It's not just Newegg, here are about the same negative reviews over at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B01019BM7O/ref=acr_search_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0

​

Seems to me pirates have figured out how to acquire/generate legit product keys. Which is likely why these don't work once you buy them. Blame should be directed at M$ not Newegg/Amazon IMO.

So... with that much money, it's possible to get you a ridiculous build. Case in point:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Threadripper 1920X 3.5GHz 12-Core Processor | $799.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler | NZXT - Kraken X52 Rev 2 73.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $149.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock - X399 Taichi ATX TR4 Motherboard | $343.98 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $339.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital - Blue 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $144.99 @ B&H
Storage | Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $66.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card | $764.98 @ Newegg
Case | NZXT - S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $112.95 @ Amazon
Monitor | AOC - G2460PF 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor | $199.33 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Corsair - STRAFE MX Silent Wired Gaming Keyboard | $82.99 @ Amazon
Mouse | Corsair - M65 PRO RGB FPS Wired Optical Mouse | $39.99 @ Amazon
Headphones | Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset | $39.99 @ Amazon
Other | NZXT HUE+ & Aer RGB120 Fans Bundle Pack RGB 2x 120mm Aer Fans Included | $79.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $3256.04
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-21 23:18 EDT-0400 |

Walla; I present a AMD Threadripper RGB build with full peripherals. Mouse pad is here, and Windows 10 is here.

Feel free to ask anything.

EDIT: If you go with this build, make sure to upgrade the monitor eventually. That video card is capable of insane things, like 4K resolutions at high fps on ultra. That monitor is really nice, but the card is capable of more. Alternatively, for less money, you could go with this RGB build (it's gonna be substantially less powerful in the CPU department, though)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor | $289.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | NZXT - Kraken X52 Rev 2 73.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $149.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard | $124.99 @ B&H
Memory | G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $152.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital - Blue 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $89.88 @ OutletPC
Storage | Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $66.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card | $779.99 @ Amazon
Case | NZXT - S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $112.95 @ Amazon
Wireless Network Adapter | TP-Link - TL-WN722N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter | $12.89 @ OutletPC
Monitor | Asus - PB277Q 27.0" 2560x1440 75Hz Monitor | $317.90 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Corsair - STRAFE RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $139.89 @ Amazon
Mouse | Corsair - M65 PRO RGB FPS Wired Optical Mouse | $39.99 @ Amazon
Headphones | Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset | $39.99 @ Amazon
Other | NZXT HUE+ & Aer RGB120 Fans Bundle Pack RGB 2x 120mm Aer Fans Included | $79.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $2488.31
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-21 23:30 EDT-0400 |

Just bite the $110 bullet.

Although, for an HTPC I'd ask if you really need Windows. What are you thinking, Boxee/KODI for the frontend, maybe Steam Big Picture for in-home streaming?

Try Ubuntu the first time around. All you have to lose is time.

Go to Amazon, and buy it and the product key will be available when you download it.

I didn't mean to imply that OEM is fake or not legitimate, that's not true.

You want Retail Windows, which is what you'll find on the Microsoft Store and some third-party retailers (marked as retail Windows). You can re-use the key as many times as you need on one PC at a time.

OEM was originally designed for PC manufacturers (like Dell, Alienware, etc) to be put on a laptop or desktop that you would buy pre-built from a big box chain (like Walmart or Best Buy). It is locked to that one PC (it ties itself to the motherboard) so they don't put the same key on a bunch of PCs. Nowadays it is sold by third-party retailers directly to consumers as a "cheap" alternative, but you have to buy a new key every time you make a change to the motherboard, so it isn't actually cheaper.

Grey market keys are super cheap, but cannot be linked here as they are not reliable solution (even implying these are a solution is against the rules on this sub). These are no better than pirated codes in terms of reliability.

What you picked is a great build, and you should be good to start tracking down local prices.

This is of course good advice generally, but I'm pretty sure Amazon is an authorized retailer:

Windows 10 Home on Amazon

Well if you include Windows in a $100 gaming PC budget, you've got $-10 to work with.

this ? Microsoft Windows 10 Home | Download https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01019BM7O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Rs-RAbDDPQP7D

Somewhat urgent

So I just bought an entire new set of computer parts to get put together, but I don't have an OS. The build is a slightly older version of The Annihilator.

