Systems without SSE4.2 - Opinions.

This is with regards to older CPUs. On Intel side, Core2Duo / Core2Quad and older, and on AMD side, some AM3 CPUs and older, that lack SSE4.2 and thus cannot run Windows 11 24H2/25H2 at all, even with a bypass.

What *Windows OS* version would you run on these computers?

This is a theoretical question, *without regards to things like licensing costs or ESU costs*.

Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise Edition has/had been my OS of choice for these older CPUs, but November 2026 doesn't seem as far in the future as it once did.
Windows 10 22H2 is old, but potentially supported until October 2028 with the full 3 years of ESU updates.

Other fringe options potentially include Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 21H2, supported until January 2032.

I don't believe that there are any other compatible Windows 11 options besides Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise, but I'd love to be wrong.

I have strongly preferred Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise on these systems so that they have Windows 11, but with Windows 10 potentially offering 2 additional years of support over 11 23H2 Enterprise via ESU, that certainly changes the equation. What do you think?

GotNoRice said:

What *Windows OS* version would you run on these computers?

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Windows 11 23H2

EDIT: On second thought, as both OS’s will be unsupported, I’d actually go Windows 10. I miss that OS.

antspants said:

Windows 11 23H2

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I know that this is the last version of Windows 11 that works on these older CPUs. My question is more like:

Imagine that it's July 2028, and you're still using that computer.
If you're running Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise, you got your last Windows Update way back in 2026 (2025 if Home/Pro).
If you're running Windows 10 with 3 years of ESU, you're still getting new Windows Updates.

Would Windows 11 still be better in that case?

Better for what?

pseymour said:

Better for what?

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General-purpose computing.

If you have a license for Enterprise, you can get three years of ESU.

GotNoRice said:

General-purpose computing.

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That PC was built for Windows XP . . .

GotNoRice said:

Other fringe options potentially include Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 21H2, supported until January 2032.

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...and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 (1809) to January 2029.

pseymour said:

If you have a license for Enterprise, you can get three years of ESU.

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GotNoRice said:

This is a theoretical question, *without regards to things like licensing costs or ESU costs*.

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john1955 said:

That PC was built for Windows XP . . .

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Actually most Core2Quad systems were built for Vista, but regardless, as mentioned, this is really a theoretical question. Maybe this is the only system you have, or you are simply determined to make the absolute most out of it for whatever reason. It doesn't matter.

The question is, what Windows OS would you put on there?

GotNoRice said:

This is a theoretical question, *without regards to things like licensing costs or ESU costs*.

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GotNoRice said:

Windows 10 22H2 is old, but potentially supported until October 2028 with the full 3 years of ESU updates.

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This is one of those threads that's going to on and on, as the OP "yeah buts" it to death.

GotNoRice said:

Actually most Core2Quad systems were built for Vista, but regardless, as mentioned, this is really a theoretical question. Maybe this is the only system you have, or you are simply determined to make the absolute most out of it for whatever reason. It doesn't matter.

The question is, what Windows OS would you put on there?

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I'm still using Windows 7 pro so that would be my choice. I don't like the way Quickbooks looks in Win-11. It's all too bright and the wrong font and it strains my eyes. Other than that I like Win-11 but it's slow on my older PC. It's also easy to close the wrong browser window because the windows dont have a nice color in the title bar like windows 7 has so it's hard to tell where one window ends and the other one starts

GotNoRice said:

Actually most Core2Quad systems were built for Vista, but regardless, as mentioned, this is really a theoretical question. Maybe this is the only system you have, or you are simply determined to make the absolute most out of it for whatever reason. It doesn't matter.

The question is, what Windows OS would you put on there?

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I'm definitely in the second category, determined to see just how far I can push a low spec system. I have an eclectic collection of machines, up to one with a Core Ultra 7, but TBH the most fun is had pushing the old stuff beyond its limits.

I have three laptops that lack SSE4.2, the lowest spec was for a long time my 'least appropriate' laptop, a little netbook with an Atom N2600 that I tortured into running 23H2. This was my 'canary in the mine shaft' - if I could run W11 on that I could run it on anything.

