Windows 11 is less than a month from its official release. Older computers won’t be able to run it. It is hard to give you an exact answer, but computers older than five years are probably out for sure. Beyond that, the older it is then the less likely it will work. This means some folks are going to need to look for a new computer. This week I’ll share my choice for processor and I’ll follow up with other components in future weeks. Yes, there will be Amazon links that earn me a tiny commission even on an expensive part.

My own personal choice is typically the latest and greatest, but I’m not going in that direction this time. If I went that direction, it would be the Intel Core i9-11900K Desktop Processor 8 Cores up to 5.3 GHz Unlocked. Note that it has 8 cores while my choice has 10. It also costs about $100 more than my choice (at current prices). Admittedly it does include graphics which are not included in my choice.

Should I decide to build a new computer today, I’d go with the Intel Core i9-10900KF Desktop Processor 10 Cores up to 5.3 GHz Unlocked Without Processor Graphics. Speedwise it is about the same as the newer more expensive part. But having two more cores (and four more threads) allows it to be faster overall.

As mentioned above, the tradeoff is that graphics are not included with the CPU so you’ll have to purchase a discrete graphics card. Given the power of this CPU, it’s target market will almost always buy discrete graphics anyways. For me, it is a plus that it isn’t included and saves me a little money so I can apply that savings to a better graphics card.

For those who have a more recent computer and don’t feel the need to upgrade right away, I think you’ll see bigger improvements in the next couple rounds of processors. So if you can wait a year, it may well be worth it.