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EmuGUI receiving higher hardware requirements starting 11th November, 2025
EmuGUI has gone quite a long way. It all started in 2022 when I was looking for QEMU GUIs for Windows that suited what I wanted to use QEMU for - emulating "exotic" hardware. However, I did not find anything fitting and then I began writing it myself using the help of the QEMU and the CollabVM wikis as orientation. I first used C#, but due to some complications, I decided to rewrite it with Python and - guess what - that Python codebase is what I first released on the 7th June, 2022 (only for Windows though). With EmuGUI 0.5, I added Linux support and yes - I have already increased the operating system requirements two times. One time, I ditched Windows 8.1 host support for good and the second, I had to give up on supporting Linux distros which aren't at their latest version.
The thing is, we have 2024 and I needed to get a new computer for several reasons (one of them being that otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to support Windows 11 24H2 users). General requirements have also increased and I wouldn't recommend going with 6 GB of RAM anymore.
| Section | Old requirement | New requirement | What Nicolas uses (November 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 or Server 2016 x64 or the latest version of your Linux distro | Windows 10 1607 or Server 2016 x64 or the latest version of your Linux distro | Windows 11 24H2 x64 and openSUSE Tumbleweed x64 |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Athlon 64 x2 4600+ | Intel Core i5-2400S, AMD Phenom X4 9850, Intel Core i5-2520M or AMD Athlon Gold 3150U¹ | Intel Core i5-6500 |
| RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB (12 GB if using integrated graphics) | 24 GB DDR4 (2133 MHz) |
| Graphics | DirectX 10 or OpenGL 2.1 | DirectX 11 or OpenGL 3.3 | AMD Radeon R7 240 (4 GB) |
| HDD | 2 GB | 4 GB | 250 GB SATA SSD (Windows), 250 GB SATA SSD (Linux), 500 GB SATA HDD |
| UEFI | Not required unless OS says otherwise | Not required unless OS says otherwise | Enabled without Secure Boot |
| TPM | Not required unless OS says otherwise | Not required unless OS says otherwise | 2.0 |
These are just template requirements, but they should get you ready for emulating Windows 98.
¹ The AMD Athlon Gold 3150U is the closest AMD CPU which is equivalent to an Intel Core i5-2520M according to my research. If you do have an AMD CPU which has got only 2.5 GHz of base clock, but is equivalent to the Athlon Gold 3150U otherwise, you're not only fine, but also encouraged to update this site.
After some critique, I did make the effort to lower the new requirements as far as possible, nevertheless, an Intel Core 2 Duo in 2024 is already a pain. You see, developers have to make sure they are ready to support the latest configuration and that they don't leave too many older systems behind. However, I can be glad my readiness to support Windows 11 24H2 and later came on time. EmuGUI was originally made on an Intel Core 2 Duo, but that doesn't mean I can support said CPU forever. Again, we are in the middle of the 2020s and the CPUs are up to 18 years old (written in 2024). Imagine you buy a new computer with the latest and greatest specifications and then you can't run EmuGUI because little Nicolas isn't even able to support you properly as he also supports older hardware which are a pain to use these days. The future exists at some point and we need to adjust to it (maybe not to the scale Microsoft wants us to, but we still need to adjust), and if I was to try keeping these older configurations alive, I would decrease my chances of keeping programs like EmuGUI running on the "future-proof" hardware and whatever will come out in the future. If I announce changes in the system requirements, I give you some time before they come in effect. This article was written at a time when you had roughly 11.5 months left, and I first announced it 1 year and 2 months before it would come in effect and even afterwards, it might take me longer to push a bigger update with these new requirements as I'm extra nice and don't cut support with minor updates unless I really, really need to.
First of all, you should do some research on your current hardware (meaning you should inform yourself about your current CPU, RAM, storage and graphics and whatever else there is) to see if an upgrade is possible. If you can't determine it yourself, I will make some scenarios as an orientation.
My storage is constantly full and I can't do anything about it, but everything else fits the new requirements
It may be time to upgrade to more and faster storage, especially if you currently run Windows from a conventional hard drive. These days, SSDs are not that expensive and as long as your computer supports SATA drives (which it hopefully does), they can greatly boost your performance. I recommend at least a 500 GB SSD where your system is installed, but if you plan on using the conventional hard drives for everything else, this is fine. The only software that you really must have on an SSD to get a pleasuring experience are your operating system and some modern games.
