Microsoft has issued new standards for having the most secure Windows 10 PC possible and they pretty much want you to just buy all new stuff. They’d also like users to run Windows 10S, a specialized version of Windows that only allows you to install apps available in the Windows 10 app store. That can severely limit what types of programs you can use, giving your PC the same limits as mobile devices running Android and iOS have for just purchasing your programs in one place.
Here are the other specifications Microsoft lists for a super-secure PC.
Processor: Some of this language may seem very confusing. But what it means is that Microsoft only considers the newest processors to be completely secure. Intel 7th generation Processors (Intel i3/i5/i7/i9-7x), Core M3-7xxx and Xeon E3-xxxx and current Intel Atom, Celeron and Pentium Processors.AMD through the 7th generation processors (A Series Ax-9xxx, E-Series Ex-9xxx, FX-9xxx
The processor needs to support 64-bit architecture and Input-Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU) device virtualization and all I/O devices must be protected by IOMMU/SMMU. Systems must also have virtual machine extensions with second level address translation (SLAT)
RAM: This may make more sense. The PC should have 8 gigabytes or more of system RAM.
You can click this link to read the whole list of requirements or download a PDF.
You should note that some of the devices Microsoft currently sells don’t meet these requirements. But that doesn’t mean those devices or your device isn’t fairly secure. These are the optimum standards. And, of course, they are tilted towards encouraging you to buy new devices.
As long as you are running Windows 7, 8.1, or 10, have anti-virus and anti-malware in place and keep your system updated, you should be fine. (You’ll notice I don’t mention Windows 8. Windows 8 is not secure unless it’s updated to Windows 8.1.1)