There's been a lot of confusion surrounding Windows 11 system requirements. From requiring newer CPUs to having a TPM on board has left PC users scrambling to see if their computers are ready. And this just became all the more important, now that Windows 11 is beginning to roll out (check out our Windows 11 review to see if it's worth downloading now).
There's actually been so much consternation that Microsoft has had to pull the PC Health Check app (and then re-deploy it later) as confusion abounded and left many wondering what to do. Here's everything we know so far about CPUs that are compatible with Windows 11.
- Windows 11 release date, beta and all the new features
- How to install Windows 11 — a step-by-step guide
- Plus: Windows 11 requirements: Microsoft says there’s no getting around them
Intel CPU Windows 11 compatibility list
Only chips from Intel's 8th generation or newer will be compatible with Windows 11. Think mid-2017 onward. So, anyone who bought a Surface Pro (2017) will be out of luck, as that uses a 7th generation chip. Microsoft has a full list of all supported Intel processors, including chips from the Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Xeon and Core series. The folks over at PC World scrubbed the list and pulled the most popular consumer-level CPUs. We agree with their assessment.
You can install Windows 11 on older PCs, but there is a catch: You're probably not going to get any updates.
Intel 8th generation (Coffee Lake; Whiskey Lake; Amber Lake)
Desktop
- Core i3-8100
- Core i5-8400
- Core i5-8600
- Core i5-8600K
- Core i7-8700
- Core i7-8700K
- Core i7-8086K
Mobile
- Core m3-8100Y
- Core i5-8200Y
- Core i3-8130U
- Core i3-8145U
- Core i3-8100H
- Core i5-8250U
- Core i5-8250U
- Core i5-8400H
- Core i7-8650U
- Core i7-8665U
- Core i7-8750H
Intel 9th generation (Coffee Lake Refresh)
Desktop
- Core i3-9100
- Core i5-9400
- Core i5-9600
- Core i5-9600K
- Core i7-9700
- Core i7-9700K
- Core i9-9900
- Core i9-9900K
Intel 10th generation (Comet Lake; Ice Lake; Amber Lake)
Desktop
- Core i3-10100
- Core i5-10400
- Core i5-10600
- Core i5-10600K
- Core i7-10700
- Core i7-10700K
- Core i9-10900
- Core i9-10900K
Mobile
- Core i3-10100Y
- Core i3-10100U
- Core i5-10210U
- Core i5-10200H
- Core i5-10400H
- Core i7-10510U
- Core i7-10710U
- Core i7-10750H
- Core i7-10850H
- Core i9-10980HK
Intel 11th generation (Tiger Lake)
Desktop
- Core i3-11100
- Core i5-11400
- Core i5-11600
- Core i5-11600K
- Core i7-11700
- Core i7-11700K
- Core i9-11900
- Core i9-11900K
Mobile
- Core i3-1115G4
- Core i5-1135G7
- Core i5-11300H
- Core i7-1165G7
- Core i7-1185G7
- Core i7-11375H
AMD CPU Windows 11 compatibility list
For AMD, Windows 11 CPU compatibility goes back to 2018. This includes 2nd generation Ryzen (Zen+) chips and above. Microsoft also has a full AMD list, including chips from AMDs Athlon, EPYC, Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper series. Below is a list of the more common consumer-level CPUs. And as PC World noted, chips like the 3300X, 3700, 4600HS and 5900H are missing, even though all are all very recent.
AMD Ryzen 2000 series (Zen+; Zen)
Desktop
- Ryzen 3 2300X
- Ryzen 5 2600
- Ryzen 7 2700
- Ryzen 7 2700X
- Ryzen Threadripper 2920X
- Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
- Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
- Ryzen Threadripper 2990X
AMD Ryzen 3000 series (Zen 2; Zen+)
Desktop
- Ryzen 3 3100
- Ryzen 5 3600
- Ryzen 7 3700X
- Ryzen 9 3900
- Ryzen 9 3900X
- Ryzen 9 3950X
- Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
- Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
- Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
- Ryzen Threadripper 3995WX
- Ryzen 3 3200G**
- Ryzen 5 3400G**
Mobile
- Ryzen 3 3300U
- Ryzen 5 3500U
- Ryzen 5 3550H
- Ryzen 7 3700U
- Ryzen 7 3750H
AMD Ryzen 4000 series (Zen 2)
Desktop
- Ryzen 3 4300G
- Ryzen 5 4600G
- Ryzen 7 4700G
Mobile
- Ryzen 3 4300U
- Ryzen 5 4500U
- Ryzen 5 4600H
- Ryzen 7 4700U
- Ryzen 7 4800HS
- Ryzen 7 4800H
- Ryzen 9 4900HS
- Ryzen 9 4900H
AMD Ryzen 5000 series (Zen 3)
Desktop
- Ryzen 5 5600X
- Ryzen 7 5800X
- Ryzen 9 5900X
- Ryzen 9 5950X
Mobile
- Ryzen 3 5400U
- Ryzen 5 5600U
- Ryzen 5 5600HS
- Ryzen 5 5600H
- Ryzen 7 5800U
- Ryzen 7 5800HS
- Ryzen 7 5800H
- Ryzen 9 5900HS
- Ryzen 9 5900HX
- Ryzen 9 5980HS
- Ryzen 9 5980HX
