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With news about Windows 8 development and release in sometime in the near future, there are those who have been very concerned that we will all have to go out and buy new computers and laptops. The demonstration of the Windows 8 upgrade and system features was very exciting. It showed how Windows 8 will handle many applications at once, it will run on ARM and SoC (System on Chip) meaning it will run faster, and it will run on any device. Does this mean we will have to change our machines? Does it mean our current machines will run slowly and not function well with Windows 8? Here is a look at some of the issues.
ARM and Soc
ARM processors have been around for some time. They are the low power and yet very powerful and small processors in all smartphones and similar devices. SoC means the operating system can run on a chip and does not need a harddrive, for example. What this means is Windows 8 will run on your smartphone, tablet (ARM and SoC devices) and will also run like it has done to date, on a laptop and normal PC computer.
Harddisk
In terms of your laptop, it is clear that your machine will require a minimum of 16GB hard disk for the 32 bit version and a 32GB hard disk for the 64 bit version. The 64 bit version will be extremely fast, and the difference will be very noticeable.
RAM
Older computers normally still have less than 1 GB of RAM. Only laptops that have been released in the last 3 years have more than 1 GB RAM. You will need a minimum of 1 GB RAM for the 32 bit version, and you will need at least 1.5 GB to 2 GB RAM for the 64 bit as minimum.
Processor
It is obvious the new OS will need 1.5 GHz of processing power to run on your machine. While this figure is not particularly high for any laptop that has been released in the last 2 years, it does mean many slightly older personal computers and laptops still in use, will need replacement. Those computers are already very slow compared with what is standard, but as it stands, they still function relatively well.
Video
Video cards are very important for computers today. The video card is the part of your computer that allows speedy and smooth graphics on your computer. Even older computers have a 128 MB in memory on their video cards, and this is the expected minimum requirement.
Conclusion
So what does this all mean for us? If you don’t have a relatively new computer and laptop, you will probably need to buy a new one if you want to enjoy the new Windows 8 upgrade. Good quality laptops available on the market come with 4GB RAM as standard. These are only the minimum requirements, and will mean your computer can barely handle the operating system. So in a nutshell, will most people have to buy a new computer? The answer is a resounding ‘YES’.
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Did you even try to read or listen to the windows 8 system requirements from Microsoft during their various conferences? Windows 8 has the same system requirements as Windows 7.