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Based on Windows 7 Specs

The Windows 8 Developer Preview made available in conjunction with the Sept. 2011 Build conference provides a snapshot of Windows 8 hardware specifications. On the download page for the Windows 8 Developer Preview, Microsoft indicates that Windows 8 "works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7." Based on this information, systems using x86 processors should have a minimum processor speed of 1GHz, and at least 1GB of RAM and 16GB of available disk space. Systems using x64 processors should also have a minimum processor speed of 1GHz, but 2GB of RAM and 20GB of available disk space.

Although a computer with these minimum requirements may be capable of running Windows 8, a better baseline for Windows 8 requirements is the prototype Samsung tablet given to Build attendees, which features a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (x64) processor, 4GB double data rate type three (DDR3) synchronous dynamic RAM, and a 64GB solid-state drive.

Extending Requirements for New Features

Although Windows 7 hardware specifications provide a baseline for Windows 8 hardware, new features being added to the Windows 8 OS can create new hardware dependencies. (For a summary, see "Windows 8 Hardware Requirements".)

Fast, Secure Boot

Despite improvements to power management, including improved support for sleep and hibernation that can eliminate the need to completely power down a computer, reduce power use, and prolong battery life, according to the Building Windows 8 blog, the typical user still boots a computer once or twice a day. A key Windows 8 goal is to make sure that when a computer is turned on from a completely powered-down state, it boots quickly, without malicious software such as a rootkit, and if any user interaction is necessary, the soft keyboard on touch-enabled devices is immediately accessible.

The traditional BIOS interface has been replaced by a newer firmware architecture called Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), which is a new model for the interface between the OS and platform hardware that provide a standard environment for booting an OS and running pre-boot applications.

Many OEMs ship server hardware that supports this new standard, but almost all Windows-based laptops and desktops still rely on traditional BIOS. Some OEMs are starting to ship laptop and desktop models that come with UEFI support. For example, the HP Compaq Elite 8600 computer supports UEFI. Organizations may want to work with their OEMs to determine which computer models are currently available with UEFI support.

Hyper-V Support

The third version of Hyper-V, Microsoft's virtualization software, which has been part of Windows Server since Windows Server 2008, will be included with the Windows 8 client OS. Hyper-V allows users to run multiple different 32-bit and 64-bit OSs, including older versions of Windows, in a virtual machine (VM). VMs will allow desktop or laptop users to run older applications that have a dependency on the older OS, or to test new software on multiple versions of an OS. For example, Microsoft has previously released preconfigured VMs containing an OS with an older version of Internet Explorer (IE) for Web developers to test their Web sites and applications. Some organizations also use VMs to provide a standard, secured desktop environment on user-furnished computers.

Hyper-V has hardware requirements, such as a 64-bit processor that has Virtualization Assist technologies (which is included with most x64 processors from AMD and Intel). Hyper-V is not supported on computers with AMD or Intel x86 or ARM-based processors. The x64 processor must also support Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), because hypervisors need to translate a second level of addresses for the VMs from "physical" memory addresses inside the VM to actual physical addresses on the host computer. Intel and AMD processors both support SLAT, but AMD refers to SLAT as either Nested Page Tables or Rapid Virtualization Indexing, while Intel refers to SLAT as Extended Page Tables. Hyper-V requires at least 4GB of RAM.

Multitouch and Metro Support

The new Windows 8 Metro user interface and Metro applications are driving support for high-resolution monitors or displays that support multitouch.

To support Metro, systems should support DirectX 9 with Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.0 (or greater) and monitors should support a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1024x768 resolution. For example, the Build conference Samsung tablet features a touch-enabled 11-inch diagonal display based on Samsung's Super Plane to Line Switching technology that supports a 1366x768 screen resolution.

Limited single-touch and touch using a specialized stylus in place of a more granular selection tool, such as a mouse, has been supported in Windows for years. Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate support multitouch, which allows the use of gestures, such as placing two fingers on the screen and spreading them apart to zoom in on an object, or replacing a right mouse-click with the action of touching an object with one finger and tapping the screen with a second.