When not being tormented, I had it running 32-bit Windows 10, and used it as a 'take anywhere' for holidays, a laptop that I'd not miss if it got lost, dropped, or stolen. I was going to run Linux on it in the future, but it has handed in its resignation, its battery has died and it now only runs when plugged in (not a useful trait in a laptop).

One of my remaining two has an AMD V120 and runs Windows 7 and Office 2003 quite well - but never goes on the internet. Even I draw the line at trying Windows 10/11 on that - with a processor that only has a single core and single thread it's like trying to swim in treacle!

The last one has a Pentium T4300 and could run 23H2 adequately, but its main use these days it to sit on my network 24/7 as an occasional file server, running 32-bit Windows 10 22H2. I'll probably keep it running on W10 long after EoL.

My current 'least appropriate' laptop that has been promoted to 'canary in the mine shaft' duties runs on a Pentium B950 (we're now getting into SSE4.2 territory). Next step up the performance ladder is my System Two with its 1st gen i5 which actually does a surprisingly good job of running Insider builds up to Canary.

pseymour said:

This is one of those threads that's going to on and on, as the OP "yeah buts" it to death.

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"yeah but" would imply that I agreed with anything you said. I still have serious doubts that you ever read the first post or even understand what this thread is about.

You posted three useless replies that didn't address the very simple and straight-forward question that was posed. If it seems like the thread is "going on and on", that's probably why.

john1955 said:

I'm still using Windows 7 pro so that would be my choice.

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I loved Windows 7 also, but with even the Firefox ESR branch now giving up on Windows 7, it's increasingly difficult to use it as a general purpose computer *even if* you're okay with being years behind on security updates.

GotNoRice said:

This is with regards to older CPUs. On Intel side, Core2Duo / Core2Quad and older, and on AMD side, some AM3 CPUs and older, that lack SSE4.2 and thus cannot run Windows 11 24H2/25H2 at all, even with a bypass.

What *Windows OS* version would you run on these computers?

This is a theoretical question, *without regards to things like licensing costs or ESU costs*.

Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise Edition has/had been my OS of choice for these older CPUs, but November 2026 doesn't seem as far in the future as it once did.
Windows 10 22H2 is old, but potentially supported until October 2028 with the full 3 years of ESU updates.

Other fringe options potentially include Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 21H2, supported until January 2032.

I don't believe that there are any other compatible Windows 11 options besides Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise, but I'd love to be wrong.

I have strongly preferred Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise on these systems so that they have Windows 11, but with Windows 10 potentially offering 2 additional years of support over 11 23H2 Enterprise via ESU, that certainly changes the equation. What do you think?

Click to expand...

I'm currently running what I call my 7/11. I like Win 7 too much to let it go so I went with dual boot. Now on my main (my 7/11) the Win 11 side of things is 23H2. I'm happy with this. I'm also running Kaspersky Premium on the Win 11 side. I've been experimenting on other PCs with Windows X-Lite. This modified version of Win 11 works well on older PCs and the web site provides access to Windows updates. The OS allows the benefits of running Windows 11 without the annoyance of One Drive, Co-Pilot, Bit Locker, and other non-essential features. So for older non-compliant PCs I recommend trying Windows X-Lite.

GotNoRice said:

The question is, what Windows OS would you put on there?

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I may get banned for saying the ugly word, but I would put Linux Mint or Ubuntu on it if all you're going to do is general stuff. Either will do that without having to add any software.

Though I prefer Mint Cinnamon,, I installed Ubuntu on an old Core2 Duo I had lying around and moved my Plex Media server to it. I used Ubuntu rather than Mint because recommendations on the web said Ubuntu was a better choice to run Plex. My reasoning for doing it was three-fold. 1) I wanted to get familiar with Linux because I knew nothing about it. 2) I use it for file recovery from old drives or unbootable windows drives. 3)and mainly because I didn't want to fight all the issues that come along with running 11 on a low powered, under-equipped machine.

My plan is to eventually install Mint onto an old 2013 incompatible i7-3770 that is running 11 now.
I maintain 4 Win11 machines in this house. That's one too many..

