Windows 10 hardware requirements and ways to optimize it for this OS

Difference between 32 and 64 bit systems

An important component when choosing is the processor. First, you need to find out what bit depth your processor supports (32 or 64). Just like 32 bits. The processor only works with 32 bits. systems, while 64 bit. processor, can work with 32 and 64 bit OS. You can find out this on the official website of your CPU manufacturer.

For example, on the Intel website, it is designated as follows:

If you need an OS for a weak netbook, it doesn't matter whether it is 32 or 64 bit. The only difference between them is that the first one does not see more than 3GB of RAM. That is, if your PC is equipped with 6GB of RAM, but you have a 32-bit system, then the device will use only 3GB of memory, while the rest will simply not work.

Therefore, if your PC is equipped with no more than 3GB of RAM, then the answer to the question of whether it is worth installing a 64-bit version of Windows is obvious. If you suddenly don’t know which Windows is currently installed on your laptop, you need to:

1. Go to “ My Computer ”;
2. Right-click on the free space and select “ Properties ”;
3. All information regarding the OS installed on the device will appear in front of you;

Next, we will look at the most popular versions and find out which OS is best for weak computers.

Millions of users still own PCs and laptops that are more than five years old. In some apartments, offices, offices of organizations and enterprises, there are cars produced even earlier. A natural question arises: what operating system should I install on them now?

Many citizens still work with WinXP, but it is no longer supported and is not compatible with a huge number of modern technologies, and its 32-bit version does not even “see” more than 4 gigabytes of RAM. It is often believed that the older the equipment, the earlier version of Windows should be installed on it. But there is an important caveat here. developers are well aware that in the markets of Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the CIS there are many people who do not have the opportunity (and sometimes the need) to purchase modern, new generation equipment. Different versions appear - “home”, “home basic”, and the very simple “starter”. They are designed for PCs that cannot cope with “professional” and “maximum” ones.

Criterias of choice

Many people, convinced that they can get approximately the same results in terms of performance, rely on the visual component. Some people like the “native” interface of the seven, others like the more modern one inherited from the ten. In simple versions, the demanding Aero is disabled and will not consume resources.

Skype is built into 10 and updates itself. Now you don’t need to download the popular program and worry about the latest version. The new version of IE (EDGE) performs well, it has become faster, more convenient and has received various security features. The only negative is the need to allocate enough space for the system disk, otherwise the system will soon begin to work slowly. Ten can take up from 30 to 40 GB of space on the hard drive. Let's add to this office and other programs, without which it is difficult to imagine the life of a modern PC user. It is better to allocate from 70 to 100 GB for these needs. Windows 7 will require the same 30 gigabytes plus software, a swap file and a hibernate file in which data is saved when the PC goes into sleep mode. The space occupied by the OS depends on the architecture - 32 or 64 bit. Pay attention to this point. If your computer or laptop has more than 3.5 GB. RAM, then only the second option will do.

Work machines are traditionally subject to special security and data protection requirements. They are higher in the 10th.

Minimum requirements for Win7:

• Processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz;
• Random access memory (RAM) – 1024 MB;
• The minimum amount of space on the HDD is 16 GB;
• Video card supporting DirectX 9.0C.

There are two important differences for Windows 10. Firstly, 2 GB of memory for 64-bit. Secondly, from 20 GB on HDD for installation.

An important nuance when choosing is the presence of various peripherals and office equipment. These are old printers and scanners, MFPs, sound cards, graphics tablets and other equipment. If you have something similar, then it is easier to find the necessary drivers for an earlier Windows.

Windows Xp

Along with Vista, XP is one of the most versatile.

As for the minimum technical requirements, we have the following indicators:

• Pentium 300 MHZ.
• 1.5 GB of free hard drive space.
• 64 MB of RAM.
• Integrated video card and monitor with a minimum resolution of 800×600 pixels.

XP can be installed either from a disk or from a flash drive - it doesn't matter.

Before the release of Windows 7, XP was the best system for a long time. However, back in 2014, Microsoft decided to stop supporting this version and provide updates, which means today it is no longer relevant and is installed for only two reasons:

1. For old computers and laptops with weak characteristics.
2. If there are no drivers for certain hardware, programs, or applications.

The second option applies more to work PCs than to home PCs.

