Why buy a new PC before Windows 10's launch?

Jul 4, 2015 06:40 GMT  ·  By

With Windows 10 coming in just a few weeks, many are wondering why anyone should buy a new PC right now with Windows 8.1 since the new operating system is just around the corner.

And Terry Myerson, head of the Windows division, has the answer to this question.

Basically, all computers running Windows 7 and 8.1 will be able to run Windows 10 too, and since the new OS will be offered as a free upgrade to consumers using any of these two versions, you can safely purchase a new PC right now and upgrade when Windows 10 hits the market.

To make sure that computers you purchase now are fully compatible with Windows 10, Microsoft has released a special sticker that will be placed on devices running Windows 8.1 and will be used by any OEM who has already tested its computers for full Windows 10 support.

“We will distribute a build of Windows 10 to retailers all over the world, so they can assist their customers with upgrades of newly purchased devices that were originally imaged with Windows 8.1. Look for this sticker for assurance that our OEM partners have proactively tested a device for compatibility with Windows 10,” Myerson says.

Why buy a new Windows 10 PC?

But there's no doubt that the biggest question is why buy a new PC if the current one running Windows 7 or 8.1 can also run Windows 10 flawlessly?

Microsoft says that some features might be unavailable if no hardware upgrades are made, and indeed, a number of options included in Windows 10 require new PCs, but it's pretty clear that these features won't drive shipments of new devices forward.

Windows 10 also has the exact same system requirements as Windows 8.1, so if your computer is good enough to run the current OS version, it should be able to run the upcoming one with no issue.

Below are the main Windows 10 system requirements:  

Processor 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
RAM 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
HDD space 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Display 1024x600 pixels resolution or higher