Stefan Mileschin

Too slow for Windows 11

A recent executive brief from data storage industry analyst firm Trendfocus reports that OEMs have disclosed that Microsoft is pushing them to drop HDDs as the primary storage device in pre-built Windows 11 PCs.

Vole wants manufacturers to use SSDs by 2023.

Toms Hardware points out that this is rather odd given that Vole has not got a firm SSD requirement listed for Windows 11 PCs, and OEMs have pushed back on the deadlines.

Microsoft's most current list of hardware requirements calls for a '64 GB or larger storage device' for Windows 11, so an SSD isn't a minimum requirement for a standard install.

Vole said that DirectStorage and the Windows Subsystem for Android require an SSD, but you don't have to use those features. It is unclear whether or not Microsoft plans to change the minimum specifications for Windows 11 PCs after the 2023 switchover to SSDs for pre-built systems.

The move will see Vole at odds with the manufacturers as replacing a 1TB HDD requires stepping down to a low-cost 256 GB SSD, which OEMs don't consider to be enough capacity for most users. A 512 GB SSD would 'break the budget' for lower-end machines.

Most PCs in developed markets have already transitioned to SSDs for boot drives with HDD reserved for backups and slow data.

https://fudzilla.com/news/54980-micr...o-abandon-hdds