That is, Windows XP is a lightweight operating system that is perfect for simple devices. However, we can say with confidence that it is outdated (the last update was back in 2014) and is not particularly fast.

Windows 7

This version is also suitable for weak laptops.

And now you will understand this when we look at the minimum technical requirements:

• 1GHz processor.
• 1GB RAM.
• 16GB of hard drive space.
• Video card with DirectX9.

Nowadays, Windows 7 is considered one of the most famous and popular, despite its age, and it was released in 2009. Seven combines the best qualities of all other versions:

• Low system requirements.
• Stable operation without errors or failures.
• Quite high performance.
• Supports a large number of programs, applications and equipment.
• Optimized work on laptops.

That is, we can say with confidence that the seven is superior to XP in many respects, and at the same time it is not much more demanding and is perfect for an old laptop.

Windows 7 for weak PCs Professional SP1 x86 Game OS 2.8 Final by CUTA

Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL Rus SP1 x86 Game OS
is a build based on a licensed image of Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL SP1 rus VL, which integrates updates and applies settings and tweaks to improve stability and increase system performance. This assembly is perfect for a gaming computer and is recommended for installation on an SSD, as it takes up minimal space.

Computer for system:

-1 GHz processor; -1 GB of RAM -At least 15 GB of disk space -DirectX 9-compatible video card

Windows 7 for weak PCs Professional SP1 x86 Game OS 2.8 Final by CUTA torrent, changes:
About the assembly:
-Integrated
UpdatePack7R2-20.6.11 from simplix >>>
. -Integrated USB 3.0/3.1/3.2 drivers -Integrated NVMe drivers. -Integrated Internet Explorer 11. -Applied system settings to increase performance and ease of use. -Replaced the icons of the system disk, USB devices and the background image when the system boots. -Added Game OS theme -At the end of the installation, when you first start the OS, some useless components will be disabled. -Windows update is completely disabled.

Settings and tweaks:
Disabled services
- Remote Registry - Windows Error Logging Service - Program Compatibility Assistant Service - Diagnostic Policy Service - Tablet PC Input Service - Indexing Service - Print Manager - Superfetch
Settings
- Desktop Icons, User Folder and Computer.
-Display file extensions. -Large icons in the control panel. -Window animation is disabled. -Disabled auto updates for Internet Explorer 11. -Disabled auto updates for Windows. -Hibernation is disabled. -All power controls are enabled -The power plan after installation will be high performance -CPU core parking is disabled (from the network) -Hard drive shutdown is disabled -UAC is disabled -System boot is optimized. -Disabled auto audio equalization Tweaks
-Tweaks to speed up DirectX 3D -Do not unload the system kernel and drivers into swap.
-A number of tweaks to improve NTFS performance. -Increased priority for active processes. -Complete stop of the USB device when safely removed (as in Windows XP) -And a number of tweaks that improve system performance. The following tasks have been removed:
-Customer Experience Improvement Program -Diagnosis -Application Experience -Autochk -Media Center -MemoryDiagnostic -Power Efficiency Diagnostics -MobilePC -RAC -WDI -Windows Error Reporting -Windows Defender

Changes in 2.8

-Integrated
UpdatePack7R2-20.6.11 from simplix >>>
. -Updated some drivers for USB 3.0/3.1/3.2. -Additional OS settings.

Treatment procedure:

On the desktop, open the Activators folder. Choose one of the suggested ones. List of activators: - AAct 4.1 Portable by Ratiborus - GUI MBR SLIC Loader 0.621 by DDDC v1.2 by Kolizey - KMSAuto Lite Portable v1.5.6 - Windows 7 Loader eXtreme Edition v3.503 - Windows Loader 2.2.2 by Daz

Checksums:

Windows 7 Professional SP1 x86 Game OS 2.8 Final by CUTA.iso
MD5:
03412e96e3ee7252ac8f81e5710f1294
SHA1:
bae0cf6edcbcad4955a4157d88ee805f7b61b2c8
CRC32:
156c1107

List of integrated NVMe drivers:

• Intel - NVMe Storage 4.4.0.1003 • OCZ NVMe - 1.2.126.843 • Micron NVMe - 2.1.5.0 • Samsung NVMe Controller - 3.3.0.2003 • Native nvme driver for Windows 7

