14 DAY TRIAL // Unlike Intel’s Kaby Lake processors, which work exclusively on Windows 10, AMD’s upcoming Ryzen series will also support Windows 7 thanks to drivers dedicated to this old operating system.
While this decision is not yet confirmed, HotHardware reports that AMD revealed in an information session that it intends to develop Windows 7 drivers for the Ryzen lineup of processors and make them compatible with the operating system launched in 2009.
Microsoft itself used this as a method to convince users to upgrade to Windows 10, saying on several occasions that new processors would exclusively work on this OS version. This is one of the reasons Intel sticks with Windows 10 for its Kaby Lake chips, as neither Microsoft nor Intel provides drivers for any other Windows version.
In the case of AMD, however, the firm wants to work on Windows 7 drivers on its own, so even though Microsoft itself doesn’t wish to make the Ryzen magic happen on any other Windows version besides 10, there’s a good chance that this would actually come true.
Windows 7, the king
On the other hand, it’s important to mention that aside from generic drivers, Microsoft doesn’t specifically develop drivers, but only gives them the certification for a specific OS version, so it’ll be interesting to learn how the software giant sees AMD’s intention to invest in Windows 7 at a time when Windows 10 is the only focus.
And yet, the decision to develop Windows 7 drivers is not at all surprising, especially because this version of the operating system continues powering a hefty part of the world’s PCs.
Depending on the analyst firm, Windows 7 powers between 35 to 48 percent of the world’s PCs, and although it’s indeed losing ground, there’s no doubt that it’ll remain at the top of the charts for a little longer.
Windows 7 reaches end of support in January 2020, and by that time, Microsoft expects most of the users to already be running Windows 10 and thus help the firm avoid another Windows XP moment when people simply refuse to upgrade.