AMD Ryzen will not support Windows 7 drivers when it hit stores soon. The Sunnyvale chip designer has indeed debunked earlier reports that the highly anticipated chipset will have drivers for the older versions of the Windows OS.
This recent confirmation contradicts earlier reports that AMD would have support for the older OS. It is true, however, that AMD did the test and validate the upcoming chipsets on both OS generations, Windows 7 and Windows 10.
AMD Ryzen: Prices revealed, no Windows 7 support, smaller than Skylake https://t.co/y3pDhzAyjO pic.twitter.com/eiopGXpQGf
— TechSpot (@TechSpot) February 9, 2017
AMD responded to PCWorld's question, saying: "To achieve the highest confidence in the performance of our AMD Ryzen desktop processors (formerly code-named 'Summit Ridge'), AMD validated them across two different OS generations, Windows 7 and 10. However, only support and drivers for Windows 10 will be provided in AMD Ryzen desktop processor production parts."
So, if you are planning on upgrading to the latest AMD chipset, be ready to take the plunge and upgrade your OS to Windows 10, that is, if you are still using the older version. So, just like Intel's Kaby Lake processors, AMD Ryzen chips will only be supported under Windows 10. Well, finally that has is out of the way.
A few might question why this is the case? Well, according to PCGamer, it would make more sense to align the design and shipment of hardware and software as close as possible, ensuring all features are supported. In other words, Windows 7 came out ages ago, right before Intel or AMD even thought of unleashing each of their powerful processors.
Thus, there would be no way for Microsoft could predict the features that both chipmakers would engrave in their processors. Well, unless Microsoft has their own powerful psychic to predict the movements of these tech giants.
Microsoft said last August that as new silicon generations are coming out, they will need the latest Windows platform in its generation to support it. "This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon," the tech giant added.
If you still want to upgrade to the upcoming AMD Ryzen, you still can while utilizing Windows 7. But be warned that it might not perform just as well. There is a possibility of bugs and no patch would be given out from AMD.
So, what do you think of not only AMD Ryzen, and also Intel's Kaby Lake standing firm not shipping drivers for Windows 7? Is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Don't forget to leave your comments below.
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