future generations will ask what were those people thinking, other than greed.

John Moore 0 Reputation points

2025-10-24T14:44:24.8433333+00:00

No manufacturer should control the power to disenfranchise millions of customers period. Our laws furthermore protect its citizens from such Corporations explicitly for what Microsoft has done continuously for decades. Specifically they are a Hardware Company, who has the ability to protect update and create new Advancements for products that are in use and being used world wide! The fact remains that all other industries have created secondary corporations that support existing products and hardware so that existing Customers are not effected or forced into unnecessary and costly options for or by the original products those Companies that created them. They are to be used as an advancement to the production of humanity. Microsoft has created a monopoly that discriminates against all of its previous customers by forcing people into buying software they created that only enhances another generation of users. If they can do that then it should be a no brainer to create software that helps their previous generations from becoming obsolete. Case in point if we as human beings are able to advance our well being physically and mentally then so should other forms of technology! If not then what was the point of creating such technologies in the first place. It is beneficial to Microsoft to do so or face legal ramifications that would be used to make them an example. As they have enjoyed illegally doing so to Hundreds of millions and billions of people for decades! It is time to rain in such rogue Corporations that we the people made them as valuable as we ourselves look to the future for generations to come!

Answer 2

Hello,

Microsoft drew the line at 8th-gen Intel CPUs and newer (except for a few select 7th-gen high-end models like the i7-7820HQ). Windows 11 relies on newer hardware security protections. These were only fully tested and guaranteed to work starting with 8th-gen Intel chips, which is why Microsoft set the cutoff there. It’s about security validation, not raw performance.

YOu can stay on Win10 and get the ESU to extend support for another year. Or you might be able to bypass the hardware check to clean install Win11, although this is not officially recommended, and you could run into update issue down the road.

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Is windows going to expand its list of compatible CPU's?

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