As Windows 11 22H2 approaches and, on the hardware side, next-generation GPUs and CPUs from Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA also arrive, many fans may be interested in directly installing Windows 11 on their new build. So far, however, this procedure has been rather cumbersome.
Until a couple of days ago, in fact, the only way to install Windows 11 on an entirely new Build was to install Windows 10 and then upgrade (for free, of course) to the latest version of Microsoft’s home operating system. Nothing too complex, of course, but it’s still a multi-step procedure that could discourage some users and be tedious for everyone else, especially those who can’t wait to start playing on their brand-new PC.
Fortunately, Microsoft has solved the problem in the past few hours: according to reports from media outlets such as PCMag and Tom’s Hardware, in fact, the Redmond-based company has begun quietly selling “direct” installation kits, i.e., without the Windows 10 intermediate step, for both Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro, sold for $139 and $199, respectively, in the United States.
The prices are the same as those at which the two versions of Windows 10 are sold, so that it is neither more nor less advantageous, in purely economic terms, to buy Windows 11 or to buy Windows 10. Of course, the advantage of buying a Windows 11 license directly is that it saves you considerable time, allowing you to avoid searching for and downloading the update for the new operating system.
In the meantime, however, Microsoft has confirmed the farewell to annual Windows “Major Updates” starting in 2023: from now on, in fact, Windows development will have three-year cycles.
