Windows 10 retail vs oem

[Nyles]

I'm planning to build my own pc and hoping that I could increase the ram,ssd and hard drive in the future. I'm tight on budget at the moment so i kinda want the oem but still not sure if it is worth it

 

[Colif]

there is very little difference between both versions, the only real difference now is you can move retail to another PC easier than oem.

up until recently the oem was locked to the PC its originally installed on but that isn't as much of a problem now
Retail could always be moved to another PC.

I would get oem as the difference isn't big enough to pay more for.

 

[spdragoo]

Depends on what you mean by "OEM".

True "OEM" Windows is what you get when you buy a pre-built machine (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.). It's tied to the motherboard/CPU that the machine is sold with, so it's very difficult (previously impossible, but Microsoft has lightened up a bit) to switch it to a new motherboard/CPU.

When you buy a copy of Windows by itself (whether from a brick-and-mortar store or online from Microsoft or an authorized reseller), the retailer may label it as "OEM", but it's actually the 'retail' version.

The biggest difference, however, is in the bells & whistles. OEM versions tend to only come with the drivers that go with their particular CPU/motherboard combination, & 99% of the time have useless bloatware included. Retail versions tend to have a wider selection of drivers (since they don't know what combination of hardware you'll have), & don't have the bloatware included.

 

[ko888]

The retail version includes a USB flash drive that has both the 32-bit and 64-bit version of the OS. Included in its price is technical support from Microsoft.

The OEM (a.k.a. System Builder) version doesn't include any media so you have to download the OS from Microsoft's web site and create your own bootable USB flash drive or DVD disc. You don't get any technical support from Microsoft.

 

[Nyles]

thank you!! for the help.