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A popular Linux distro now has higher system hardware requirements than Windows 11
Quoting: A popular Linux distro now has higher system hardware requirements than Windows 11 - Neowin —
Despite putting some blame on user error, Microsoft is aware that Windows 11 has issues which is why it promised some big improvements soon. If you have no more patience, 'switching to Linux' is an option and Ubuntu, from Canonical, is a very popular distro that's worth checking out.
Back in 2023, going Ubuntu was definitely profitable from a performance standpoint as we saw that the Linux OS was often beating out Windows 11. Microsoft, of course, is promising better things on the upcoming version 26H2, so it will be interesting to see how Ubuntu Desktop's contemporary 26.04 LTS (Longer Term Support) version called "Resolute Raccoon" will stack up.
Speaking of which, Canonical has announced the system requirements for the upcoming Ubuntu 26.04 LTS version that lands later this month, and there has been a sharp bump to the hardware requirements. The official support documentation says: "Ubuntu Desktop 26.04 LTS requires a 2 GHz dual-core processor or better, a minimum of 6GB RAM and 25 GB of free hard drive space."
Tom's Hardware:
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Ubuntu Linux raises minimum system memory requirements by 50% — requirements bumped to 6GB of RAM, previously raised from 1GB to 4GB in 2018
The release notes for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS show that Canonical has quietly raised the minimum RAM requirement for its popular Linux-based operating system by 50%. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon), the newest long-term support (LTS) release, requires at least 6GB of precious RAM, alongside a minimum dual-core CPU with a clock speed of 2 GHz, and 25GB of free storage.
The last time that Canonical upped the minimum RAM requirements of its well-known Linux distro was in 2018. That was when Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) arrived, demanding 4GB. Ubuntu LTS RAM requirements had been as low as 1GB for the preceding four years, as established by Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) in 2014. In that context, the latest change in RAM requirements isn’t as big of a shock.
Ubuntu experts at OMG Ubuntu characterize the latest revision in RAM specs as “an honesty bump.” In other words, the core OS isn’t really more demanding on system resources this time around, but Canonical recognizes that with the latest Gnome desktop, modern web browsers, and typical multitasking workflows, users should look at a minimum of 6GB of RAM.
Adding More:
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Ubuntu Raises CPU And RAM Requirements Above Windows 11 Amid Linux’s Steam Surge
Canonical has posted a new set of system requirements for the release of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, otherwise known as Resolute Raccoon, and they are now higher than what Microsoft recommends for Windows 11. Notably, the new requirements arrive amid another surge in Linux usage on Steam, with the latest Steam survey revealing an all-time high metric for Linux.
According to the release notes for Ubuntu 26.04, the desktop build requires a 2GHz dual-core processor or better, at least 6GB of RAM, and 25GB of free hard drive space. The requirements for Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS are a bit tamer, checking in at 1.5GB of RAM and 4GB of storage, though they scale with your use case.
To put it into perspective, the system requirements for Windows 11 call for a 1GHz processor with two or more cores, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. There are other requirements, of course, but those are the key hardware metrics for both platforms.
Ubuntu 26.04 now needs more RAM than Windows 11, which says more about Microsoft than Canonical
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS's release date is on the horizon, with the operating system being released on 23rd April if everything goes well. As part of the lead-up to the release, the developers behind Ubuntu, Canonical, have updated the system requirements for the operating system.
Despite Ubuntu 26.04 LTS's new system specifications being quite light for a modern-day operating system, it has notably placed the RAM requirements above Windows 11's recommendation, the operating system that Linux users often call 'bloated'. However, before you wonder if the FOSS sky is falling, it's worth actually taking a look at what Microsoft thinks you'll be able to run Windows 11 off of.
Ubuntu now requires more RAM than Windows 11
While Linux has long been associated with lightweight performance and breathing life into aging machines, Canonical’s release notes for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS signal a clear evolution towards modern computing workloads. The company is quietly bumping its minimum memory requirements for the Linux distro—a widely-used open-source operating system and a beginner-friendly gateway into the Linux world.