Home > Software > System Requirements

Windows 7 System Requirements

Perfect for aging PCs, Windows 7 is still worth a place in your library. Can that old machine run it though?
Paul McNally
Last Updated on

Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

Windows 7 System Requirements
PC Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More

Table of Contents

It may be getting a little old in the tooth but there is no denying Windows 7 is still a great operating system. Many people still consider it Microsoft’s Magnum Opus and if you have an older PC lying around you want to reinvigorate it is certainly worth checking out if you can run it on it. Here are the specs.

Windows 7 system requirements

  • 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

Windows 7 Additional System Requirements

  • Internet access
  • 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 and an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space.
  • Music and sound require audio output

About the Author

Paul McNally

Paul is a contributor to PC Guide, having covered news coverage, Raspberry Pi, Windows releases and peripherals - among other things - across the site.