Question Components to prepare for Windows 12? (And beyond?)

[Texan_100]

I am configuring a new HP Z2 Tower G9 Workstation. I want the stability of a workstation (I am coming from an HP Z800). I know no one can predict the future, but I want to try to get a system that would be able to run whatever is the current Windows for 5-7 years. I have speced an Intel® Core™ i5-12500 and an NVIDIA® T1000. Do you think the i5 is enough, or should go for an i7 and correspondingly upgraded NVIDIA? The system will accommodate an i9, but that is quite a price jump. As you can see from my staying with the Z800, anything I buy today will be fast enough for me. I do limited video editing, but nothing above HD.

Thank you so much!

 

[Lutfij]

The OS hasn't been released and we'll be able to learn more as we get closer towards the end of this year. All you need to keep in mind is if the platform has native Windows 10 or 11 support(preferably 11), then you're in good hands.

 

[Texan_100]

Thank you Lutfij. I was hoping to tap this very knowledgeable community for some speculation. Maybe I should reframe the question a bit--if you were buying a system today that you wanted to be able to use for several years, would you get the i5 or the i7?

 

[BFG-9000]

Windows 12 will almost certainly require a NPU, as Windows 11 with Copilot already requires one. The T1000 is like a GTX 1650 and doesn't have one.

Windows Copilot requires a NPU+CPU with 40 combined TOPS now, and it is currently believed Windows 12 will require a minimum of 45-50 TOPS. At present the Strix Point and Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200V-series APUs can already meet this with their integrated IGPs, so no separate GPU required.

 

[helper800]

Any system that is carefully built is a "Workstation." The only thing you get from configuring a PC in this way is a warranty on the whole system from HP that you will very likely never use. Configured systems like this from such OEMs are usually very expensive, and are not any more reliable than something you put together yourself. What is your particular budget for such a system? If you were to try and build it yourself, or have someone build it for you, I would start here. The amount of money saved is likely in the hundreds or more:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($371.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WiFi ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 V2 OC Edition GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro PTM X PRO,Gen5 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($146.94 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 57.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 57.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1468.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-03 13:33 EST-0500

 

[Texan_100]

HP support convinced me to go to Intel® Core™ i7-14700 Processor vPro® Enterprise and then dropped the call.

BFG-9000, I can't keep the chip nicknames tied to their numbers. Is the above chip a Lunar Lake?

Also, I know there is a question about NVIDIA and some consumer AI (obviously NVIDIA boards can do AI, or they wouldn't sell so many of them for it, but that must be different).

Should I be looking at one of the AMD Radeon boards for my computer?

AMD Radeon™ RX 6400 Graphics (4 GB GDDR6; FH; PCIe x16)+ $238.00 I see that one is terrible

AMD Radeon™ PRO W7500 (8 GB GDDR6, 4x DisplayPort 2.1) Graphics+ $570.00

The first one is less expensive than the Nvidia T1000 and the second one is a bit more.

 

[Texan_100]

Any system that is carefully built is a "Workstation." The only thing you get from configuring a PC in this way is a warranty on the whole system from HP that you will very likely never use. Configured systems like this from such OEMs are usually very expensive, and are not any more reliable than something you put together yourself. What is your particular budget for such a system? If you were to try and build it yourself, or have someone build it for you, I would start here. The amount of money saved is likely in the hundreds or more:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($371.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WiFi ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 V2 OC Edition GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro PTM X PRO,Gen5 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($146.94 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 57.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 57.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1468.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-03 13:33 EST-0500

Thank you. I thought at length about having it built, but haven't found someone I trust to do it. if I go back to considering that option I will start with your recommendations.

 

[JayT204500]

You can custom build it on Newegg and they will send it to you. Or ask a local computer repair shop to build it. Both options are better than a prebuilt from dell, HP etc.

 

[Texan_100]

Thank you. I thought at length about having it built, but haven't found someone I trust to do it. if I go back to considering that option I will start with your recommendations.

Helper 800, HP dropped my chat for the last time . I am going to get it built. Thank you for your recommendation.

 

[helper800]

Helper 800, HP dropped my chat for the last time . I am going to get it built. Thank you for your recommendation.

Please let us know your exact requirements with software and performance expectations to get a potentially even better recommendation from me or others! Start with your overall budget!

 

[kerberos_20]

if we stick with rumours. then you will need pluton compatible CPU, that would be core ultra (series 2), which has ipse

 

[BFG-9000]

Is the above chip a Lunar Lake?

i7-14700 is a refresh of Raptor Lake and a 14th gen chip. The Core Ultra (Series 2) 7 265k suggested by helper800 is Arrow Lake and 15th gen (and also the first Intel with Pluton. AMD has had it since 6000 series). Lunar Lake is essentially the low-power-consumption sibling of Arrow Lake, so its NPU can use far less power than using a GPU to do AI.

FWIW the suggested RTX 3060 is estimated to have 102 TOPS (plus the Ultra 7 265k itself has 13 TOPS) so handily exceeds all the current guesstimates of Windows 12 minimum requirements at least for that, unlike those HPs.

 

[Colif]

Windows 12 will almost certainly require a NPU, as Windows 11 with Copilot already requires one

One problem then... not all the desktop CPU have NPU. So if it does, it will only exist on laptop and a few Intel CPU, I don't know if Microsoft want to shoot themselves in the foot/head that much. AMD don't appear to be putting them on them yet.

Its likely Secure Boot will be the thing it requires, as in Win 11 the PC just needs to be able to enable it. They might just push that to the next obvious step in 12. So if PC can install Win 11, it probably run win 12

Microsoft generally give hardware makers a chance... there would need to be more Desktops with NPU in existance now before it would make sense to release an OS that relies on the feature. I expect AMD could add one on next gen desktop but we need about 5 years or so with more hardware support before you can enforce it.

Unless you are correct. Its too soon to know for sure.

 

[BFG-9000]

The performance requirement can be met for now by adding a GPU having good enough nVidia Tensor cores or AMD Matrix cores, which can do the same calculations only less efficiently, i.e. by using a lot more power. This of course precludes buyers of nonupgradeable laptops, All-in-Ones or NUCs for now, but Lenovo just showed off a NPU on a USB stick so there should be other options by the time Windows 12 actually rolls around. And there's going to be at least a 25H2 for Windows 11 so it's not like that's going to go EOL anytime soon.

The upcoming AMD RDNA 4 GPUs will supposedly reach parity with nVidia RTX 4000 series for AI performance, so only 1 generation behind. They are up to 8x faster than the RDNA 3 RX 7000 series at AI.

As mentioned, the already released AMD Strix Point and Intel Lunar Lake laptop APUs have good NPUs now. Considering how hard AI is being pushed as the new 3D, desktop chips can't be far behind. The Ultra 7 265k mentioned above as well as 265HX may not have very good NPUs in them, but the 265H does. NPUs are clearly going to be more of the "levers and pulleys" Intel has long used for market segmentation reasons to charge different amounts for.