i7-7700K is not compatible with Windows 11

Intel’s i7-7700K is not compatible with the latest operating system of Microsoft Windows 11. This means that you will not get an opportunity to update Windows 10 to Windows 11 through the Windows Update program. This is a disappointing proposition for the users who have had the i7-7700K based computer.

Intel i7-7700K users may like the content given below:

1. PC Health Check for Intel i7-7700K
2. Registry bypass for Windows 11 on unsupported computers
3. Install Windows 11 rather than upgrade
4. Do nothing, and continue with Windows 10
5. Buy a new computer with Windows 11
6. Conclusion

PC Health Check for Intel i7-7700K

If you run PC Health check app on your system, it will show you that the computer is compliant with all the other hardware requirements, namely:

• at least 1 GHz clock speed of the processor
• at least 2 cores
• at least 4 GB RAM
• at least 64 GB available hard drive space
• TPM 2.0 or Trusted Platform Module 2.0
• UEFI and Secure boot
• DirectX12 support

Useful content about Intel i7-7700K and Windows 11 given below:

However, the processor i7-7700K will be marked as not compatible for Windows 11. The exact cause for marking the i7-7700K processor as incompatible with Windows 11 is unclear. The end result is that your system cannot get automatic updates to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Microsoft has been receiving all round backlash from the community for having failed to help people with the Intel’s 7th generation processors. The problem is exacerbated because of the lack of reasons mentioned for the i7-7700K processor’s non-compatibility with the Windows 11 operating system. The only thing that we know is that Microsoft has conducted studies on compatibility and end-user experience on different configurations. And, non-compatible computer systems have reported over 52% crash rate of the new Windows operating system i.e. Windows 11.

Expectedly, the Intel 7th generation processors, including the i7-7700K do not seem to have hit the benchmark performance scores in Microsoft’s internal testing. And, this may have forced the company to remove the 7th generation Intel processors from the list of compatible processors for Windows 11 installation. This remains a guess for now, but may turn out to be true.

Where does this leave you?

Registry bypass for Windows 11 on unsupported computers

Microsoft has released the registry bypass entries for overlooking TPM and CPU eligibility requirements on Windows 11 unsupported computers. At the same time, Microsoft does not recommend using the registry bypass method to install or upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported computers like the ones based on Intel i7-7700K processor.

The bypass TPM and CPU eligibility entry needs to be created as under:

• Launch the registry editor using the Regedit command on a Windows computer.
• Open the registry hive – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup. In the right pane, look for an entry that has the name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU. It is of the type of Type: REG_DWORD.
• Right-click on the entry to modify the REG_DWORD entry to set a value of 1.
• The Value of 1 for AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU tells Windows to bypass eligibility requirements.

This method tells Windows 11 to not consider TPM and CPU eligibility at the time of installing or upgrading to Windows 11.

We feel that this approach may be fine for non-business computers. Business computers need regular updates for enhancing their security and performance of the computers. At this point, there is no clarity if unsupported computers will get regular security and feature updates of Windows 11.

If you are willing to take a risk, you can create the registry bypass entries. Reboot your system and you could do a clean installation of Windows 11. Or, you could upgrade to Windows 11 using one of the approaches given below.

We look at the following three options for users who have i7-7700K Intel processor and are unable to upgrade to Windows 11 through the regular Windows update cycle.

Install Windows 11 rather than upgrade

Microsoft has suggested that non-supported PCs or computers could install Windows 11 through one of the following 3 methods:

• Use an ISO image file to install Windows 11 on your computer. The ISO image of Windows 11 can be downloaded from the following page – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11
• Use the Media creation tool to create a DVD or USB drive with Windows 11 installation files image. You can use the DVD or the USB drive to install Windows 11 on your unsupported PC.
• You can also make use of the Windows 11 installation assistant to install Windows 11 on your unsupported PC. The Windows 11 Installation Assistant can be downloaded from this link – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

All these 3 options will install Windows 11 as a fresh new install. The downside to using this approach is the lack of clarity in respect of security and feature updates of Windows 11. As of now, Microsoft has been saying that the unsupported PCs or computers will not get updates through the Windows update program. This implies that the user will need to run Windows 11 in the basic install configuration. Product and security updates are critical to the seamless working of the operating system. So, this option of installing Windows 11 on an i7-7700K based computer is fraught with risks, especially due to the lack of security updates for the computer.

If you have a hobby or a lab computer that runs on i7-7700K processor, you may test the Windows 11 ‘s working with the Intel’s 7th generation processors.

One of the better options could be to install the Windows 11 in a separate partition or on a separate hard drive. You could setup your computer to dual boot between Windows 10 and Windows 11. In the event of issues with the i7-7700K at a future date, your original computer’s Windows 10 based partition should help you keep everything running.

Do nothing, and continue with Windows 10

Continuing with Windows 10 may also be a good option, after all. Microsoft’s Windows 10 will become end of life in the month of October, 2025. So, you still have 4 years of available product updates for Windows 10. Choosing to continue with Windows 10 would allow you to collect the feedback about Windows 11 user experience. And, if Windows 11 works well for your cause, you could choose to buy a new computer that ships with preloaded Windows 11.

Waiting for now may also prove useful. Microsoft has stated that the new Windows 11 update will be released in a phased manner to the eligible workstations. There is a remote possibility of Intel and Microsoft working out an arrange for the 7th generation processors? Time will tell, but this possibility may deserve a thought.

Buy a new computer with Windows 11

i7-7700K is a relatively older processor of Intel. If you are really keen on using Windows 11, and do not wish to wait for a couple of months to get access to Windows 11, the only practical option left for you is to get a new PC that ships with preloaded Windows 11. Although this option is costlier than the other two options stated above, it does cover you for Windows 11 for the next 10 years. Over the long term, the additional cost spending will get justified in terms of costs, performance and security.

Conclusion

Intel i7-7700K and many other 7th generation processors are not supported by Microsoft for an upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. User have options to install Windows 11 in an unsupported configuration. Or, you could just buy a new system with Windows 11. A simpler, and more practical approach could be to wait out the next 6 months and see if the support for i7-7700K processors becomes a reality.

You may also like to read the following related content:

• Missing ‘Update’ option for Windows 11
• Can Windows be installed on computers without TMP 2.0
• How to find compatibility with Windows 11 without PC Health Check app
• Can Windows 11 run on Intel 7th generation processors
• i7-6700K cannot run Windows 11 – incompatible with Windows 11
• Does Windows 11 cost money?