Microsoft Windows 7 System Requirements

Windows 7 System Requirements

In light of today’s general (retail) release of Windows 7, it is important to know the system requirements for Windows 7, to guide you before you purchase your next PC. Windows 7 system requirements are:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional Windows 7 requirements for certain features

• Internet access, may involve ISP fees
• Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
• Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance
• For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
• Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
• HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
• DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
• BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
• Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
• Music and sound require audio output

Note: Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require advanced or additional hardware.
Source: Microsoft

In short most modern PC’s with 1 GB RAM or more is expected to support Windows 7. However upgrading to Windows 7 may not be a good idea.