Microsoft no longer wants computers with Windows 11 pre-installed that use conventional hard drives, and is intended make the use of solid-state drives (SSDs) mandatory among manufacturers from 2023. This is clear from a recent report by Tom’s Hardwarebased on a Trendfocus company report.
The data would have been revealed by original equipment manufacturers —OEM, for its acronym in English—, who would have already received the order not to produce new Windows 11 PCs that use mechanical disks to boot The operating system. In fact, it is mentioned that the Redmond they would have tried to make the definitive leap to SSDs in 2022but they could not do it due to the refusal of the manufacturers.
If true, Microsoft’s plan makes sense. After all, it’s becoming more and more common to find computers, both laptops and desktops, that arrive from the factory with solid-state drives. And in case you still use conventional disk drives, it is very easy to replace them. This being the case, and knowing that SSDs not only boot Windows faster, but the performance of the operating system is better in all aspects, the strategy is more than justified.
The breaking point for your implementation to be successful, at least to the level intended by Microsoft, is the economy. While SSDs are no longer as expensive as they once were, they are still more expensive than hard drives. This can be a real problem for low-end or mid-range computers running Windows 11.
Changing a hard drive for a solid state drive without affecting the cost of a computer is not an impossible mission, but it is a very complex one. as well explained Tom’s Hardwareif a manufacturer today includes a 1TB storage drive in a PC I could only exchange it for a 256 GB SSD before being forced to raise prices.
Microsoft wants to say goodbye to hard drives on Windows 11 PCs
If Microsoft manages to go ahead with this plan, many questions remain to be resolved. On the one hand, how would you control that OEMs only produce computers with SSDs for Windows 11; on the other, what will happen to the teams that use a dual storage system (SSD + HDD)which is something you see especially on laptops gaming and desktop PCs for professional use.
And finally, what effect will it have on the market for hard drives. It is clear that these components will not disappear overnight. On the contrary, the companies that manufacture them are making interesting advances that allow us to dream of hard drives of up to 100 TB by 2030, especially thinking about data centers.
Will we really only see Windows 11 pre-installed on computers with solid-state drives starting in 2023? Today it seems somewhat unlikely, but the last word has not been said. If Microsoft proceeds with this strategy, it will also be more exposed to any disruptions that may occur in the supply line. Let’s not forget that earlier this year there was a chemical contamination in Japan that affected the production of 3D NAND chips; and, how could it be otherwise, this threatened to raise the prices of SSDs.