Microsoft did not indicate the number of editions that Windows 10 will have when it announced that it would be the final release in the Windows series. Having said that, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, the newest edition of Microsoft’s Windows 10 family of operating systems, was just just unveiled. This makes it the 12th member of the Windows 10 family. This article will tell you what has changed in this edition if you’re curious. Here is everything you need to know about Windows 10 Pro for Workstations without further ado:
What is Windows 10 Pro for Workstations?
Windows 10 Pro for Workstations is, to put it simply, a high-end version of the already available Windows 10 Pro. It is intended to provide a better and smoother experience to consumers that utilise high-end PCs, as seen by the comments supplied by various Windows 10 users through the Windows Insider Program. This new edition is intended to support mission-critical applications and offers unique support for server-grade PC hardware.
Your computer will operate more responsibly and dependably if you utilise a high-end PC at full power with Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, even though you may not be able to test it to its full capabilities as a consumer. In theory, you ought to be able to utilise your computer’s hardware to its fullest potential. Let’s quickly review its salient characteristics so that we can get more specifics about it.
Key Features of Windows 10 Pro for Workstations
Windows 10 Pro for Workstations will become the monster it seems to be thanks to four significant updates. Here is a brief summary of each one of them:
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Resilient File System (ReFS)
The next major file system after NTFS is planned to be Microsoft’s proprietary Resilient File System, or ReFS. For a fast comparison, ReFS can theoretically manage volumes up to 4.7 zettabytes (1 zettabyte is equal to 1 billion TB), whereas NTFS can handle volumes up to 256 TB.
The benefits of ReFS include data cleansing, protection against data deterioration, handling of hard drive failure and redundancy, and integrity checks on mirrored storage areas. ReFS handles very high volumes with ease. This means that ReFS will identify any corrupt data and replace it with the equivalent healthy data on the other drive if it occurs on any of your mirrored drives.
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Persistent Memory
It is possible to access data stored in persistent memory effectively even after turning off your workstation. As it uses the NVDIMM-N hardware, a non-volatile memory with an on-board memory power source, this is made possible. Using this will give even the most performance-intensive apps and data the boost they need to operate at their peak efficiency.
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Faster File Sharing
The Server Message Block technology’s extension, SMB Direct, will be built into Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. The word “Direct” in SMB Direct alludes to the fact that it will also support the use of network adapters with RDMA functionality. The fact that each of these network adapters can operate at full speed while using a very low latency and a very low CPU usage makes more power available to other applications running on the system. This is one of their biggest advantages.
SMB Direct also enables an increased throughput where the network adapters coordinate the transfer of large volumes of data at line speeds for workloads like Hyper-V or Microsoft SQL Server or for applications that access large data sets on remote SMB file shares.
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Expanded Hardware Support
The name itself implies that Windows 10 Pro for Workstations will now support more configurations than the less expensive versions of Windows 10. You can now use computers with up to 4 CPUs and a memory of up to 6 TB if you are a user with a high-performance computer and server-grade Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron processors.
Windows 10 Pro Workstation Edition vs Windows 10 Pro
Now that you are aware of the main characteristics of Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, you might wonder how it differs from the current Windows 10. I’ve compared the features of the two editions in the table below while outlining all the significant changes that you will notice in the previous section.
| Windows 10 Pro for Workstations | Windows 10 Pro | |
| Primary File System | ReFS | NTFS |
| NVDIMM-N Support | Yes | No |
| SBM Direct | Yes | No |
| Latency | Low | Comparatively higher |
| Data Volume Handling Limit | 256 TB | 4.7 ZB |
| CPU Usage | Low | Comparatively higher |
| Max. CPUs | 4 | 2 |
| Max. Memory | 6 TB | 2 TB |
Hardware Requirements for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations
Microsoft hasn’t yet disclosed the hardware specifications needed to run Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. I don’t believe the system requirements should change from what they are for the other Windows 10 editions that we have already seen, even though it is primarily targeted at server-based PCs and the people who manage them. If so, the following should be the minimum hardware specifications for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations:
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster, or SoC |
| RAM | 1 GB for 32-bit / 2 GB for 64-bit |
| Hard Disk Space | 16 GB for 32-bit / 20 GB for 64-bit |
| Graphics Card | DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver |
| Display | 800×600 |
When is Windows 10 Pro for Workstations Coming?
The Fall Creators Update will include Windows 10 Pro for Workstation delivery. As for its pricing, we are yet to hear about that from Microsoft. Also, I wouldn t be surprised if Microsoft launches a killer hardware to go with this OS as well. Right now, I am betting on a new variant of Surface Studio optimized for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations.
SEE ALSO:Windows 10 Fall Creators Update: All The New Features and Changes
Excited for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations?
Going by how good it sounds, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations is very promising and should be of great help to the people who manage servers. All I hope right now is that it delivers what it promises. Are you excited for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations as well? Do let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
