Microsoft has updated its minimum processor requirements for Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm on new hardware that ships with Windows 10 version 1903 and the forthcoming version 1909.
The newly updated living document for Windows 10 CPU requirements is an important one for manufacturers that intend to ship new laptops and desktops with Microsoft's latest versions of Windows 10.
The requirements are the same for both versions of Windows 10, which is probably because the two are basically the same – Windows developers, for example, don't even need new tools to target version 1909 if they're already working on software for version 1903.
Microsoft last updated the document in April, shortly before it released Windows 10 version 1903 or the May 2019 Update, which listed Qualcomm's Snapdragon 850 for its Windows on Arm PCs but excluded the new 5G Snapdragon 8cx from the list.
The timing of the 8cx's exclusion coincided with Intel scrapping its 5G modems, but now the 8cx is back on the list for versions 1903 and 1909.
For Windows 10 versions 1903 and 1909, Microsoft now lists the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and 8cx as minimum requirements. Microsoft required the Snapdragon 850 for Windows on Arm PCs shipping with Windows 10 1809 and previously required it for version 1903. The Snapdragon 855's listing could be an error as Neowin notes, as that chipset is meant to be for smartphones.
There aren't many Windows on Arm PCs, but Samsung recently launched the Snapdragon 8cx-powered Windows 10 Galaxy Book S, which rivals Microsoft's brand-new Windows on Arm Surface Pro X tablet. Microsoft co-designed the Qualcomm SQ1 Arm chip on the Surface Pro X.
Microsoft demands that new PCs ship with AMD's 7th gen processors: "Up through the following AMD 7th Generation Processors (A-Series Ax-9xxx & E-Series Ex-9xxx & FX-9xxx); AMD Athlon 2xx processors, AMD Ryzen 3/5/7 3xxx, AMD Opteron[2] and AMD EPYC 7xxx."
On the Intel-based PCs, Microsoft requires Intel's 10th generation 'Comet Lake' processors. "Up through the following 10th Generation Intel Processors (Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9-10xxx), and Intel Xeon E-22xx[1], Intel Atom (J4xxx/J5xxx and N4xxx/N5xxx), Celeron and Pentium Processors."
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