Windows 7 OEM Pricing Emerges

Windows 7 is set to be launched on the market in about three weeks from now, and those people considering choosing it as the platform on their computers are certainly interested in the costs the migration will imply. Microsoft already unveiled the full retail and upgrade pricing for the operating system, as well as a series of offers aimed at students and families, yet now a cheaper option has emerged.

The pricing for Windows 7 OEM has been unveiled by Newegg and, compared to the other offers in place at the moment, it seems to be the best of all. Of course, there are some limitations one should take into consideration when an OEM flavor is on the table, yet Windows 7's OEM prices are cheaper than other costs, and are even cheaper when compared to Microsoft's previous platform, Windows Vista.

The Windows 7 Home Premium full OEM is priced at $99 on Newegg (with a $10 discount), while the full OEM 3-Pack option costs $309. For comparison, those who would like to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium from a previous Home Premium version of Windows would have to pay $120, while those going for the full retail package will rid their pockets of $200.

The pricing for Windows 7 Professional full OEM is showed to be $134.99, Windows 7 Ultimate full OEM costs $174.99, and Windows 7 Ultimate full OEM 3-Pack is priced at $550. For comparison, an upgrade to Windows 7 Professional would cost $200, and the OS flavor costs $300 in full retail. At the same time, Windows 7 Ultimate goes for $220 when upgrading, and costs $320 in full retail.

As stated above, there are some limitations that one should take into consideration, such as the fact that the OS cannot be transferred to another computer, and there is no support from Microsoft involved either. At the same time, the installation process will wipe out all data on the hard drive, which means that one should back it up before firing it up. Moreover, users will only be able to make limited upgrades to their machine, and, if its stops working, the operating system cannot be used with another computer.

The OEM versions of Windows 7 are available for pre-order on Newegg until October 20 and are said to start shipping on October 22, the same day Microsoft put Windows 7 on sale. While there is nothing that prevents users from purchasing the OEM flavors of Windows 7, they should consider all the implications of taking that route. You can take a look at Newegg's offer here.

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