Windows 7 OEM Pricing Revealed

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 01 Oct 2009

Windows 7 will be released on the 22nd day of this month, as you probably already know, and it will be rolled out in six different flavors (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate), as you may already know as well. I guess this will not come as a shocker to you either: each version will cost a different amount of money. So what’s new in this picture? The pricing for the Windows 7 OEM version has been released to the public.

The pricing has been revealed by online retailer Newegg.com, whose site that is now taking pre-orders for the OEM version of the operating system. As is customary for Microsoft, the OEM version is significantly cheaper than the retail and even the upgrade version.

Here is what you can expect to pay for a full Windows 7 OEM:

Home Premium - $110
Professional - $140
Ultimate - $190


This summer Microsoft shared with the world the official pricing for Windows 7, albeit an estimated one. As a little reminder, here is how much Microsoft said you will have to pay for an upgrade or a full packaged retail version of the operating system:

Estimated retail prices for upgrade packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the US of A

Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99


Estimated retail prices for full packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the US of A

Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99


As you can see, Windows 7 OEM Home Premium will set you back $110 while the full packaged retail product will cost you $200. That is quite a big difference in cost. But then again, so are the differences in what you can do with the operating system. A full packaged retail version of Windows 7 can be installed on as many computers as you want and the license can be transferred from one computer to another. This comes in handy when your main computer crashes and you have to switch to another one (or even purchase a new one). An OEM Windows 7 version cannot do this – it is locked to the hardware on which it was installed and activated.

There is one other drawback. You will have to perform a clean installation, or as Microsoft likes to call it, a “custom upgrade”.


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