Question Buying a new PC without Windows.

[cyclops365]

Hi. I'm looking at buying a new PC (I'm not bold enough to build one myself!)

If I buy one without Windows 11, as they're looking at charging me over £100 for W11, am I able to install W10 into the new PC with the legit licence key for the PC I already have then update it to W11?

Thanks in advance.
Ian

 

[35below0]

Hi. I'm looking at buying a new PC (I'm not bold enough to build one myself!)

If I buy one without Windows 11, as they're looking at charging me over £100 for W11, am I able to install W10 into the new PC with the legit licence key for the PC I already have then update it to W11?

Thanks in advance.
Ian

Windows 10 and 11 licenses are interchangeable. You could buy Win 11 and install Win 10 and unlock it with the 11 license.

There is a catch. An OEM license is tied to a PC. So if you buy a new one, and your existing license is OEM, you will need a new one.
Or just suffer the annoying watermark. 😉


Be bold. You get much better value and get to select components yourself. Prebuilts are built with stuff they want to clear from the shelves, not stuff that is actually good or makes sense.
You can also ask a more experienced friend to help you build it.

Out of curiosity, what is your budget?

 

[cyclops365]

I have a budget of £1500. I'm looking at a Chillblast custom made PC as I got my last one with them and they give a 5 year warranty.

This is what I've "built".... https://www.chillblast.com/all-gami...9f_PEoQNd2mFcAQlxY_aem_FmuSNIsOzFv0KZHRsPmNlw

Feel free to give it your once-over.

Windows 10 and 11 licenses are interchangeable. You could buy Win 11 and install Win 10 and unlock it with the 11 license.

There is a catch. An OEM license is tied to a PC. So if you buy a new one, and your existing license is OEM, you will need a new one.
Or just suffer the annoying watermark. 😉


Be bold. You get much better value and get to select components yourself. Prebuilts are built with stuff they want to clear from the shelves, not stuff that is actually good or makes sense.
You can also ask a more experienced friend to help you build it.

Out of curiosity, what is your budget?

 

[Lafong]

Only 1 drive and it is only 512 GB.

Nothing "wrong" with that, but it is unusual.

Maybe you have an excellent justification for that configuration.

I'd at least consider expanding storage.

64 GB of RAM....also unusual, but maybe you have good reason.

 

[cyclops365]

Only 1 drive and it is only 512 GB.

Nothing "wrong" with that, but it is unusual.

Maybe you have an excellent justification for that configuration.

I'd at least consider expanding storage.

64 GB of RAM....also unusual, but maybe you have good reason.

I have my own 2Tb SSD that I want to use.

 

[cyclops365]

So you suggest just keeping 32GB? I primarily want to use the PC for MS Flight Simulator.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I have a budget of £1500. I'm looking at a Chillblast custom made PC as I got my last one with them and they give a 5 year warranty.

This is what I've "built"
Feel free to give it your once-over.

Actually a lot of wrong there.
PC case has closed front. Mesh front for high power components is absolute must.
Very expensive 12core/24thread cpu paired with mediocre graphics card.

What is exact use for this computer?

 

[Lafong]

So you suggest just keeping 32GB? I primarily want to use the PC for MS Flight Simulator.

Not necessarily...I just noticed 64 as being unusual.

It may be that MS Flight Simulator can make good use of 64 or even 128 for all I know.....you should be able to research that.

Do you have any particular attraction to liquid cooling?

 

[cyclops365]

Do you have any particular attraction to liquid cooling?

Not really, do you suggest not going for it?

 

[cyclops365]

Actually a lot of wrong there.
PC case has closed front. Mesh front for high power components is absolute must.
Very expensive 12core/24thread cpu paired with mediocre graphics card.

What is exact use for this computer?

Have updated. Thanks for the advice

 

[Lafong]

Not really, do you suggest not going for it?

I wouldn't personally.....but I tend to favor lower maintenance and fewer moving parts. I don't get wound up about temperatures.

Nothing wrong with it if you feel better about liquid...

Buyer's remorse is a good reason to go liquid if you'd be anxious if you didn't.

Personal choice.

 

[35below0]

Not really, do you suggest not going for it?

A good air cooler can equal the performance of all but the very best liquid coolers. AIO coolers also suffer from pump issues. They don't last forever.


Ok, so i can't share the build, so i'll copy/paste the changes i'd made:

Case - NZXT H5 Flow - White
CPU - AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Graphics - Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB
Motherboard - Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX V2
Memory - 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB
SSD Storage - 1TB TEAMGROUP MP44
Hard Drive Storage - Not selected
Storage Services - Pre-Install Cabling for Additional Solid State Drive (not sure if needed)
Power Supply - 750W Seasonic FOCUS GX ATX 3.0
CPU Cooling - Arctic Cooling Freezer 36 A-RGB White
Case Cooling - Arctic Cooling P12 PWM (rear exhaust); Arctic Cooling P14 PWM x 2 (front intake)
Operating System - No Windows
Software - Not selected
Services - Not selected
Warranty - 5 Year Warranty

£1590.12 inc. VAT​

If you want to save a bit of coin, drop the GPU from 7800XT to a RTX 4060, but you need to know that the 7800XT can deliver great 1440p performance, while the 4060 can only offer average to good 1080p/1440p performance, depending on game.
you can replace the SeaSonic above with the 650W Be Quiet! Pure Power 12. Cheaper PSUs on offer are either considerably worse or outright garbage, so don't go any lower.

The problem with GPUs offered is that there's really only the cheaper, entry level tier and moderatly costly but at least decent tier. At the cheaper end the 4060 is the most obvious choice. Among the costlier GPUs, the 7800XT and 7900GRE rule the 1440p gaming unless you also want to enable Ray tracing or have pockets deep enough for a 4070 Ti Super and a desire to run games at 300hz.

The CPU is a cheaper, better gaming CPU and it's less hot. Motherboard is better for slightly more money, NVMe drive is a dependable and decently priced model. The PSU has more watts than you need but it's a reliable model from a reputable brand and has longer warranty than the rest of the PC.

The Arctic Freezer 36 cooler is relatively small but packs a punch. The 3 case fans should take care of airflow.

Hope you like it.

 

[beyondlogic]

Hi. I'm looking at buying a new PC (I'm not bold enough to build one myself!)

If I buy one without Windows 11, as they're looking at charging me over £100 for W11, am I able to install W10 into the new PC with the legit licence key for the PC I already have then update it to W11?

Thanks in advance.
Ian

what are you trying to achieve for the budget of 1500 thats alot of money to throw at a pc company thats from what i can see by the part list is robbing blind