Windows 10 SKU For Advanced PCs Leaked, Targets Enthusiast Power User Desktops And Workstations
- Windows 10 Pro for Advanced PCs
- Windows 10 Pro N for Advanced PCs
- Windows Server 2016 ServerRdsh
The third version is being aimed at servers that will be used as a Remote Desktop Session Host. However, it is Windows 10 Pro for Advanced PCs that is likely the most intriguing for our readers. Microsoft alternatively calls the operating system Windows 10 Pro for Workstation PCs, although the name is subject to change. The “N” version is largely the same, but is aimed at the European market.
Microsoft said that it sought feedback from its Windows 10 user base on how to bring “new value” to the market, and it came up with these four ways to enhance the operating system for power users.
- Workstation Mode: Microsoft is optimizing performance and reliability for those that use Windows 10 primarily for compute and graphics intensive tasks.
- Resilient File System (ReFS): This is Microsoft successor to the long-serving NTFS. According to the company, “ReFS is designed for fault-tolerance, optimized for handling large data volume and auto-correcting [while also remaining] backwards compatible with NTFS”.
- Faster File Sharing: The SMBDirect protocol will be employed when accessing file shares, allowing for high throughput, low CPU utilization and lower latencies than existing solutions.
- Expanded Hardware Support: Windows 10 Pro for Workstation is bulking up to support up to four physical CPUs (instead of the current two-CPU limitation for Windows 10 Pro) and will support up to 6TB of memory.
It is good to hear that Microsoft is listening to customers in order to enhance the functionality of Windows 10. The operating system has seen a number of new features and enhancements over the past two years – via the Anniversary Update and the Creators Update -- that were the result of direct feedback from users (especially from Windows Insiders).
Windows 10 Pro for Workstation (or whatever it will be called) is just the latest product of those efforts.
