Microsoft continues to work on optimizing Windows 11 to make the system more responsive on budget devices with 8 GB of RAM. However, these improvements will not make such computers compatible with the Copilot+ ecosystem. Leaked specs for the new Lenovo IdeaPad Slim series laptops reveal that the 8 GB RAM configuration is officially labeled as non-pilot, despite being equipped with a new AMD Ryzen AI processor with a built-in neural chip.
Native Copilot+ AI tools such as Recall and image generation still require at least 16GB RAM. The situation is further complicated by the fact that many affordable laptops come with LPDDR5X memory soldered on and cannot be upgraded, thereby depriving users of the opportunity to expand the amount of RAM in the future. However, for most buyers of base systems, the overall ease of use of the system is far more important than the AI features that few people use. Standard Windows 11 apps like Weather can sometimes take up up to 1.6 GB of RAM, and the operating system itself can take up to 70% of memory when idle, making it unable to fully run on a device with 8 GB of RAM. Users will obviously appreciate the reduced system requirements of the shell compared to the built-in AI.
