Microsoft appears to drop support for Intel 8/9/10th Gen CPUs from Windows 11 24H2

[Zoom7000]

If this isn’t a mistake on either Microsoft or Intel’s part, then it’s just plain evil! 🤬

 

Intel 8th, 9th and 10th Gen processors absent from Microsoft's Windows 11 24H2 CPU support list for new OEM systems

By Mark Tyson

 

Decision may be related to Intel's move of 7th-10th Gen iGPUs to a legacy support model in December.

 

Edit 2/16/2024: The list of supported processors we reference in this article is for new OEM systems. However, Microsoft also references this same list on its minimum system requirements for Windows 11 page (expanding the 'Processors/CPUs' section has a link to Microsoft's "list of approved CPUs," which is the same list as referenced below.) We are following up with Microsoft for clarification but have added mention of the OEM systems below.

 

Microsoft has published its latest Windows 11 processor support lists for new OEM systems. The latest version of the OS, Windows 11 version 24H2, now includes official support for some of the newest Intel chips such as Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200 parts. However, we are surprised to see that Intel's 8th, 9th, and 10th Gen processors are no longer officially supported on the list for new OEM systems. The decision may be related to Intel's move of 7th-10th Gen iGPUs to a legacy support model in December.

 

Though Windows 11 24H2 has been pushed to consumers for several months already, Microsoft has just released the first official CPU support lists on its Hardware Developer site (the same as linked to the overall Windows 11 minimum requirements). When the first version of Windows 11 went official users were surprised to see many serviceable Intel CPUs, the 7th Gen Kaby Lake series and older, left unsupported. Now we appear to be seeing Intel's 8th, 9th, and 10th Gen processors meeting the same fate.

 

Cutting support for Intel processors launched as recently as 2020 (10th Gen Comet Lake), seems rather drastic. The Core i9-10900K with 10C/20T and a boost as high as 5.3 GHz seems far too virile to be put to pasture when a Celeron 6305 2C/2T Tiger Lake chip (also launched in 2020), for example, makes the Windows 11 version 24H2 official support list.

 

Microsoft doesn't explain its CPU support decisions on the linked page. All it really says is that, going forward, "subsequently released and future generations of processors which meet the same principles will be considered as supported, even if not explicitly listed." Moreover, it doesn't mention the dropping of support for Intel's 8th 9th, and 10th Gen processors in the preamble to the Windows 11 version 24H2 list.

 

Intel found holding the smoking gun?

The absence of explanation might give some hope that all the Intel 8th, 9th, and 10th Gen processors missing from the support list could be some kind of clerical error. However, the dropping of support of these particular Intel CPUs tallies with Intel's moving of "7th - 10th Gen Intel Processor Graphics and related Intel Atom, Pentium, and Celeron processor graphics to a legacy software support model." Intel announced this change quite recently, in December 2024.

 

If this is the reason for omitting these chips from the CPU support list, we have to wonder whether an 8th Gen chip, for example, with a modern discrete GPU will sail past any 'unsupported hardware' OS upgrade barriers.

 

Meanwhile, folk rocking PC systems running AMD processors will see that Ryzen 8000 chips have been added to the official Windows 11 support list (for 24H2) for the first time. We noticed that some mobile chips were misnamed, like the Ryzen 7 Pro 8945HS, which should be the Ryzen 9 Pro 8945HS. Also, the non-Pro SKU seems to be missing from the list, but these are likely oversights.

 

Microsoft seems slow to add explicit Ryzen 9000 and Ryzen AI mobile chip support, too. There are no signs of any Ryzen 9000 CPUs, nor popular chips like the Ryzen AI 9 370 HX on the new list. Remember though, Microsoft says that new and upcoming processors built upon previous chips "will be considered as supported, even if not explicitly listed."

 

Lastly, Microsoft's processor support axe has been known to sway, and even systems using CPUs outside of the official support lists can and do get Windows updates.

 

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/intel-8th-9th-and-10th-gen-processors-absent-from-microsofts-windows-11-24h2-cpu-support-list

[Ditto]

In reality, what does "Microsoft supported" really mean? As a domestic user, I don't think MS direct support is something I've ever had. I suspect all my devices are not 'officially' supported. In the work environment, again any MS interaction would be almost non existent. So, whilst the OS updates have all been working and security updates coming, I'm struggling to see the benefit of being on MS deemed supported hardware. To remain in the supported configuration, all that seems to result in, whether domestic or commercial, is the bank account gets drained at the whim of a MS decided frequency.

