Windows 7 OEM okay?

[Tom_ZeCat]

I'll soon be building a PC, and was annoyed by the high cost of Windows 7. In a retail store, Win 7 Professional runs $300. Yikes! That price tempts me to use a warez version, as a friend of mine has done with Win 7 Ultimate. (Tempted, not convinced.) However, I've found Win 7 Professional for $140 on a reputable web site. However, it's an OEM version, a single license.

I'm tempted to snatch it up and go for it. I only care about getting a legitimate version with an install disk and product key that works. I don't need a manual or any fancy packaging. Is there any reason not to go for go for an OEM OS? If that one will work just fine, I see no reason to shell out $300 to get a retail copy.

[Deneb]

Both Amazon and Newegg sell Windows 7 Pro 64 bit for under $140. All OEM stands for is Original Equipment Manufacturer. Basically it means that if something goes wrong you call yourself. As opposed to say buying a Dell box with a three year extended warranty. I have had great deals with some software and with video cards by going the OEM route. So basically it’s your question, yes you can get an OEM version of Windows 7 and it will work just fine.

Windows 7 PRO 64 Bit System Builder 1pk $140
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-PRO-Bit-System-Builder/dp/B002NGQLIE

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758


Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit System Builder 1pk $99.99
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Home-Premium-System-Builder/dp/B002NGJO4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287585735&sr=8-1




Difference between windows 7 home premium and pro
http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/04/30/windows-7-whats-the-difference-between-the-editions

http://www.neowin.net/images/uploaded/win72.PNG


Windows 7's XP Mode: what it is, how it works, who it's for
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/reviews/2010/01/windows-xp-mode.ars
(http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/reviews/2010/01/windows-xp-mode.ars)

“Windows XP Mode only for those who fall in between—small business users who've paid for the more expensive Windows 7 versions (but aren't using volume licensing) and who have legacy Windows XP compatibility requirements.

And while the lack of, say, 3D support is sort of understandable, given the target audience, it still leaves Virtual PC feature-deficient compared to VMware or VirtualBox. 3D support would broaden the scope of Windows XP Mode, making it more useful for more kinds of applications, and while we might not have minded a lack of 3D support five years ago, it's no longer such a big ask; it's beginning to be a standard feature of virtualization software, and as such, something that Microsoft should support.”

VirtualBox
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualBox


VMware Workstation 7.1 $198.00
http://store.vmware.com/store?Action=DisplayPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=vmware&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=165308800&resid=6hdRpAoBAlUAAB1SQmYAAAAl&rests=1287587877789