My Xeon has SSE4.2, but I prefer to use Windows 11 21H2 because the PC is faster, more responsive, and consumes less memory when opening Firefox with more than 200 tabs.
I even made new Lite versions 24h2 and 26h1 for a fair comparison, but even under the same conditions, it still loses badly. The last one I made, 26H1 Lite, runs normally without problems, but consumes much more CPU in any task, even removing CPU mitigation.

If you want to test this version to verify that everything I'm saying is true, I'll leave a link to the ISO in my signature. After installing, run the command "sfc /scannow", restart your PC, and you're done. Then run the tests. Obviously, don't forget to install the chipset, sound, video, etc. drivers.

Linux. If you really want to be up to date, its your only option. Use the Windows you have as a scaffold to run it on VM.

maur0 said:

I even made new Lite versions 24h2 and 26h1 for a fair comparison, but even under the same conditions, it still loses badly. The last one I made, 26H1 Lite, runs normally without problems, but consumes much more CPU in any task, even removing CPU mitigation.

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Is it anything like Tiny11 that I keep seeing? I was just thinking that would be worth trying if one had time for it. I have a spare ssd so I might try it next time we get a multi-day rain event that will keep me indoors. I have this old 2009 Dell Laptop I mentioned in another thread I might try as a NAS server. I dont really need a NAS server but it would be a fun project.

glasskuter said:

I may get banned for saying the ugly word, but I would put Linux Mint or Ubuntu on it if all you're going to do is general stuff. Either will do that without having to add any software.

Though I prefer Mint Cinnamon,, I installed Ubuntu on an old Core2 Duo I had lying around and moved my Plex Media server to it. I used Ubuntu rather than Mint because recommendations on the web said Ubuntu was a better choice to run Plex. My reasoning for doing it was three-fold. 1) I wanted to get familiar with Linux because I knew nothing about it. 2) I use it for file recovery from old drives or unbootable windows drives. 3)and mainly because I didn't want to fight all the issues that come along with running 11 on a low powered, under-equipped machine.

My plan is to eventually install Mint onto an old 2013 incompatible i7-3770 that is running 11 now.
I maintain 4 Win11 machines in this house. That's one too many..

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Why say Linux is an ugly word? If you have a really old computer that came with Windows then it may no longer be suitable for modern versions of Windows. In that case you can either retire it or find an operating system more appropriate. Also, for an old computer it helps if you have at least 4GB RAM and replace the HDD with an SSD.

I have a really old laptop that first came out in July 2006. I was surprised that I could run Windows 10 on it but unfortunate it ran really slow with it. I downgraded to Windows 7 but Windows 7 is getting problematic to go online. I chose to try running Linux on it. However, since the CPU is only 32-bit that limited my options. I settled on Linux Mint Cinnamon LMDE 6 “Faye” 32-bit. So far it has running OK with that.

Toshiba Tecra M7-S7331 laptop (2006)
Original specs:
CPU: Intel Core Duo T2400 (32-bit)
RAM: 1GB
DRV: 100GB 2.5" SATA HDD
O/S: Windows XP Tablet Edition
Current specs:
CPU: Intel Core Duo T2400
RAM: 4GB
DRV: 500GB 2.5" SATA SSD
O/S: Linux Mint Cinnamon (LMDE 6 “Faye” 32-bit)

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I used to have another old laptop. I don't have it anymore but would have been an even better candidate for Linux.

Dell Latitude E6410 laptop (2010)
Original Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5 M 450 (2.4GHz)
RAM: 4GB
DRV: 250GB 2.5" SATA HDD
O/S: Windows 7 Pro 32-bit
Current Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5 M 450 (2.4GHz)
RAM: 8GB
DRV: 500GB 2.5" SATA SSD
O/S: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

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MisterEd said:

. . . but Windows 7 is getting problematic to go online . . .

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I'm still using it. Ive only had two web pages block it (Chase Bank and Yahoo Web Mail) and I learned there's a way you can make Firefox look like a newer version so they wont block it. I learned it by asking Google AI a question about it. It's a simple setting in network.http.useragent.forceVersion then just change the version to the latest number. Firefox still gets regular security (I assume that's what they are) updates but not version changes.