[FN-GM]

I don't see the issue here. 5-7 year old processors have no place in new equipment.

[3s-gtech]

I don't think this is much of a thing. Windows 10 22H2 had a mimumum official support of 5th gen Core (2014), but it works perfectly well (if slowly) on early Core 2 stuff. AMD support goes back to 2013 models.

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-10-22h2-supported-intel-processors

 

This may impact your Cyber Essentials stuff, but those of you who meet those specs wouldn't be running stuff older than 5 years old anyway. The rest of us will shrug.

Edited February 17, 2025 by 3s-gtech

[mikes]

yeah I guess it means if you contact MS Paid Support (which I've never ever used) they will just tell you your device is unsupported? I've installed Windows 24H2 on an 8th gen i3 8145u and it seems to work just fine? will it suddenly pop up an "unsupported" message knowing MS?

[synaesthesia]

Just to reiterate, this is relevant only to *new* OEM systems, not things already in place. I can't imagine any of us buying anything new that isn't current or at least the one previous gen. There is a market, oddly, for new old stock products and you'll only ever see it in edu in cases of some legacy equipment such as building control systems, heating systems, maybe CNC/laser cutters.

[TechMonkey]

Just to reiterate, this is relevant only to *new* OEM systems, not things already in place. I can't imagine any of us buying anything new that isn't current or at least the one previous gen. There is a market, oddly, for new old stock products and you'll only ever see it in edu in cases of some legacy equipment such as building control systems, heating systems, maybe CNC/laser cutters.

 

Yes this. Saw the flapping and panic over the weekend of people getting twisted up by Microsoft dictating what devices user can and can't use, but it is OEMs and what systems can be supplied with an MS license. This will not affect end-users.

[mikes]

Oh right, I guess any company selling 8th/9th gen PC's won't be able to put a sticker on them saying "Works well with Windows 11" kind of thing? and can't sell them with Win 11 pre-loaded.

Something they probably learned their lesson with Vista - certifying woefully underspecced computers as "Vista compatibile" did not do Vista's reputation any good at all.

We still buy 9th/10th gen Intel's from time to time but they are £90 refurbs which we have our own build/license for anyway.

 

DT binned all their old cutters/CNC stuff that had to have a standalone Windows XP laptop because that was the latest driver you could get so that's a relief for me at least

[Ditto]

Just to reiterate, this is relevant only to *new* OEM systems, not things already in place. I can't imagine any of us buying anything new that isn't current or at least the one previous gen. There is a market, oddly, for new old stock products and you'll only ever see it in edu in cases of some legacy equipment such as building control systems, heating systems, maybe CNC/laser cutters.

New OEM only - fair enough! But my question of what does 'Microsoft supported' really mean remains?

[Sephiroth]

New OEM only - fair enough! But my question of what does 'Microsoft supported' really mean remains?

 

I would also like to know the answer to this, though having dealt with MS in the past regarding licencing, I expect that if you ask 3 times you'll get 5 differing answers.

[jthompson]

I think 'unsupported' means that they can introduce an update without necessarily having to consider whether Windows will still be stable/bootable on your computer. I don't think it's any more complicated than that.

[mavhc]

DT binned all their old cutters/CNC stuff that had to have a standalone Windows XP laptop because that was the latest driver you could get so that's a relief for me at least

 

Hopefully they bought CNC stuff that wasn't closed source and just tied one to platform with no promise of decades of support this time.

[Fazza]

New OEM only - fair enough! But my question of what does 'Microsoft supported' really mean remains?

 

It means Microsoft wont license a copy of Windows with such a system. If they install Windows on a new Gen8 CPU based system it will be piracy.

[KK20]

I think the worry came about due to Admins looking at "supported" meaning "can use my EES licensing to put Windows 11 on this i5-9600" but being met with "this is not supported, upgrade your CPU". Rather than "sorry Dell, you can no longer sell Windows 11 on that i5-10400 as we don't support that"