Reddit mentions of Microsoft Windows 10 Home | USB Flash Drive

/u/JetJaguar124 /u/Integralds

So first thing's first, Windows: ~$130 for Home Edition.

Okay, so things to keep in mind:

1. If you go Intel, overclocking isn't too great on 9th gen intel, especially if you don't have a beefy aftermarket cpu cooler. So if you don't plan on doing that at some point then you don't need a K series CPU and an overclocking motherboard. So your motherboard should primarily focus on giving you decent I/O options.
   
   
2. You also probably want to aim for 1080p or 1440p tops, given your price range.
   
   
3. Related to #1: If you don't plan on overclocking then a basic-ish mobo will do fine, and you mainly want to focus on I/O and other features. If you are getting Intel doubly so, as, as I mentioned before, intel 9th gen doesn't overclock well due to relatively low headroom to begin with. For intel overclocking boards are "Z" while non-overclocking boards are "B". For AMD they are "X" and "B" respectively.
   
   The GPU you should be seeking to use is the 1660 Ti, which is basically a slightly gimped RTX 2060 but without the raytracing stuff. If you are willing to spend a bit more then you could get an RX 5700 instead, which is nearly ~30% faster on average.
   
   That'll put you at $270 - $360 depending on the model you pick. Yes, it's a third of your budget, but the GPU is the single most important part of your build.
   
   Secondly you'll want a decent CPU to go with that.
   
   The Ryzen 5 3600 looks like a pretty good CPU, its a bit under $200, its fairly beefy and extendable so it's somewhat "future-proof" - in that it shouldn't cause much bottlenecking and you could upgrade your GPU past a 2080 Ti before needing to change the processor.
   
   This MSI Tomohawk Mobo looks good for the 3600.
   
   So we're at ~$320 for that, or about $640 total. Plus windows that is ~$730.
   
   The RAM Inty recommended before should be fine. You only really need 16 GB. This will set you back ~$80. If you find yourself wanting more RAM later down the line you can always add another pair of sticks later and double up your RAM.
   
   That puts us at around ~$800.
   
   $80 for a 750W Fully Modular Corsair PSU is basically a steal. It's refurbished though, although that shouldn't be a problem - especially with a PSU.
   
   We're at ~$880.
   
   Some good thermal paste for your CPU.
   
   We're now at ~$890.
   
   Storage depends on what you want to do. Do you install a lot of stuff and files at once? In which case you might want to get a nice sized SSD plus a big HDD.
   
   For your system drive. Plenty of space, good price, AND its an nvme SSD.
   
   That makes for ~$990.
   
   If you need lots of extra space
   
   If you need extreme extra space
   
   Keyboard and case are up to you, decide as you please. For the case just make sure that it can support an ATX mobo, as the mobo listed here is full ATX. Mechanical keyboards are crack, but they tend to be more expensive so they're probably out of range. This will be another $100 to $150 depending on what you pick.
   
   Something to keep in mind though: Your case and your monitors are basically "future proof". In other words, they won't really get "worse" with time or cause future performance issues. So monitors and case are things where you want to consider what you'll eventually want and buy ahead, even if you have to stretch a bit.
   
   This just leaves your monitor. I would NOT recommend a 1080p monitor above 24 in. Honestly, if you can go for a 1440p monitor then do it. I'm a bit of a resolution whore tho, so if 1080p works for you then that's fine. I would also avoid TN panels - they tend to look more washed out, tinny, and have worse viewing angles . . . although they also tend to be a fair bit cheaper than the good panels (namely IPS panels).
   
   I used to own one of these . . . it was vvy vvy gud. This is a relatively artsy monitor, so if color gamut correctness or whatever is important for you for photo or video editing or whatever, then this is a good pick. It's a bit expensive, yeah, but also super gorgeous. It also goes up to 75 Hz. Conversely, get a freesync monitor, and this one is probably good - haven't done much research on it, but Dells are generally pretty good in my experience (my current 4K monitor is a Dell too). Freesync will allow you to basically eliminate screen tearing and will provide a smoother feeling experience because it will even out frame rates better.
   