If you have a laptop (or a thin client/mini PC), you must replace it. There is no way out.
If you have a big tower PC, do some research on your PC or motherboard and see if they support better CPUs than what you currently have in your system. If there are compatible CPUs which fulfill the new requirements, you should do some more research on whether or not you have to get new coolers for that CPU. Oh, and do not forget the thermal paste!
Do some research on your PC, your motherboard and/or your CPU to check if you can still upgrade your RAM. If your computer supports the sufficient amount of RAM to run EmuGUI after the 11th November, 2025, turn off your PC, unplug and open it and check which type of RAM you need to get. After that, you can close it.
Replace your computer. It's very unlikely to get more RAM for it.
Good news, the only step left is ordering more RAM.
Turn your computer back on and check if you have to get ECC or non-ECC RAM.
Windows
Open PowerShell as an administrator and run wmic MemoryChip get DataWidth,TotalWidth.
If TotalWidth is greater than DataWidth, you have ECC RAM. Otherwise, you have non-ECC RAM.
Linux
Open the terminal and run sudo inxi -m -xxx.
If it outputs EC: None, you have non-ECC RAM, otherwise, your RAM is with ECC.
Now that you know how much RAM you can upgrade to and which type to get, it is time to get yourself the correct amount of RAM. If you have integrated graphics and can only upgrade to 8 GB of RAM, I recommend you replace your system. If you can't, you must get a dedicated graphics card as well.
If you have a tower PC, do some research on your current graphics card. Then, turn off and unplug your PC to open it. On its power supply, you will see how much power it can provide. Take notes of that and do some research on graphics cards which you can upgrade to. If you want to replace the power supply anyway, do research on that and get a graphics card which fits your new power supply.
If you plan on replacing it, but can't do so this quickly, you are fine for now as long as you do not upgrade to Windows 11.
Then please replace your computer.
Maybe, just maybe, EmuGUI might still work at its latest version. If it doesn't, you have to use a version which still supports your hardware, but please do not expect any more bugfixes whatsoever. It is at your own risk, especially if you can't upgrade to "future-proof" hardware. If you need this bugfix, please get the code of the latest version your PC can run and fix it yourself.
Look for other ways to use your old computer.
- If it is still "future-proof" and your grandmother or your children could make use of it, you may gift it to them.
- If it is still "future-proof", but you don't know anyone who could make use of it, you might be able to sell or donate your system.
- If it is no longer "future-proof" and you have some older games you can't run on your main computer, you can reimburse your old computer for those.
- If you want to work on something which requires a test server, your old computer can still serve as one.
- If you serve in a critical field (like police or military), consider using your old computer as an external firewall. Your officer will thank you.
- If your TV isn't "smart", you can make it smart with your old computer. It may be too old for whatever you want to use a main PC for, but it is probably still able to serve as an alternative to a Fire TV.
That depends...
Decide on whether or not you really want to revive your old system and why you would do so. If you know that, get the necessary replacement parts and make it work again.
Check if there are any costs involved in bringing your PC to your municipality's recycling center by going to their website. You might want to have a car, so if you don't have a driving license, get a friend who can do it for you.
Turn off, unplug and open your PC and explore whatever lies within its case. Maybe disassemble and re-assemble it. I assume you have a better computer anyway, so go for it.
Check if there are any costs involved in bringing your PC to your municipality's recycling center by going to their website. You might want to have a car, so if you don't have a driving license, get a friend who can do it for you.
It is a long article, but I need to explain myself (and have a link to redirect you to from EmuGUI). The future exists and if I don't leave some older and weaker systems behind, I will affect the experience on more modern and better systems negatively. If your computer doesn't fulfill the new requirements, you should look for ways to transist to "future-proof" equipment. I've taken my time to replace my old setup, so you should take your time to find your new setup as well. The time to start acting is now. Save some money, do some research and maybe run a Linux test VM on your computer while you still can. Just prepare your migration to "future-proof" hardware and then perform it.
- Nicolas Lucien: Original author