Vista Home Premium x64 OEM question

Xen00b

Xen00b

Member
If I were to purchase the OEM version of Vista Home Premium 64-bit (x64)....would I be able to later add another GPU/more RAM, or would that not be possible? Can I upgrade the system -at all-? and if I can...what can I upgrade without having to get a new OEM?

Thanks lots,
-Xen00b
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 @ 3.4GHz
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i
    Memory
    8GB OCZ Fatal1ty DDR2 800 (PC26400)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GTX 280 superclocked edition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    750GB Seagate Barracuda
    PSU
    ePower 850W Zumax x4 series
    Case
    XCLIO A380PLUS Case
    Cooling
    Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Keyboard
    Razer Lycosa Mirror
    Internet Speed
    DSL
    Other Info
    Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset & Razer Destructor Mousepad w/ eXactRest
Xen00b said:
If I were to purchase the OEM version of Vista Home Premium 64-bit (x64)....would I be able to later add another GPU/more RAM, or would that not be possible? Can I upgrade the system -at all-? and if I can...what can I upgrade without having to get a new OEM?
Click to expand...
Xen00b,

Of course you can add/change/upgrade GPUs and RAM. What ever made you think that you could not?

S-
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel E6600 @ 3.0 GHz
    Motherboard
    EVGA nForce 680i SLI (NF68-A1)
    Memory
    4GB - CORSAIR XMS2 PC2 6400
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS (640MB)
    Hard Drives
    2 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (320GB) 1 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (500GB)
Officially the OEM vista is married to the mobo and should live and die with it, but in reality you can swap everything including the mobo with nothing more than a reactivation to do.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Workstation
    Manufacturer/Model
    doofenshmirtz evil incorporated
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5950X
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO Black 64GB (4x16GB) 3600MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB ROG Strix LC OC
    Sound Card
    Creative
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 x27" Dell U2724D & 1 x 34" Dell U3415W
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive
    PSU
    1500W ThermalTake Toughpower
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT
    Cooling
    Enermax Liqtech 240
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Keyboard
    Surface Ergonomic.
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
    Other Info
    WinTV NovaTD HP CP1515n Color Laser Sony BD-5300S-0B Blu-ray Writer Microsoft LifeCam Cinema APC 750i Smart UPS
  • Operating System
    windows 10
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    1.9GHz Intel Core i5-4300U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost)
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    12" Multi Touch
    Screen Resolution
    2160 x 144
    Hard Drives
    128GB
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    yes
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
Hi Xen00b,

Yes, you can upgrade whatever you like.

When you buy some OEM (Dell, HP, etc...) computers, their OEM version of Vista may be tied to being installed on just their motherboard, or brand of motherboards, for that computer only. You will just need to check will the OEM brand to see what their policy is.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Well here's what my deal is.. I'm building a new pc...my first build. And I needed an OS but was unsure whether to get the OEM of Vista Home Premium or to get the full version..

What do you guys think?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 @ 3.4GHz
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i
    Memory
    8GB OCZ Fatal1ty DDR2 800 (PC26400)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GTX 280 superclocked edition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    750GB Seagate Barracuda
    PSU
    ePower 850W Zumax x4 series
    Case
    XCLIO A380PLUS Case
    Cooling
    Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Keyboard
    Razer Lycosa Mirror
    Internet Speed
    DSL
    Other Info
    Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset & Razer Destructor Mousepad w/ eXactRest
While the OEM version may be cheaper, but the full retail version is not limited like a OEM version can be. Plus, the full version is a lot easier to do clean installs with.

Hope this helps in your decision.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Brink said:
While the OEM version may be cheaper, but the full retail version is not limited like a OEM version can be. Plus, the full version is a lot easier to do clean installs with.

Hope this helps in your decision.

Shawn
Click to expand...

Yes I've got a OEM Vista Home Pre x64 Disc and when something gets bad and I want to do a repair fron the OEM disc it doesn't give me a Repair option instead it boots with only something like EMP or EMO (I'm not in front of my PC so I cannot tell you exactly) or Memory test option.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K-E Wifi
    Memory
    8gb OZC
    Graphics card(s)
    2: MSI HD 2600XT
    Hard Drives
    Maxtor Sata 160gb Western Digital Sata 500gb
Brink said:
While the OEM version may be cheaper, but the full retail version is not limited like a OEM version can be. Plus, the full version is a lot easier to do clean installs with.

Hope this helps in your decision.

Shawn
Click to expand...

Yes it has, thank you.

I have decided to go ahead and get the OEM because I just think its a smarter buy for me. I don't plan on getting a new motherboard anytime soon...in fact it could be years lol. I have a EVGA 780i mobo, so its up-to-date. And whenever I -do- get a new mobo and will have to get a new OEM...its still cheaper to buy 2 OEMs than it is to buy 1 full product..

It may be more hassle if I need to reformat my PC, but I think its worth it really. I've only ever had to wipe one of my other PCs clean one time, and that was because I ran out of hard drive space. My new PC however has more than enough hard drive space so this will not be an issue for me..plus if it is (how it would be..idk..I have 2x 750GB hard drives..) then I can always add another hard drive.. My old PC didn't have space for this however.

Thanks for the input guys...you made the decision much easier for me :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 @ 3.4GHz
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i
    Memory
    8GB OCZ Fatal1ty DDR2 800 (PC26400)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GTX 280 superclocked edition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    750GB Seagate Barracuda
    PSU
    ePower 850W Zumax x4 series
    Case
    XCLIO A380PLUS Case
    Cooling
    Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Keyboard
    Razer Lycosa Mirror
    Internet Speed
    DSL
    Other Info
    Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset & Razer Destructor Mousepad w/ eXactRest
Your welcome Xen00b,

Enjoy your new OS.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Hi
I built my own pc over time asus P5N32-E SLi m/b,QX6700 CPU,2x8800GTS 512,OCZ 6400 Reaper HPC 4Gb at the moment soon to be 8Gb,T/take Psu 750 watt Toughpower,C/Master cmstacker 832 case.It started life with Xp Home oem on a 500Gb samsung HDD Sata which i put two partitions 2x238 then i purchased Vista Home Premium both of which are 32bit oem editions and both installations went fine.then i decided to add 64 bit O/Ses i opted for Xp Pro and Vista Ultimate simply because 64bit utilises the added memory.All the installations are on one 1Tb samsung HDD with four partitions one for each O/S,and all of them are oem which i have had no problems with.So i now 1.5Tb the only differance with oem versions is activation you get 10 attempts before having to call microsoft but even then it isn't a problem to activate.
And i would like to oppertunity to thank VISTA x64 community for helping me with my recycle bin issue.
Many thank may forums rule 4ever
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel QX6700 Extreme
    Motherboard
    Asus P5N32-E SLi
    Memory
    4Gb OCZ Reaper HPC 6400
    Graphics card(s)
    2x 8800GTS 512
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 1Tb Samsung 500Gb
Again, thank you for your replies. You have made me much more comfortable with my decision and understanding of the product.

Glad to see you were able to get help as well brian.illy :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q6600 @ 3.4GHz
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i
    Memory
    8GB OCZ Fatal1ty DDR2 800 (PC26400)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GTX 280 superclocked edition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    750GB Seagate Barracuda
    PSU
    ePower 850W Zumax x4 series
    Case
    XCLIO A380PLUS Case
    Cooling
    Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
    Mouse
    Razer Lachesis
    Keyboard
    Razer Lycosa Mirror
    Internet Speed
    DSL
    Other Info
    Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset & Razer Destructor Mousepad w/ eXactRest
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top