Add Windows 11 Pro to Your Custom-Built PC for Just $60 Right Now – CNET [CNET]

If you can’t get the free Windows 11 upgrade, this is the next best option for you.

Building a new PC is a lot of fun, but one expense you may not be thinking of is the cost of Windows — the operating system — itself. It generally costs between $160 and $200 to add Windows to a new computer, but we have a way to help you reduce that expense. Windows 11 is Microsoft’s latest and greatest, and in many cases Microsoft is still offering the free upgrade for Windows 10 users as long as you meet certain requirements. Not everyone will meet those, and if you’re one who doesn’t, you’ll want this offer from StackSocial. 

Right now, you can save $140 on the license cost, making Windows 11 Pro just $60 for a limited time. This is best-of-web pricing right now, and very close to a one-off deal we saw at Woot earlier this year. However, not every single computer out there is able to run Windows 11, so before making the purchase you’re going to want to ensure that your computer will meet the requirements that Microsoft has set out for the OS. Additionally, the listing says that if you have a PC that’s already running Windows 10 and Windows Update does not let you install the free Windows 11 upgrade, your computer will not be compatible with this version either. 

The activation key that is provided following your purchase can be used to install and activate Windows 11 Pro on three computers. To be clear, purchases like this are generally intended for advanced users — those who are building a new computer or who want to dual-boot an existing computer with a second OS. To that end, you will need a secondary PC to access and download the files following your purchase, so be sure you can access everything from another computer in your home or you have a friend’s machine that you can use temporarily. (You’ll also want to have a USB thumb drive on hand to transfer the file.) Microsoft provides three ways to access Windows 11 Pro following your purchase, so you can pick the one that will work best for your situation.