AMD Ryzen CPUs to support Windows 7 with drivers
The lads at Computerbase noticed that AMD is hard at work with Ryzen drivers, Windows 7 is also getting fully supported opposed to what Intel is doing (Kaby lake only has full support starting at Windows 8.1).
AMD will make Ryzen fully compatible with Windows 7, which is still supported by Microsoft for another three years. The info was shared by AMD at an partner event. Basically this opens up all processor instruction sets for Window 7, as long as they are compatible with the OS of course similar to what Kaby Lake had with HEVC / 10-bit encoding driver support. Microsoft is not supporting Intel’s latest Kaby Lake range of CPUs on any OS below Windows 10, kind of weird right? We're not sure how that will detail itself in realtion to Ryzen as Microsoft clearly stated not to support new processors on older operating systems.
So there you have it, if you do not have the stomach upgrading to Windows 10. AMD have reportedly announced they will be providing drivers for Windows 7, the favourite OS of many.
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Senior Member
Posts: 8103
Joined: 2014-09-27
I'm curious how will this work. I have never heard about a driver for a CPU.
This also is not the same thing as Windows getting support for those CPUs, right?
I'm pretty confused.
All CPUs have drivers actually, they are the most important drivers you have for an OS actually. It is the same thing, since AMD will write that driver, unlike Intel with Kaby which won't write that CPU driver for Windows.
Senior Member
Posts: 816
Joined: 2014-02-23
Well... ok, but... WHY?
Regardless of anything - Ryzen buyers WILL be building new PCs. It won't be "just" an upgrade not requiring fresh Windows installation.
And installing Windows 7 on a new PC... well, it is strange. I don't get it.
Why not? I'm going to suggest it to a friend now that it's been confirmed. I might go the same route myself.
Senior Member
Posts: 152
Joined: 2013-11-26
I'm curious how will this work. I have never heard about a driver for a CPU.
This also is not the same thing as Windows getting support for those CPUs, right?
I'm pretty confused.
Oh, there are drivers for the CPU - the ones, that I remember for installing last time(many years ago) were "Dual Core Optimizer" ones from AMD for Win XP

Senior Member
Posts: 2196
Joined: 2007-01-16
Well... ok, but... WHY?
Regardless of anything - Ryzen buyers WILL be building new PCs. It won't be "just" an upgrade not requiring fresh Windows installation.
And installing Windows 7 on a new PC... well, it is strange. I don't get it.
You don't have to buy a new OS for a new PC if you're replacing it - I've had the same Windows 7 key from my Q6600 build when I moved to my i5 build - all you have to do is revoke the licence from an installation (so Windows is no longer activated) and you regain an activation with the key - then replaced hardware, used the key and hey presto, Win 7 on the i5 (and of course, upgraded to Win10 when it was available).
So anyone who has an existing Win7 PC and want to migrate to a new build, they can (of course it means you can no longer use the old build with that key if you intend to still have the PC).
Senior Member
Posts: 184
Joined: 2016-09-19
Nice move, even now i still build new desktops with windows 7, not everyone is happy with forced MS politics
btw. with war coming all windows 10 users can forget to run computer without net and ms servers, after week all certs and credentials expire and you will stay with nothing