   One last thing to keep in mind: Shopping around on ebay and other sites can save you a fair bit. My rule of thumb is to never, ever buy sensitive parts like hard-drives, cpus, or motherboards second hand or refurbished. But everything else is fair game. So refurbished GPUs, Monitors, PSUs, Cases, etc. should be fine. Pre-owned? Ehhh . . . that I'm much, much more sketchy on - personally I wouldn't, but that's just me.
   
   So in total it'd be somewhere in the range of $1500 including monitor, OS, case, and keyboard. The system itself is around $1000. But you can perhaps knock off a hundred bucks or two by shopping around and looking for where you can buy these parts cheaper than Amazon.
   
   But again: investing in a good monitor and case can be worth it. It means you won't have to replace it if/when you do upgrade. And worst case scenario you can offload your monitor as a side/secondary monitor when you upgrade your monitor to a new one.

Buy this then https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-English-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV?keywords=windows+10&qid=1539137923&sr=8-2&ref=sr_1_2

It comes with a usb stick to install from.

I recommend getting a "retail" version of win10 (costs $120 on Amazon) and not an "OEM" version (costs $100 on Amazon).

The OEM key can only be used on the first activated computer. If you plan on doing a new build or need to replace the MOBO you need to buy a brand new product key.

With the retail version if you want to upgrade or need to replace the MOBO you can deactivate the key on your current system and then transfer the key to the latest and greatest (you cannot have the same key active on multiple devices though).

I believe Microsoft's website only sells retail versions (and does not sell OEM) but if looking elsewhere (like Amazon or Newegg) the retail version is normally ~$20 USD more expensive than OEM but well worth it if you are considering upgrading in the future^1.


^1 Windows 10 is the last "planned" version of the Windows OS, so getting the retail version means you have one key that "should" last for the rest of your life.

Edit: Added links for reference and added some clarity.

If you don’t think you’re able to download it anywhere or don’t have a store near you. You can pay a little extra and have a flash drive shipped to you

Microsoft Windows 10 Home English USB Flash Drive https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RM5BHV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3k1.Bb47NA23H

Windows is generally pretty expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-English-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV/ref=sr_1_4?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1540163178

There are other sites you can buy a key from that may charge less, but these are generally of dubious legality and against the rules to post here. You could maybe find something on ebay.

I guess that's the one thing I forgot to update on the parts list above, I ended up getting this one instead. I don't see OEM anywhere. Am I good?

This is the list from the post. He bought the suggested parts.

