XPS 8500, Windows processor requirements

Question

I found something interesting this morning and you might too or not. I was doing some research on an XPS 8500 manufactured Jan 18 2013. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) build: Intel Core i7-3770 deployed with Windows 7 Pro. I dug a little deeper into Microsoft Windows hardware requirements for OEM's and their guides for OEM's. And then I discovered that the Intel Core i7-3770 processor was not on the list of Windows processor requirements for Windows 7 and earlier editions. I was surprised and bothered by this and the question was why would Dell choose to use the i7-3770 processor and disregard Microsoft's requirements? Furthermore the i7-3770 is not listed on any later editions of Windows even through Dell or any company could have contacted Microsoft's OEM or ODM Account Manager and reported the i7-3770 was omitted from the list.

One of the reasons this could be serious problem is that it could directly impact the user who purchased a "Customer System that include(d) Windows Products", a system built without following Windows specification, is this: Microsoft could limit or deny all support to the user. And the only fall back is support from the manufacturer. And we all know how difficult it is these days to find a company with a high level of quality support from the OEM. Of course there could be any number of problems with a computer built outside of the Windows specification.

Knowing this now I'd suggest anyone buying a new computer to run Windows from whatever company should check to see if it meets the Windows minimum hardware requirements before purchasing. You will find information on Itel, AMD and Qualcomm processors and other requirements and guidelines for OEM's. There's some interesting information there on other pages also, hardware component guidelines, white papers, tests for performance and compatibility, etc.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements

No electrons have past through the XPS 8500 for long time. Recovered it from the basement yesterday. When I did use it did I have a problem? No, just slow. Remember Windows 7? Be vigilant - check out what they are putting in your machines anyway. Never know.

ispalten · Answer

Very Interesting!

Wife's XPS is an 8500 and running Win10 Pro even. yes, i7-3770. From MSINFO32:

I think it came with W8 though??/

Runs fine, SSD boot drive made all the difference I guess??? Performed basically as well as my older XPS8700 with an i7-4770 Win10 install I recall?

It could very well be that MS doesn't support it, but Dell would/does. The fact that XPS can run Windows 10 probably means nothing more that MS would not support 'you' if you had a problem?

Same for all the user putting Windows 11 on PC's that it doesn't support due to h/w.

RoHe · Answer

Microsoft says:If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor And Intel says:Core i7-3770Processor Base Frequency 3.40 GHzIntel 64-bit technology So what's the problem here...?

Vic384 · Answer

For every Windows OS, Microsoft publishes a list of supported processors. Apparently, the i7-3770 is not on the list for Windows 7. I am not sure why it is not on the list and what it takes for a processor to be on the list. Since Dell and probably other PC manufacturers used the i7-3770 in their Windows PC it should not be a problem. Anyway, you should expect support for your PC from the manufacturer not from Microsoft unless you built the PC yourself and brought a copy of Windows.

Chino de Oro · Answer

It sounds like OP discovered and stumbled on something interesting and worthy enough for OP to inform the community of the discovery. However, it's kind of a little bit 10 years too late for consumer to take this information into consideration before making purchase.

Was this a serious problem that impact users who purchased and used the product without knowing the specification? Many probably don't even own the machine anymore to verify or confirm this problem.

The suggestion to check if the computer meets Windows minimum hardware requirements from OP is in contradiction with majority of consumer who did not accept and still upset over the fact that their 3 years old computers did not meet requirement for Windows 11. Many have proven that their computers run perfectly well on Win 11 even if they didn't meet such requirements.

User manuals and documentations contained mistake all the time. If a specification omission was a serious issue, I wonder what OP would think/do when stumbling on the successor Haswell and its powers issue.

RoHe · Answer

The i7-3770 was released in Q2-2012. Who knows when that list was created, if it's accurate, or if it's ever been updated?

My Inspiron laptop (purchases in 2013) came with Win 7 Pro pre-installed and has a 3rd Gen CPU that's not on that Microsoft list either. It worked flawlessly with Win 7 Pro, then Win 8 Pro, Win 8.1 Pro, and now Win 10 Pro, which Dell still supports on this laptop.

The specs for my XPS desktop lists Win 10 and only 8th Gen CPUs, but mine came with a 9th Gen CPU. So does that mean it's "unsuitable"? All it means is that things don't get updated regularly, if at all...

Dell wouldn't sell a PC which wasn't suitable for the OS they installed because that would cause hassles with Microsoft and consumer complaints.

What's on/off some list is meaningless. Functionality and performance are all that matter.

strixowl · Answer

Thanks to all for time/thoughts/opinions on "XPS 8500, Windows processor requirements". The answer to the "So what's the problem here...? asked by Ron is, as I wrote at the end of the text, "When I did use it did I have a problem? No, just slow." (Windows 10). Like many others, I just have an interest in what the software and hardware companies provide consumers and OEM's regarding their technical specification information that's all. No big deal. For those who are interested in processor info: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/details/processors/core.html and https://www.amd.com/en/processors

Anyway my old xps 8500 up and running again and is now much faster running a super small linux kernal with all the apps that most people use and a few audio related apps I use without the Windows bloat, (especially 10/11) to slow it down. Way fewer daemons (services in Windows). If interested check it out: https://www.linux.com/what-is-linux/

Thanks have a great day everyone, peace.

XPS Desktops

XPS 8500, Windows processor requirements

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