List of integrated drivers for USB 3.0/3.1/3.2:

AMD - 1.0.5.3/1.1.0.0276 ASMedia - 1.16.58.1 Cypress - 3.4.5.000 Etron - 1.00.0000.0119 Fresco Logic - 3.8.35514.0 Intel - Mod 5.0.4.43/17.2.70.3 Renesas - 2.1.39.0/3.0 .23.0 Texas — 1.16.6.0 VIA — 6.1.7600.5601
Attention!
Anti-virus programs may trigger unsigned drivers from Intel and AMD. This is normal, since only modified drivers allow the OS to work on new platforms, computers.

List of integrated updates:

Show/Hide text

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Details about enabling Game Mode:

This OS build has a small utility called Game_Mode.exe on the desktop. Immediately after launching it, you can turn “Game Mode” on or off.

Some recommendations:
-The scheduled defragmentation task has been deleted and will not be executed.
But this does not mean that it does not work at all. In the disk properties you can enable or disable the auto defragmentation schedule. -Before installing drivers, you need to install system components: DirectX 9, Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 2005-2008-2010-2012-2013-2019, NET Framework, etc. You can use System software for Windows >>>
.

Screenshots of Windows 7 for weak PCs Professional SP1 x86 Game OS 2.8 Final by CUTA torrent:

Download Windows 7 for weak PCs Professional SP1 x86 Game OS 2.8 Final by CUTA via torrent:

Windows 8 and 8.1

Minimum technical requirements:

• 1Ghz processor with support for NX, SSE2 and PAE.
• 16GB of free space on HDD.
• 1GB RAM.
• Video card with DirectX9.

Windows 8 is not superior, but also absolutely in no way inferior to Windows 7, and in principle is suitable for weak computers, but it is unlikely to be able to fully function on outdated models.

The only difference is that by default this version does not have the “Start” button familiar to users; instead, a tiled screen appears. I would also like to say that it works a little faster than its predecessor, which is especially noticeable when loading the PC after turning it on. That is, there is not much difference between them: the applications and equipment work the same, and they themselves are very similar.

Windows 10

Before we talk about whether Windows 10 is suitable for an old computer, let's look at its technical requirements:

• Processor – at least 1GHz.
• 1GB of RAM for 32-bit systems and 2GB for 64-bit systems.
• 16GB of free space for 32 bits. and 20GB for 64x, respectively.
• Video card with DirectX9.

Almost 5 years have passed since the release of the dozen (release date June 1, 2015). During this time, the OS has been updated hundreds of times, and if previously among dozens of users it was famous for its large number of flaws, today it can be called a fairly stable OS.

Therefore, if your PC meets the stated hardware requirements, then you can safely install Windows 10. But before that, I want to draw your attention to one important point, especially for users of weak computers:

• Device drivers must be compatible with version ten. Otherwise, you risk encountering a blue “BSOD” screen after installing incompatible drivers. You can check the compatibility of each device on its manufacturer’s website by entering the component model into the search. For example, for video cards this is nvidia.ru or amd.com.

In addition, Windows 10 and 8 differ only in a slightly modified graphical appearance, browser and the presence of some new functions. When choosing any version from 7RK and higher, you need to be prepared for the fact that your antivirus will consume 2-3 times more RAM (512MB-2GB) than on XP. Exactly how much RAM it will consume can be found in the system requirements of each antivirus. Therefore, be sure to take this factor into account.

On an old laptop, which would be better: Windows 7 or Windows 10?

Everyone can decide for themselves what is better than Windows 7 or Windows 10 in a practical way. To do this, just conduct an experiment and install the new build 1703 for PC on your old laptop.

If the old versions of the “ten” worked with a system load comparable to Windows 8/8.1, then the latest build has become more voracious in terms of the device’s hardware resources.

What can we say if Microsoft recommends for its future cloud version of the “tens” for educational institutions laptops based on at least 4-core Celeron processors with 4 GB of RAM.

But this is a “stripped-down version of the ten”, designed to oust Chromebooks from schools. What then can we say about the normal operation of a full-fledged “ten” on old devices released during the Vista era. Only Windows 7 works more or less normally with them.