Published on Jul 5, 2019

Gaming Benchmarks & Prices for this PC: https://youtu.be/L8hmFm_Z2NM Here is my step by step tutorial on how to build my $600 Spark V2 gaming PC! Links to parts, tools, and resources are below. How to install drivers on this PC: https://youtu.be/uDHeIx9CNxA How to install windows on this PC: https://youtu.be/AfC5ViBiRQM Social Media: INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/scattervolt DISCORD: https://scattervolt.com/discord TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MarcAranibar ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parts List: Buy the CPU here: US: https://amzn.to/2RLpfGS UK: https://amzn.to/2IZGktR CA: https://amzn.to/2Xe48mu EU: https://amzn.to/2FINgcH Buy the CPU Cooler here: (optional) US: https://amzn.to/2NmbjVh UK: https://amzn.to/2YpAib8 CA: https://amzn.to/2LuP2BR EU: N/A Buy the MOTHERBOARD here: US: https://amzn.to/2Xa6VZb UK: https://amzn.to/2FJUYU1 CA: https://amzn.to/2NxkQJk (ATX version, cheaper) EU: https://amzn.to/2xjq00m Buy the RAM here: (different brand, same specs) US: https://amzn.to/2LzikiK UK: https://amzn.to/2IXjWkW CA: https://amzn.to/2JjrtJN (single stick, still 8GB) EU: https://amzn.to/2YjTgA8 (2800mhz, still fast though) Buy the GPU here: US: https://amzn.to/2ZXbCal (different model, cheaper) UK: https://amzn.to/2xmm3Z2 CA: https://amzn.to/2RLlVLI EU: https://amzn.to/2JgfXyG (different model, cheaper) Buy the SSD here: US: https://amzn.to/2Ls5ClV UK: https://amzn.to/2XftxY6 CA: https://amzn.to/2RQ59ve EU: https://amzn.to/2xlJstn Buy the PSU here: US: https://amzn.to/2XEqgWp UK: https://amzn.to/2xrGu6x CA: https://amzn.to/2XJW9gi EU: https://amzn.to/2XeVHlW Buy the CASE here: US: https://amzn.to/2XEwuWm UK: https://amzn.to/2xvOTpX CA: https://amzn.to/2NpVKMe EU: https://amzn.to/2IYym44 (Optional) RGB case fans: US: https://amzn.to/2XhH7z4 UK: https://amzn.to/2LsQmW9 CA: https://amzn.to/2XgfNMX EU: https://amzn.to/2J2T82u ---------------------------------------------------------------- PC Upgrades: If you have $25 More to Spend: (SSD Upgrade) US: https://amzn.to/2Nxsvaa UK: https://amzn.to/2Lzj8Ei CA: https://amzn.to/2RONZy6 EU: https://amzn.to/2LptJlc If you have $75 More to Spend: (CPU Upgrade) US: https://amzn.to/2XhOou4 UK: https://amzn.to/2FCNzpB CA: https://amzn.to/2XBPkxr EU: https://amzn.to/2XimLWs -------------------------------------------------------------------- PC Accessories/Building Tools: Handy Magnetic Screw Driver Kit: US: http://amzn.to/2Fdh03o UK: http://amzn.to/2FWsndf CA: http://amzn.to/2FROG3u DE: N/A Bios Speaker (for troubleshooting): US: http://amzn.to/2FokCi6 UK: http://amzn.to/2FokKOC CA: http://amzn.to/2oK2DsU DE: http://amzn.to/2FTLSmv USB Wifi Adapter: (For a wireless connection) US: https://amzn.to/2WsrqE3 UK: https://amzn.to/2JNrNDp CA: https://amzn.to/2M8FXk9 EU: https://amzn.to/2VVLEl8 PCI Card Wifi Adapter: (For a faster wireless connection) US: https://amzn.to/2XCtslr UK: https://amzn.to/2IYnnrw CA: https://amzn.to/2ZXccVz EU: https://amzn.to/2FHN65u Cat7 Ethernet Cable: (For a wired connection, fastest, plug into router) US: https://amzn.to/2W9dShq UK: https://amzn.to/2MfphaM CA: https://amzn.to/2W4XNt0 EU: https://amzn.to/2JK1DkP Windows 10 Home: US: https://amzn.to/2EByu7c UK: https://amzn.to/2HEIIWj CA: https://amzn.to/2YRlbqJ EU: https://amzn.to/2YRIxgc *Here's how to install Windows 10 for free on your own USB drive: https://youtu.be/AfC5ViBiRQM

So you have two options: you can run Windows unactivated or buy a license. If you run Windows unactivated you'll see a watermark on the bottom right and can't change the desktop background, that's all, not much other restrictions (if any others). If you want to buy a license they run around $130.

Wouldn't Amazon's win10 USB be acceptable too? about $20 cheaper than buying straight from Microsoft:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RM5BHV

The SSDs are brand new out of the box. The USB is actually from Microsoft and I bought it off amazon.

If I'm building a new PC and need to purchase Windows 10 Home, should I just order the USB from Amazon and have it shipped with the rest of my components and skip the creation tool all-together? Or will it be better to go through these steps and activate online? I've read different comments that say it'll can be more expensive to buy an activation key directly.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-English-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=windows+10+home+usb&qid=1558059762&s=software&sr=1-3

CD
USB

So this should work? https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-English-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV/ref=sr_1_5?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1536162038&sr=1-5&keywords=windows+10

The exact above. You'll need to download Windows 10 from another PC and install the setup files onto a USB drive. After, plug it into the PC you've bought. Then at startup at the BIOS screen (motherboard manufacturer screen), press the appropriate boot menu button (e.g. F12), and select the USB drive. Then, install Windows onto the PC.

If you don't have another PC to download the setup files from, then you'll probably need to buy a Windows USB stick (along with a license) for about $100: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV/

Um, the USB I am using is a Windows product, that I ordered right from amazon it is this one below

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Looks to me like you’re working with a recently built computer or just replaced or upgraded a hard drive or solid state drive in a computer you already had? If that’s the case, you need to plug in a Windows 10 USB boot drive to get things going. You can easily pickup a copy at Best Buy or get one from Amazon. Hope this gets you going in the right direction.

> they upgraded everyone from previous versions for free.

Show me where windows 10 is free.