Microsoft Vista from £64.61

wombler

biglugs wrote:

That card will be fine for every day use but don't expect to play Half Life 2 on a 1280x1024 TFT using it.

Agreed. Basically:

If you want to play the latest 3D games then you need a good (and likely expensive) graphics card.

If all you want to do is display the new Vista Aero graphics and you don't intend to play 3D games then spending more than about £40 on a new graphics card is entirely unnecessary.

If you don't care about the Aero graphics and just want the new functionality of Vista then you may well be fine with your existing graphics card.

sco0ter

Richard_45 wrote:

@ sco0ter it says at the bottom though thats for US partners only. Also were ebuyer not also selling the oem xp home and pro with vista coupons? According to vista website not available on home edition of xp...

Yes they are selling the OEM versions with coupons but one thing to understand... OEM versions are really geared toward SYSTEM BUILDERS... They are supposed to come pre-installed on a system if you are selling it and you have to be registered with the Microsoft OEM partnership and accepted as an authorised Builder before the coupon can be redeemed... If you do a search on google you will see this thread repeated all over the place... Hundreds (if not thousands) thought that this would be a cheap way to get Vista and it doesnt work for an end user...

The reason for the free upgrade was because companies and system builders complained because Vista was late and they thought a load of people would hold off buying a new system over the holiday period because they would then have to pay for Vista when it came out 2-3 months later. Microsoft have it in black and white that the OEM versions of XP are supposed to be sold with non-peripheral hardware and installed on a system that includes a Motherboard,CPU,Hard drive,ram and a case with PSU. You can officially report any company not selling the OEM with non peripheral hardware for Piracy (Overclockers if they are selling it with a mouse). If your upgradable version of XP did not come preinstalled on a system built with a company in thier approved list then you cant claim the upgrade... Its not Microsoft ripping anybody off its these other companies selling XP OEM software with upgrade vouchers to anybody that wants them..
I have posted on this forum and many others for info and people to tell me something different but nobody has ever got back to me or managed to claim thier Vista upgrade using the voucher.... Closest I got was Australians who had bought XP but needed to send in the original box and reciept to microsoft to claim thier Vista upgrade.... The OEM does not come in a retail box so a lot of them were unhappy too.


Forgot to mention as welll... Someone had said that system builders were sent special Vista upgrade stickers that they are supposed to attatch to the PC that is then used to confirm the validity of the XP install.. Someone was claiming they could get a hold of these..

IU really hope this is untrue and there will be a way to upgrade for anybody but I cant find any info.. and as you can register for the upgrade just now I havent heard of anybody being able to claim thier Vista upgrade from thier OEM voucher..

Tongy

Whilst it is true that it is illegal for a system builder to sell OEM software without "non-peripheral hardware" is true, and buying any OEM software (whilst it will give you all the functionality of the retail product) IS cheaper bought OEM.

With this being a *money saving* forum saying that you could report the company for selling you OEM software could lead to higher prices, when to the consumer you get everything you need and at a fraction of the cost.

I shall be investing in ust one copy of Home Premium OEM.

Cheers
Tongy

Ashok_2

I had preordered mine from Amazon (I wanted the full ultimate edition), but wondering is the amazon version 32bit and64bit selectable at installation, or is it one or the other? Depending on that I would cancel the order and switch to overclockers.

Tongy

Ashok wrote:

I had preordered mine from Amazon (I wanted the full ultimate edition), but wondering is the amazon version 32bit and64bit selectable at installation, or is it one or the other? Depending on that I would cancel the order and switch to overclockers.

You should given the choice as the retail version gives you both 32 and 64 bit on the disk whereas the oem version you need to specify.

Cheers
Tongy

sco0ter

Tongy wrote:

With this being a *money saving* forum saying that you could report the company for selling you OEM software could lead to higher prices, when to the consumer you get everything you need and at a fraction of the cost.

But its not very moneysaving for people who have bought OEM versions of XP for the upgrade and dont get it because of the Illegal selling... Or the fact that once installed you might not be able to take the copy with you if you upgrade or buy a new system and have to fork out for another one... Saying its OK for these companies to keep doing these illegal practices because it saves a few quid doesnt make it right.. What if you buy an OEM version and your Motherboard goes down the tubes... You then have to re-activate whitch the OEM version wont let you do, so you phone tech support who ask the manufacturer of the system.. You tell them it was a self build and they ask for the reciepts to show which Hardware you bought with the system or say they dont give support for OEM versions and then hang up.

Its OK saving money but how many people will know the EULA is different for OEM. Microsoft have said themeselves they are clamping down on the OEM situation and thats why the clarification in the agreement showing you are allowed one install only and it cant be transfered unless with non peripheral Hardware... When the hardware is exchanged or dies so does the copy of VISTA

psilocybe

and they wanna stop piracy, I would say its encouraging it

sco0ter

psilocybe wrote:

and they wanna stop piracy, I would say its encouraging it

How so????

psilocybe

sco0ter wrote:

How so????

read ya own post, u yourself implied that Vista OEM is more hassle cos Microshaft are clamping down with OEM's.

Ashok_2

So the one on Overclockers is OEM and the one on Amazon is retail? Which is better?