If you are looking for a replacement for Windows 10, then know that in addition to Linux distributions, you can simply use older but current versions of the OS. Even Win 8.1, despite the terrible METRO interface, is sometimes more profitable (especially if it’s licensed).

New system for new devices

The debate about which operating system is better—Windows 10 or Windows 7—is resolved only when you have a relatively new device, which is 2–3 years old. Older ones will definitely work faster on the “seven”. Even installing a fast SSD drive won’t help (with it, version 7 of the system will become lightning fast).

There was a time when streaming Flash content played better on Windows 10:

However, with the release of more optimized browsers and antiviruses (which significantly “load” the device’s hardware), it is easier to use Windows 7.

That is, on older and weaker devices, Windows 7 is again more relevant.

It can work on devices originally designed for Vista with single-core Celeron processors, while newer systems will not even be installed on such a configuration.

When choosing what to install on your computer - Windows 7 vs Windows 10 - you should proceed from the hardware of your device and personal aesthetic wishes.

After all, it is not news that not all users like the interface of the tenth windows.

Privacy and Security

In each banner, Microsoft claims that the new Windows 10 has become safer and more secure, that it is ready to offer the user much more than the old “seven”. But is this really so? Something similar was said about XP from 2001, whose network share is still higher than that of Windows 8.1.

Security refers to “patches” that cover potential OS vulnerabilities, and standard anti-virus software. Install a good antivirus on Windows 7, and you simply won’t need Windows 10. But universal metro applications have not become popular since the G8 (2012); they are still perceived as a tribute to universality with mobile platforms.

In addition to security itself, a large number of users are interested in the level of confidentiality of the new system.

And in this aspect, the “dozen” of all releases have enough problems. The corporation knows literally everything about users. Not many people would like someone to know their browser history, all the passwords and texts they typed on the keyboard, or view personal photos and videos. Although Microsoft claims that it encrypts all data, is it really so?

Glitches and automatic updates

To ensure up-to-date anti-virus protection and constantly improve functionality, Microsoft abandoned the practice of giving the user a choice when downloading updates. From now on, they are downloaded and installed automatically, without the user’s knowledge.

In the first releases, this caused a lot of problems for users who lost unsaved data during reboots or suffered bugs that came with each new update.

Utilities have even been released by third-party specialists that disable automatic updates, surveillance, and remove METRO applications.

Moreover, Microsoft's innovation (so-called cumulative updates) is not so much intended to help the user as to help the corporation reduce the load on its servers.

If previously updates came to the device only when needed, now large (400–500 MB) packages are downloaded every Tuesday.

And since, by default, each PC with 10 on board shares updates with computers over the local network, such packages are needed only so that the PCs themselves update each other, putting less load on the corporation’s servers.

Built-in Skype, viewing 3D content

The new release of tens 1703 finally allows you to update metro applications and download extensions for the EDGE browser on a local user account. The assembly includes integrated Skype and applications for developing and viewing 3D content.

However, is it really needed if only specialists do it, and the standard browser has been used by a very small percentage of users since the days of IE6? Of course, if you have a license for Windows 10 and a new computer, then going back to Windows 7 is stupid, but you shouldn’t specifically look for a more outdated OS.

Every device must work what it was designed to do. The laptop worked on XP - most likely, it will work with difficulty on Win7. If the PC was running Vista or 7, there is no need to torture it with “ten” unless there is an urgent need for it. After all, all games and programs are released specifically for this OS, but with optimization for the top ten.

If you make a scrupulous comparison of what you will lose by installing the old system, it turns out that it is nothing special.

There is absolutely no point in buying the “tenth Windows” specifically.

Gaming computers and new OS

When the user uses the computer exclusively for gaming purposes and surfing, the best solution would be to use a newer operating system.

It is corporate clients who need strict support for outdated software and paperwork. For the average user, a “good Windows” is the one that is newer.

Moreover, users, as usual, will use its capabilities by a maximum of 10%. Users extremely rarely use standard software:

• browsers;
• record players;
• antiviruses.

They always try to replace them with third-party free or even hacked analogues, the same most often happens with the OS.

If we talk about gaming power, the latest releases of Windows 10 offer gamers ample opportunities: this includes a new DirectX library and a more optimized “game mode”. On Steam, subscribers for the most part have long since switched to a newer OS.