New Features and System Requirements for Windows Server 2025: Now Available

Windows Server 2025 has transitioned from a long-standing preview phase to full availability on November 1, 2024. This latest version of the server-centric operating system showcases a range of innovative features while discontinuing some older applications, including WordPad.

Our experience with Windows Server 2025 has been quite promising. According to our assessments at Windows Latest, it offers a robust performance with minimal significant issues to note. The system requirements for Windows Server 2025 are largely consistent with those of Windows Server 2022. Let’s take a closer look at them.

System Requirements for Windows Server 2025

• A processor with a 1.4 GHz clock speed, 64-bit architecture, support for SLAT, NX, and DEP.
• Additional instruction set support is needed, including CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, PrefetchW, and SSE4.2, along with the POPCNT instruction. This POPCNT instruction requirement extends to consumer editions as Microsoft enhances Windows security standards.

The SSE4.2 and POPCNT specifications are the only new additions here. Microsoft has mandated these for all Windows 11 24H2 editions, which aligns with expectations for Windows Server 2025. Since the POPCNT instruction has been included in processors since 2008, any CPU lacking this feature is likely too underpowered for Server 2025.

Supported Intel CPUs for Windows Server 2025 include:

• Xeon SP processors from the second to the fifth generation
• Xeon 6 SP Processors (67xxE)
• Xeon E 23xx and 24xx
• Xeon D 17xx, 18xx, 21xx, 27xx, 28xx
• Pentium G7400 and G7400T

Supported AMD CPUs for Windows Server 2025 include:

• AMD EPYC 7xx2
• AMD EPYC 7xx3
• AMD EPYC 4xx4
• AMD EPYC 8xx4
• AMD EPYC 9xx4
• AMD EPYC 9xx5

Memory Requirements:

• 512 MB for Server Core installations
• 2 GB (4 GB recommended) for systems running with Desktop Experience

For virtual machine setups, Microsoft recommends allocating at least 800 MB of RAM.

Storage Requirements:

A minimum of 32 GB is necessary, with additional space needed if you exceed 16 GB of RAM for certain operating system functionalities, like hibernation, which requires some storage space during the hibernation process.

Network Requirements:

A PCI Express-certified Ethernet adapter capable of at least 1 Gbps bandwidth is required.

Other Essential Requirements:

• A UEFI 2.3.1c-based system and firmware that supports Secure Boot.
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
• A graphics device and monitor that are capable of Super VGA (1024 x 768) resolution or higher.

New Features in Windows Server 2025

Here are some of the exciting new additions in Windows Server 2025:

• Bluetooth Support – Connect Bluetooth peripherals and audio devices seamlessly to a Windows Server 2025 machine.
• Dev Drive and Block Cloning – The Dev Drive feature enhances virtual disk management and enables Block Cloning, significantly accelerating file transfer speeds. Official estimates indicate a potential 92% improvement in transferring a 10GB file using Block Cloning.
• Credential Guard – This security feature, protecting passwords, is included once again like in Server 2022.
• Email & Accounts – Users can integrate personal Microsoft Accounts, Entra accounts, or work/school accounts on their Windows Server 2025 setup, although initial configuration necessitates domain joining.
• Windows Terminal & Winget – The inclusion of the Windows Terminal app, first introduced in Windows 11 21H2, allows for the direct use of Winget package manager without needing separate installation.
• Task Manager & Start Menu – A revamped Task Manager featuring theme support and subtle user interface enhancements has been added, alongside an updated Start Menu that supports pinned applications for quick access.
• File Explorer – The updated File Explorer allows archiving in ZIP, 7z, and TAR formats, although RAR formatting remains unsupported for creation, only allowing for extraction.

For an extensive list of feature enhancements, check the official support page detailing this new release.

Notably, Windows Server 2025 has phased out Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine, SMTP server, and IIS 6 Management Console.

Moreover, the traditional WordPad application is no longer included, prompting users to seek alternative text editing solutions.

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