The 15-year-old processor is ready with the updated Microsoft OS
Windows 11 may have systemic issues that caused controversy by uninstalling even modern PCs, but the OS can actually run on a computer powered by one 15-year-old Intel Pentium 4 (Cedar Mill) processor.
This surprise was achieved by ‘Carlos SM’ who wrote on Twitter so he then shared a video to show how the old system works, as seen by PC Mag.
Windows 11 in Cedar Mill Pentium 4
— Carlos S. M. (@Carlos_SM1995) October 14, 2021
Machine specifications:
Intel Pentium 4 661 3.6 GHz
ASUS P5Q
4 GB DDR2 800
Nvidia Geforce GT 710
120 GB SSD
Installed using Windows 10's PE installer pic.twitter.com/n5gTg9csKA
As you can see, the full spec of the PC contains an Intel Pentium 4 661 (1-core, 2-thread) CPU on the Asus P5Q motherboard (LGA 775), with 4GB of DDR2 RAM (at 800MHz ) and Nvidia. GeForce GT 710 graphics card. 120GB SSD is available for storage (and Carlos provides CPU-Z system authentication, too).
As you can see, the full spec of the PC contains an Intel Pentium 4 661 (1-core, 2-thread) CPU on the Asus P5Q motherboard (LGA 775), with 4GB of DDR2 RAM (at 800MHz ) and Nvidia. GeForce GT 710 graphics card. 120GB SSD is available for storage (and Carlos provides CPU-Z system authentication, too).
Those computer platforms were good enough for Carlos to install Windows 11, which runs the Windows 10 PE Installer, and noted that "Windows 11 is installed in MBR / Legacy Boot mode, no EFI simulation is involved".
Carlos continues to see that Windows Update works well on PC, and has installed the latest Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 without any problems. That means, as you might expect, Microsoft's OS is on the slow side from time to time working on this hardware configuration.
Update: New OS, older equipment - but not without risks
It is eye-opening to see how a low-power PC can get and still run Windows 11, especially considering that a solid system requirements require a dual-core CPU, not a single-core model as used here.
The biggest stumbling block for many machines is the TPM 2.0 protocol, which Microsoft has used for security reasons (as well as Secure Boot), and surprisingly this reputable PC does not. As we have seen, however, and have written a guide for us, it is possible that you may have upgraded to Windows 11 on a non-TPM machine with the workaround that Microsoft has introduced.
However, the software giant strongly warns against doing so, suggesting that it could lead to 'device malfunction' or even 'damage', and you are not guaranteed to receive updates (but as Carlos has found, you can get them - at least for now).
Obviously, though, it is a weird situation where you can install Windows 11 on a PC with a single-core CPU that should not be supported using illegal means, but you still can't have a legal installation on a PC. with a processor from Intel's 7th-gen range that emerged only five years ago. Carlos also tweets to note that this Pentium CPU is not even the oldest you can launch Windows 11 with, either.