Windows 7 Hardware Requirements

Let’s start with the basics. The principal (and minimal) hardware requirements for running Windows 7 are as follows: With Windows 7, Microsoft defines two different levels of minimum hardware requirements. In a sense, though, this is something that most power users routinely do for themselves. Microsoft defines these levels as Windows 7 Minimum and Windows 7 Recommended. A Windows 7 Minimum computer is one that meets the minimum requirements listed here. Although Windows 7 runs on a computer with these specifications, the experience is less positive compared to running Windows 7 on a computer that meets Recommended levels. The Windows 7 Minimum hardware requirements are as follows:

• At least 800MHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 512MB of RAM
• A video card capable of at least 800×600 resolution and DirectX 9 with at least 32MB of graphics RAM
• A DVD drive
• Audio output capability
• A hard drive that is at least 40GB in total size, with at least 16GB of free space

These are Microsoft’s suggested minimums, not what provides satisfactory or exceptional performance. Even so, some users report installing Windows 7 on less powerful machines. Microsoft tries to frame minimum requirements that deliver performance that average users can live with. As its Minimum specifications now indicate, you’ll want at least 32MB of video RAM to allow your system to choose 24- and 32-bit color depths at 1024×768 resolution, and sound circuitry that works with Windows Media Player.

By comparison, here are the Windows 7 Recommended specifications:
• A 1GHz (or faster) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• A minimum of 1GB of RAM
• A video card that supports DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver and has at least 128MB of graphics memory
• Video card support for Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel
• A hard drive that is at least 80GB in total size, with at least 40GB of free space
• A DVD drive
• Audio output capability
• Internet connectivity for product activation

Based on what’s available these days, you don’t have to pay too much for a machine that runs Windows 7 quite nicely. Despite rapid de-escalation in prices and remarkable increases in computing speed, putting together a machine to run Windows 7 successfully for your needs might not be as easy as you think. Whenever I build a new system, I’m always surprised by twists I hadn’t considered, new hardware standards I didn’t know about, and so on. In general, I believe that buying a complete, preconfigured system is smarter than building one from parts that you buy from separate manufacturers, unless you are a serious hardware geek. You probably know the story.

Given plummeting prices for CPUs and RAM, you could upgrade your CPU and motherboard, or just get a whole new system for Windows 7. The price wars between Intel and AMD might be brutal on those corporations, but consumers are big winners. You can find 2GHz–3GHz desktop computers with 320GB or larger hard disks and 3GB of RAM for under $400 as I write this.

Source of Information : QUE Microsoft Windows in Depth