Microsoft has published two lists of today's Windows 7 devices that will probably support Windows 8. The Building Windows 8 blog lists multitouch-enabled devices that the Windows team currently has in its test labs for testing Windows 8, and an unofficial list from the TechNet Wiki lists devices that run Windows 8. (The devices currently being tested are summarized in the chart "Windows 8 Multitouch Device Testing".)

How well these Windows 7 devices will run Windows 8 when it is generally available will depend on how well they meet the following Windows 8 touch goals:

• Precise and smooth panning and touch response ("stick-to-your-finger" panning)
• Direct and immediate touch visualization
• Precise user interface targeting and object selection
• Responsive on-screen (soft keyboard) typing.

Sensors

Windows 8 will require three hardware sensors on tablets and convertible laptops/tablets (a laptop that can be converted, typically by rotating and folding over the display, to form a tablet):

• A 3D accelerometer, which provides screen rotation or motion data in a three-axis environment and supports shake gestures
• A 3D gyrometer, which provides additional rotation data including rotation around the x axis (pitch), rotation around the y axis (roll), and rotation around the z axis (yaw)
• A magnetometer, which provides magnetic field strength data along three axes.

Combined inputs from these sensors (referred to as sensor fusion) can be used to simulate the following higher-level instrumentation:

• A 3D compass, which combines magnetometer and accelerometer data (for calculating tilt compensation for magnetic readings) to provide heading readings relative to a level ground surface
• An inclinometer, which combines accelerometer and gyrometer data to measure device incline
• Device orientation, which combines accelerometer and gyrometer data so applications can determine whether to display data in landscape or portrait mode.

Although Windows 8 requires the 3D accelerometer, gyrometer, compass, and sensor fusion for tablets and convertible laptops, it will also take advantage of them in other kinds of laptops where present.

Windows 8 might require or take advantage of other sensors, such as global positioning system (GPS) receivers for use with the Windows Location platform or Near Field Communication support to allow transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in close proximity. However, the status of these devices is not yet clear.

Faster I/O

Windows 8 will continue to support a variety of I/O specifications, including USB, micro Secure Digital, High-Definition Multimedia Interface, Ethernet, and 3G cellular wireless.

Windows 8 will also support the new USB 3.0 standard, which supports faster data transfer from USB data drives and faster charging of devices connected to USB power. This support requires new USB controller hardware, which is already present in some computers.

Caution Ahead

Throughout the Windows 8 development cycle, which can include public Customer Technology Previews, betas, and release candidates, features can be added, dropped, or substantially changed. This means that the underlying hardware requirements could also change. Also, Microsoft has not provided information on hardware requirements for devices that use ARM-based processors, only for x86 and x64 devices.

Some of the hardware Windows 8 will require or take advantage of is quite expensive today. Therefore, organizations should consider the trade-off of purchasing inexpensive Windows 7 hardware now, such as monitors that do not support touch, and replacing it with more advanced hardware when prices drop versus paying more now for hardware likely to be compatible with Windows 8.

Availability and Resources

Windows 8 Developer Preview hardware requirements are listed at the software download page at msdn.microsoft.com/windows/apps/br229516.

A list of multitouch-enabled hardware being used in Windows 8 testing is available at blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/13/experiencing-windows-8-touch-on-windows-7-hardware.aspx.

A TechNet Wiki "unofficial list" of hardware that runs Windows 8 is available at social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/windows-7-hardware-that-runs-windows-8.aspx.

Background on multitouch support is available in the "How to Design and Test Multitouch Hardware Solutions for Windows 7" documentation available at download.microsoft.com/download/a/d/f/adf1347d-08dc-41a4-9084-623b1194d4b2/Multitouch_Design-Test.docx.

An overview of motion and device orientation for the Windows Developer Preview is available at go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=227412.

Additional information on integrating motion and orientation sensors is available at msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/br259127.

Technical information on hardware design and development for Windows 8 is available at msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/hardware/br259114.aspx.