Thanks. Yeah, it is relevant to gaming. There are parts of this regarding gaming and performance, which are mentioned. Thanks for the promo. :)

I believe I read something in the last two or three weeks about this and it doesn't seem like it's a major overhaul, so I doubt compatibility issues are going to be a big problem. I could be wrong, though.

I found out the new system requirements. You'll need an 8th gen Intel or Ryzen 2000. The clock speed is still 1Ghz. You'll also need 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. You'll also need a DirectX12 GPU and at least 720p. There are a couple of tools mentioned at the end of this article to help you figure out if your PC is compatible: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3622940/windows-11-system-hardware-requirements.html

Hopefully! I don't have experience with Autodesk, so good luck! :) Are you going to upgrade your PC?

I certainly will, though I'm not quite too sure about the visual parts of it. I feel like having a centered task bar would be weird and take some getting used to. I am, however, very much looking forward to the DirectStorage feature and hoping I notice a performance boost. Auto HDR looks nice, but I don't have a compatible HDR monitor.

I am glad they're giving this free to those of us running Windows 10. Paying just over $100 for it was enough. I love adopting the new Windows versions, but getting them for free is quite a bonus.

MS says with DirectStorage "games can quickly load assets to the graphics card without bogging down the CPU." So, shorter load times. But, you'll have to have the game running on an NVME SSD to work with this. Plus, you'll need a DirectX12 GPU.

The OS will require TPM 2.0. Not all motherboards have this feature, which will require users to buy a piece of hardware so they can run the OS. You can check if you have it by running the command "tpm.msc" or you can find it under Settings>System>About>BitLocker Settings. I did the latter first and it took me to the MS Store to upgrade from Home to Pro edition (which I don't plan to do). The first option worked, but told me I didn't have it. So, I probably won't be an early adopter of Windows 11.

I may have to think about this more. Things may change before it releases, so we'll see.

I found this "new to me" stuff by watching this video: "Windows 11 GAMING: 10 Things You NEED TO KNOW" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-64g8AiD00

You can find more about the TPM 2.0 requirement here: https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-a-tpm-and-why-do-i-need-one-for-windows-11

Well, since I wrote that comment, I've been working on looking into these new requirements. I think I might do it. I found out my motherboard has a TPM header, but I don't know enough about the tech, so I don't know what kind of module to buy. I've sent in a question to ASRock, the manufacturer of my motherboard, to find out if they have any recommendations. I noticed the header is 17 pins, but I found at least one (ASRock actually) module that's 13. Hopefully, they'll get back to me on that, though it looked like most or all modules on Amazon were sold out.

As for NVME, I found out I could get a NVME version of my SSD for about $120. I don't think that's too bad, I guess. I need to look into that tech more, too. I thought NVME was faster, but from what I've seen of their speeds, it looks like they're the same. My SSD is attached via SATA, but I know the NVME attaches directly to the motherboard.

As for all the speculation, I haven't read any of it. It's just my assumption that they're requiring TPM 2.0 so that computers are more secure.

So, I got a reply from ASRock. It's lame, because they just sent me a pic that shows TPM 2.0 specifications. At the bottom it says, "not supported with Intel 8 and 9 series chipsets." This is very disappointing. I built this PC 2 years ago. I have no idea how many people have 10th or 11th gen CPUS. I have an i7-8700 and on a separate list, I did see my CPU listed as compatible with Win11, but with this TPM info (assuming it is correct), then it isn't. It seems confusing. If all of this is true, then I most certainly hope MS gets a load of backlash for it and removes the requirement. Otherwise, I can't imagine many people upgrading. If they don't remove it, then I won't be able to upgrade unless I upgrade my motherboard and CPU, which is pretty much most definitely not going to happen. Those two items are not on my list of things I want to upgrade soon. Still, I might get a NVME just to see if there's a performance boost. Ark is still a very hardware demanding game.

Looks like I don't know much about NVME either. I have a Western Digital SSD connected via SATA III. I found an NVME exactly like it. Both have the same speeds, so I was confused. So, I went through the list of NVMEs compatible with my motherboard and learned. NVMEs are to SSDs are what SSDs are to HDDs. NVMEs are much faster and more expensive. It seems you could get a 1TB SSD (SATA) for over $100, but an NVME of 512GB is going to cost a bit more than that.