I've also checked around the subreddit to learn about Windows 7 vs Windows 10, as those are the only two operating systems that I think I'd want.

So here are a couple questions:

For someone who is mainly going to be gaming on this computer, what are the pros and cons of Windows 7 and 10?

Windows 10 seems to be $110 on amazon, and Windows 7 seems to be $40. Money isn't really an issue, but are either of these worth it? Is getting a bootleg copy a viable option?

Edit: thanks for the help everyone! so I got some help from a great local shop called Green PC in Tacoma Washington. What happened is they told me about how you can use Windows 7 keys to get a free upgrade to Windows 10. They sold me a really cheap old laptop with a Windows 7 key and said they'd do the upgrade and installation for free.

This link should have everything you need to fix your issue. Fix

I built my own computer and this is where I got mine: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01019BM7O/ref=twister_B013GWSQJA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Note: To download the program you have to have a credit card, though!! They use it to determine you are ordering from within the United States. Because of different program international distribution laws, I guess. If you read up on it, all digital downloads from Amazon requires a credit card, something I didn't know before first attempting it. :(

From what I read also, this copy of Windows 10 is not an OEM version, so it's possible to uninstall it from the computer you installed it on first, and use the same license to install on another computer.

Here are links to both Home and Pro. Once you buy it the key will (eventually) show up in your games and software library on amazon.

Microsoft Windows 10 Home | Download https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01019BM7O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_B.4ZCbS7XC70H

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro | Download https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01019BOEA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_aa5ZCb8X0GRK9

It seems to be happening for me too. Weird.

I don't know if you need it immediately, but you can buy a key and download from Amazon digitally and still get the same price and nearly immediate key.

Here's regular Windows 10 home. Non-OEM or anything so still all the usual transfer capabilities if you have to install it on a new PC later down the road or something.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-10-Home-Download/dp/B01019BM7O/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Windows+10+Home&qid=1569007643&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-10-Home-Download/dp/B01019BM7O

My bad, it's $120. So yeah, it's a few extra bucks but it's up to you if having a reusable key is worth the price difference

Get this with one of these then go here to make your own. The USB that comes with windows on it gives a lot of people problems, better to make your own.

>That said, get the retail key and not the OEM. With the new Windows 10 rules, it's worth it. They bind to your MS account and can be transferred across motherboards. I purchased my first two keys in 2015. Mine has been on 3 boards, and my wife's has been on 2 boards.

Googling for retail key got me a bunch of resellers. Here are the legit US MS Store links for this:

Home: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-10-home/d76qx4bznwk4

Pro: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-10-pro/df77x4d43rkt

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-10-Pro-Download/dp/B01019BM7O?th=1

Anything that is not the OEM version is the non-OEM version.

Just look for the version that doesn't say OEM.

Here it is on Amazon

or On premade flash drive if you prefer

Amazon, NewEgg, Microsoft, etc

Purchase a retail copy of Windows 10, Home or Pro. Vendors should offer a digital download rather than the USB key.

Please do not buy one of the incredibly sketch $30 copies of Windows...

An OEM copy, like this from NewEgg is the lowest price you should pay. OEM licenses are not transferrable though. Retail licenses are.

yeah, MS' operating system totally doesn't generate any money

That's false information.

https://blog.fosketts.net/2015/11/09/how-to-connect-a-4k-monitor-to-a-2012-retina-macbook-pro/

The issue is it does 4k scaled, so stuff isn't any smaller.

If you don't have the money to buy a 2018 MacBook Pro, then the money you'd spend on a Mac Mini would be better spent on a windows desktop. It runs all your software, will perform better in League, is smaller.

For instance;
Intel NUC for $380,

500GB Crucial P1 M.2 SSD for $70

16GB RAM for $100

Windows 10 for $130


Total cost is ~$700 + tax instead of $800 + tax for the base mini, and you get 4x as much storage and 2x as much RAM. A mini with those specs would be $1400. You can even bring it down to ~$600 if you bring the storage to 250GB and 8GB RAM.

You also get a better CPU; instead of a 4-core 4-thread CPU with a 3.6GHz with no turbo (and lots of throttling), you get a 2.3GHz 4-core 8-thread CPU with a 3.8GHz turbo. So it will do single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks faster. All tasks.


Both can do 4k 60Hz.