Windows 11's CPU cutoff is to avoid Spectre/Meltdown software workarounds, and anything older than the cutoff are vulnerable to privilege escalation attacks by Spectre, Meltdown and derivatives.
While the TPM and RAM requirements can safely be bypassed, user apps (e.g. Adobe CC and certain anticheats) may assume those requirements are satisfied.
Microsoft are maintaining a staggering amount of Windows branches to various levels, and this almost certainly affects the resources allocated to each one. The branches used for Server and LTSC (IoT) releases are probably the best to use, although they come with their own annoyances. But needing to do a fresh install every 3-4 years when software support falters is my preference over Candy Crush and OneDrive ads.
Windows 10 ending in October blows my mind in contrast to the free as in beer near GUI-less Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019 receiving extended support (security updates) until 2029. I'll probably assemble a patched-up/slipstreamed installer for recycling older equipment!