I miss the 2TB HDD I had with the Alienware, but it died. I now have the 1TB SSD and it's almost half full. I want my OS and games all on the same drive, so a 512GB NVME doesn't seem like it would be good enough, unless I got extremely serious about how much storage space I'm using. Since I now only have that 1TB, I don't keep a lot of games installed. I do have an old HDD I am using for other things like documents and other random files, including those files I've downloaded to install programs like Steam, Java, Chrome, etc.

I'll have to think on this more.

The more I read, the worse it looks to me. I just read an article (shared below) about how many PCs aren't going to be compatible with Win11. Basically, the security features affect performance negatively. Older CPUs and even some newer ones apparently aren't up to the task. While having the security features on creates negative performance, users can turn the features off to get a performance boost.

Also, the article points out the security improvements AMD and Intel have made in their CPUs. The difference between CPU generations isn't completely about cores.

"Why Windows 11 is Leaving So Many PCs Behind": https://www.pcworld.com/article/3623713/why-windows-11-is-leaving-so-many-pcs-behind.html

Wow! I was talking to someone recently and she mentioned someone that won't upgrade from Win7. I loved Win7. It may have been one of my most favorites, but I've loved them all (95 and up).

98SE? LOL I remember that, too! Was that one that people hated? I don't know, I think there are lots of people who hate every version ("haters gonna hate"). I think it's because they get used to one and don't want to have to "relearn" how to use a new version. This doesn't apply to me at all, though. Sure, I might have to figure out where some things have been relocated, but I don't see that as a problem.

It's cool you're running a Linux file store, though I don't know much about that. I also don't know much about NAS. You and Travis definitely have IT expertise that I don't, but that's ok, it makes me respect you more. LOL

Yeah, I remember WinME was a crash/horrorfest. I think I still liked it though. One version that stands out to me in my memory is Windows 96. It was cancelled, but I remember trying it out.

I looked up Win96, too, just to be sure my memory wasn't fooling me or that it was fake. Now that you mention it, Whistler and Longhorn seem familiar.

If you want to run Windows 11, but are worried about the system and hardware requirements (including TPM, UEFI, and Secure Boot), you may not have to worry at all. There are currently ways to bypass many of the OS's requirements. Hopefully Microsoft doesn't prevent these bypasses, but we won't know until Windows 11 is released. Check out this informative video from Linus Tech Tips to learn more: https://youtu.be/NivpAiuh-s0

We're a day away from release, but is Windows 11 worth the upgrade? I found a good, thorough review and the conclusion doesn't look good for Win11. If you're thinking about upgrading, you might want to read this article. If you're hesitant about upgrading then I suggest waiting and not jumping into it, at least not for now. There are many things wrong with it, especially the strict hardware requirements that most users probably will not have and thus don't have compatible computers. Even the gamer "goodies" require extra hardware. To give it a look yourself, check out this review I found: https://www.pcworld.com/article/539183/windows-11-review-an-unnecessary-replacement-for-windows-10.html

There are parts I really want to upgrade in my PC and I've already upgraded some of them recently, but I don't even want to think about a new one. This one's only 2 years old and I'm still happy with it. I just wish for a much better GPU and monitor.

The article is a bit long, but I think it does a good job showing off the features of Windows 11 and how well they do or don't work. I'd say it's worth reading, especially if you're interested in upgrading. Even if you're definitely planning to upgrade, it's still good to know what to expect especially since expectation may not be met.

Interesting. Microsoft now has a guide to install Windows 11 without TPM 2.0. It seems your computer still needs to be compatible with TPM 1.2. If you're interested in this story check out this link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-how-to-bypass-tpm-2-0-requirement-for-windows-11/1100-6496853/

Thanks, Travis! I was told by ASRock that my CPU (i7 8700) isn't compatible with TPM 2.0, so I gave up. I have a TPM module slot, but I can't easily figure out if my CPU and motherboard are 1.2 compatible. I'd probably have to search longer that I want to at the moment.

Not that I'm aware of without "Googling" it. I believe they intend to fully support Windows 10 up until 2025 though.