Win7 Home Premium or Pro for i7 2600K?

[nshinkle]

Building my first build and I was going to go with the Win7 Home Premium OEM version when a "salesman" asked me with CPU I was running. I told him the 2600K. His reply was you should get the Pro version of Win7 as it will run faster and utilize your CPU better. Is this truth or was this gentleman simply trying to increase the sale.

Thanks

 

[John_VanKirk]

Hi there and welcome to Tom's Hardware,

Two differences to note: The OEM version gives you full features of the version you choose, no MS windows support.

The Pro version gives you in addition, BackUp and restore, Dual processor support, EFS, Network Access Protection, Fax & Scan, and Wireless network provisioning.

You probably don't need any of those, as long as you do have a reliable data backup method for safety.

The pro version will not utilize a single CPU better or faster or fancier. Windows home Premium is great for most users.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

What is the difference between the OEM, and the Retail version of Windows 7

There are 3 major differences between these 2 items. The physical DVD disks themselves contain exactly the same content.

1. OEM copies of Windows Vista come in either 32, or 64 bit flavors. You must decide which version you want, and make sure you purchase that copy. With a retail copy, you get both 32 and 64 bit Windows Vista DVD’s in the same box.

2. OEM copies cannot be transferred from one PC to another. Once you install an OEM copy of Windows Vista on a PC it must remain with that PC forever, unless upgraded to a newer version of Windows in the future. Retail versions can be moved from PC to PC, but your retail copy of Windows Vista cannot be installed on more than one PC at any given time.

3. OEM copies do not come with any support from Microsoft. If you need to call Microsoft for support with Windows Vista, you must pay a fee to do so. Retail copies come with a phone support incident included in the price.

One benefit of the Pro is you can download and use XP Mode !
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/windows-xp-mode
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

Compare versions of 7 here !


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare


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