Hi guys. I'm wanting to upgrade to Vista but it is really expensive in England. I can get an OEM vista for half the price of a retail version but it says "system builders only". Now I know what the difference is between OEM and retail in hardware terms but what difference is there here? and, more to the point, can I use an OEM version of vista? Thanks. Intel Core2Quad Q6600 Abit IP35V 4GB Corsair XMS2 Dominator 1066mhz 5-5-5-15 GeCube Radeon HD3870 O/C OCZ Stealth Extreme 600watt

The low down Should i put a question here? :)

OEM = People who want to include Vista with hardware they sell Retail = People who want to install Vista on hardware they already own -Ryan Adams http://RyanTAdams.com

Yes you can, but be aware of the kicker: It may or may not be a big deal to you. http://windows.about.com/od/buyupgr... http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos... Jabbering Idiots: Everywhere You Look!

Cheers guys.Very informative. Now the only question is, do I get 32 or 64 bit Vista? Intel Core2Quad Q6600 Abit IP35V 4GB Corsair XMS2 Dominator 1066mhz 5-5-5-15 GeCube Radeon HD3870 O/C OCZ Stealth Extreme 600watt

Just leave your system as is, vista is a failure, takes to much resources for nothing. If you really want to upgrade then go with 64. Also be advised windows 7 is just around the corner. Jim R

Seeing you have 4gig of ram the 64bit version will be needed to make full use of it. That said check that 64bit drivers are available for all your hardware. As your system is fairly new and well specked you should have no problems running Vista. I have been using Vista for about 15 months without any problems.