These PCs don't support Copilot+, and it shows how little sense the requirements make (2024)

Recently, Microsoft introduced Copilot+ PCs — new hardware that can run specific AI tasks locally, including the new Recall feature, now WIndows Studio effects, and image generation in Paint. These new PCs are very exciting, but there's one thing that makes this all pretty weird: the system requirements.

You see, to be a Copilot+ PC, you need to have an NPU with at least 40 TOPS, and therein lies the problem. Only new upcoming PCs with Qualcomm Snapragon X processors, Intel Lunar Lake, or AMD's Strix Point chips will fit that requirement. That means your PC that you buy today probably still won't be compatible, even if you spend thousands of dollars on it. So, just for fun, let's take a look at some of the PCs that somehow don't support Copilot+.

5 Surface Laptop Studio 2

Not even a dedicated NPU can do much for you

You might not have known this, but the Surface Laptop Studio 2 was actually one of the first "AI PCs" to some extent. Before Intel was putting NPUs in its processors, it actually had a dedicated NPU, and the Surface Laptop Studio 2 shipped with one, the Movidius 3700CV VPU.

You might think that with dedicated AI hardware, things would be pretty smooth sailing. Especially when the Surface Laptop Studio 2 also has a 14-core Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia graphics up to a GeForce RTX 4060 (not to mention up to 64GB of RAM).

But no, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 does not support Copilot+. In fact, that NPU (or VPU, as Intel was calling it at the time) on the Surface Laptop Studio 2 wasn't that great, even compared to what we would get a few months later. If you spent over $2,000 on this laptop, that's got to sting.

4 HP Spectre x360 14

Ah yes, the "AI" PC

Remember five months ago when AI PCs were finally here? Indeed, Intel's Core Ultra processors were some kind of revolution, featuring a built-in NPU for the first time that could be used for all kinds of AI tasks, such as... not Copilot+, it seems.

Microsoft and its partners talked up AI PCs like crazy at the start of 2024, with Intel Core Ultra processors (and AMD's Ryzen 8040 series) being the big thing for AI. Heck, laptops even started having a Copilot key on their keyboards, giving you quick access to this new world of AI features. Surely this was the next big thing for PCs, right?

Sure, as long as you didn't buy one of these. Despite being available with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 with 16 cores, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD, the HP Spectre x360 14 does not support Copilot+. It does have an NPU, but all it does is enable Windows Studio effects and support some other third-party workloads (which will run slower than on these new Copilot+ PCs). That goes for all the laptops that have come in the past five months, no mnatter how much they've talked about AI. The HP Spectre x360 14 just so happens to be the best laptop on the market right now, but that means nothing for Copilot+.

3 Alienware m18 R2

It can run Cyberpunkk 2077, but not Recall

You thought things were crazy already, but it gets much worse. Take a look, for example, at the Alienware m18 R2. This is arguably one of the fastest laptops on the market. It has up to a massive 24-cdore, 32-thread Intel Core i9-14900HX that can boost up to 5.8GHz. It has up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, and it even comes with up to 64GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD.

Oh yes, the RTX 4090. You know, the GPU that can take dozens of images per second and use AI to turn them from 1440p resolution to 4K in real time? Or create all-new frames in-between the existing ones? Yes, that GPU that can use its AI Tensor cores to do that can't do things like take screenshots of your PC to make them searchable, or run Windows Studio Effects, or generate images with the Cocreator feature. Because of course, there's simply no way the RTX 4090 would have enough power to handle that kind of workload.

Nvidia did talk about RTX AI PCs during its Computex keynote, so maybe something will still come of this, but as of right now, this beast of a machine isn't expected to work with Copilot+.

2 Dell Precision 5690

Intel Core Ultra and RTX 5000 still aren't enough

We're not done yet. If you thought the Alienware m18 R2 definitely should have supported Copilot+, check this out. The Dell Precision 5690 is one of the most beasly workstations you can get right now. It has up to an Intel Core ultra 9 185H processor with a built-in NPU, plus an Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada Generation GPU. Both of these pieces of hardware are more than capable of handling demanding AI workloads, with the RTX 5000 being essentially a business version of the GeForce RTX 4090.

Dell's marketing even leans heavily into AI, calling it "one of the world's most intelligent commercial PCs", on top of having a Copilot key. But no hardware combination is enough to make Copilot+ unless you specifically have a dedicated NPU with 40 TOPS or more. So, this laptop that starts at nearly $2,300 (but can go into five digits) still isn't ready for Copilot+.

1 This $7,000 CLX desktop

It doesn't matter how much you spend

Render credit: CLX

Right now, Copilot+ is like happiness — money can't buy it. Just for fun, I looked up the most expensive desktop PC at Best Buy and found this CLX RA gaming desktop, which comes in at a whopping $6,999.99. That's a lot of money, buyt you do get a lot of performance in return. This desktop includes an Intel Core i9-14900K processor with 24 cores and 32 threads capable of boosting up to 6GHz. It also includes a full desktop Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, which costs $1,600 all on its own and has 24GB of VRAM. Plus, you get 96GB of system RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a 6TB HDD.

There aren't many workloads you can think of that this PC wouldn't be able to handle. It can play the latest games at 4K and 60FPS (or more), it can can edit video like it's nothing, and you could use it for complex 3D rendering workloads in something like Blender. What you can't use it for, however, is Copilot+. It doesn't matter that the RTX 4090 is a beast when it comes to AI workloads, it's not an NPU, and thus, Copilot+ is out of the question.

You can find more expensive desktops at other retailers, too, but they'll have exactly the same problem. Heck, since NPUs seem to be exclusive to laptops for now, even newer upcoming desktops might continue to miss out on Copilot+ support for a while longer, no matter how much you spend.

These requirements are ridiculous

Realistically, this list could be virtually endless. Every computer that's on the market right now can't run Copilot+, or at least, that's what Microsoft wants you to think. Because here's the thing, even though Copilot+ PCs aren't out yet, someone already got the Recall feature working on PCs without NPUs. It's hardly a necessity, but even if you need that AI power, it's clear that there are machines out there with that kind of power that could easily run these same workloads. But because that AI power is inside a GPU instead of an NPU, it suddenly doesn't count.

We wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft changes these requirements later on to enable Copilot+ on existing PCs, but it's clear the company wants to generate excitement for the new hardware right now. If you're also excited for these capabilities, you need to be willing to wait and buy a new laptop with the upcoming chips from Qualcomm, Intel, or AMD.