Microsoft wants just SSDs on pre-built PCs for Windows 11
Microsoft may aim to implement an indirect system requirement for Windows 11 out-of-box systems e.g pre fabricated PCs.
The corporation is requesting that SSDs be used as the primary storage device in all pre-built PCs reports toms hardware. This should be the case by 2023, despite opposition from manufacturers. The current deadlines for the switchover are set for 2023. Trendfocus reports that OEMs have disclosed Microsoft is pushing them to drop HDDs in Windows 11 PCs.
Microsoft's most recent list of hardware requirements for Windows 11 speaks for a "64 GB or bigger storage device," thus an SSD is not a need for a regular install. Microsoft mandates that two functions, DirectStorage and the Windows Subsystem for Android, need an SSD, although you are not required to utilize these features. It is unknown if Microsoft intends to modify the minimum requirements for Windows 11 PCs after the 2023 transition to SSDs for pre-built systems. The initiative to compel OEMs to utilize SSDs instead of HDDs for boot volumes makes a great deal of sense from a performance perspective, since SSDs are orders of magnitude quicker than hard drives for operating systems, resulting in a snappier, more responsive user experience.
Ad: How to buy genuine Office 2021 for only $13.73?Up to 62% off on Microsoft Office! (7/6/22) - 06/07/2022 07:31 AM
As one of the must-have software for computers, the Microsoft Office series has always been the first choice for most people! It is difficult to be productive without having useful office programs ins...
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go - low-priced notebook PC with improved specifications - 06/02/2022 08:50 AM
Microsoft launched the 12.4-inch size mobile notebook PC Surface Laptop Go 2 equipped with the 11th generation Intel Core processor....
Top Gun: Maverick add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for free. - 05/29/2022 10:45 AM
Top Gun: Maverick DLC is now available for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This new free DLC adds several novelties linked to the film, including the ability to undertake high-speed maneuvers and land on ...
Microsoft confirms Xbox Keystone streaming device dedicated to Xbox Cloud Gaming - 05/27/2022 07:06 PM
Xbox Cloud Gaming is available on a variety of platforms and devices, including iOS, Android, Windows, and Xbox. For years, rumors have circulated that Microsoft was developing a device that would all...
Microsoft unveils ARM-based Windows 11 tiny PC devkit and native Visual Studio 2022. - 05/25/2022 08:35 AM
Microsoft revealed numerous new products as part of the Build 2022 event, all of which aim to broaden the breadth of the ARM architecture. ...
Member
Posts: 65
Joined: 2012-01-11
With post-Covid, low manpower, chip shortages, supply chain woes, etc.now would be the best time to force everyone to move to an even more expensive platform. Forget about optimizing the code.
Typical Microsoft.
I won't be surprised if the next request from Microsoft is tell OEMs and manufacturers to stop shipping PCs with integrated GPUs.
Senior Member
Posts: 3557
Joined: 2007-05-31
The SSD is a good point, but i hope that they will not do like they have done with W10 and SD card to oblige people to have a single OS to boot on: Windows
Maybe not enough RAM, below 32g it tend to be slower, at least from what i have seen.
Windows never have been so much "friendly" with other OS than with Windows 11 (exept for booting on them, i agree).
And Apple doesn't change hardware to get rid of Windows, but to be a step ahead in hardware.
Yesterday, a friend let me test his new toy: the big iMac Studio (with M1 ultra: 20 cores CPU, 64 cores GPU and 32 cores NE), it's not the new M2 but my 1st thinking were "OMG it's so tiny but what a beast".
And yes it is still friendly with Windows in emulation for program.
Senior Member
Posts: 435
Joined: 2013-04-05
Microsoft Volume licensing system, it might be served due SSD, because this is not Personal computer, and there is nothing valuable in it so to protect.
Business and Home PC (serving parents) these hold valuable data that an SSD its incapable to protect when it fails.
Also the small sized SSD they do not deliver highest SSD bandwidth in MB/s, as they do the larger SSD.
Cheap SSD starts from 35$, and fast ones they float at 100$ +, extra secure SSD 200$.
WD Gold 1TB can stand in between at 85 Euro, and data rescue this is possible.
I am using always HDD RAID1 and weakly backup on another HDD.
When better days come, I will replace my RAID Raptor 10.000rpm, with the latest WD Gold.
If sequential speed was the end all be all then "...fast..." modern HDDs would not feel sluggish, which they do. Small random reads and writes are what you "feel" when doing typical tasks on a PC and even the cheapest of cheap SSDs is going to stomp HDDs in this metric.
We are also no longer in the days of SATA 150 SSDs where failures were common. I have seen few dead SSDs ever and almost all of them were many years ago. On the other hands I still run into a few dead HDDs every years and exactly 0% of those users were willing to pay for data recovery.
I have a test system I use specifically for testing "is Windows still compatible with this ancient hardware" and even with Windows 11, the system feels perfectly snappy due to the SSD even though its running on a 3.33ghz Core2 Duo. By contrast you can run a 12th gen system on a HDD and its going to always feel sluggish.
IMO a HDD makes way more sense as an external drive so it is only spun up when you need it which will extend its lifespan and if you get hit with ransomware, your data is safe.
Senior Member
Posts: 7144
Joined: 2012-11-10
32GB of RAM!? Seriously? That's absurdly unacceptable for the most basic tasks like updates, shutting down, and opening a menu. No other OS is as slow. A budget Android phone from 5 years ago and only 2GB of RAM can run updates, shut down, and show you your list of apps in less time than Windows 10. I've updated Mac OSX on a Core2 Duo and a mechanical HDD that could perform these tasks faster than a modern Windows 10 PC with 4x the system resources and a M.2 SSD. I can do a fresh install of a bloated Linux disto and get it fully updated faster than Windows can apply 1 month of updates on the same computer.
I never said that. My point was that Microsoft has steadily been pushing themselves into irrelevancy as their only real market appeal is compatibility, and that's been dwindling as phone apps and web apps make such compatibility not really a selling point anymore. Other OSes and game consoles can get the same job done with a fraction of the resources.
Senior Member
Posts: 435
Joined: 2013-04-05
I do a fair bit of charity IT work (schools and retirement community) and running into cheap PCs is a fact of life. There are 2 things you always see:
1. HDD
2. That HDD has at most 200GB space used, usually less.
Cheap PCs moving to low end SSDs is going to be a huge boost to both the user and to the people stuck supporting these PCs.
It is unfortunate that there is no seamless way to combine a SSD and HDD. I have tried the hybrid drives and they are nothing like a real SSD. I've tried solutions like Optane and they are only great after data gets cached. Installing anything is still pretty miserable. The only Optane drive that is actually a good option here is also way too expensive and not officially supported (the 58GB one). Those 16GB ones are e-waste.
Instead of the whole Optane experiment I wish Intel had worked out a solution that combined a SDD and HDD in such a way that the controller was on the actual hybrid drive and intelligently stored files below a certain file size threshold on the NAND and only put large files on the HDD.
At the end of the day I do believe that we have reached a point where SSDs have become the standard and HDDs are now the niche product for specific large file storage.