PC, tablets, smartphones: what's the minimum spec for Windows 10?

At the WinHEC conference in China, Microsoft revealed details on the minimum PC, tablet and smartphone specifications required to run its upcoming multi-platform operating system.

Microsoft-Windows-10-Photo-AFP

At the WinHEC conference in China, Microsoft revealed details on the minimum PC, tablet and smartphone specifications required to run its upcoming multi-platform operating system.

Across all device types, Windows 10 will require a GPU that supports at least DirectX 9.

In its PC and tablet versions, Windows 10 will be compatible with screens of 8 inches or more with a minimum resolution of 800x600 pixels. The 32-bit version will require 16GB of disk space and 1GB of RAM, compared to 20GB and 2GB for the 64-bit version. Tablets will need to have an on/off button and a volume dial.

For smartphones, the dedicated version of Windows 10 will be compatible with displays ranging in size from 3 to 7.99 inches. The amount of RAM required will increase proportionally to the display resolution, ranging from 512MB for screens with under 854x480 pixels to 4GB for ultra high-definition screens (2560x2048 pixels). Since at least 4GB are required to run Windows 10, smartphones with less memory will require a microSD card expansion.

Windows 10 to arrive this summer

Microsoft announced it will launch the Windows 10 hardware certification program on April 30, 2015, and the OS itself is now expected to launch this summer in 190 countries and 110 languages. For the first time in Windows history, the new OS will be provided as a free upgrade during one year to Windows 7 and 8.1 license-holders.
Among the new features announced are biometric authentification (facial recognition and a fingerprint reader), the virtual personal assistant Cortana, a revamped Windows Store, a new web browser and the return of the Start menu.