Cheap PC Software |
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Last Updated: January 17, 2011
| Software | RetailPrice | OnlinePrice | OEMPrice | AcademicPrice |
| Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit | $220 | $180 | ||
| Windows 7 Professional 64-bit | $200 | $140 | ||
| Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit | $120 | $100 | ||
| Office 2010 Professional | $500 | $335 | $310 | |
| Office 2010 Home and Business | $280 | $215 | ||
| Office 2010 Home and Student | $150 | $115 | ||
| Open Office | free | |||
| McAfee VirusScan Plus 2011 - 3 users (includes firewall) | $30 | $14 | ||
| Norton AntiVirus 2011 | $40 | $15 | ||
| Microsoft Security Essentials | free | |||
| Photoshop Elements 9 | $100 | $70 | ||
| Premiere Elements 9 | $100 | $80 | ||
| Photoshop Elements 9 with Premiere Elements 9 | $150 | $130 | ||
| Acrobat X Pro | $450 | $375 | ||
| Acrobat X Standard | $300 | $135 | ||
| Dreamweaver CS5 | $400 | $275 | ||
| Lightroom 3 | $300 | $165 | ||
| Microsoft Expression Web 3 | $150 | $75 | ||
| Photoshop CS5 | $700 | $630 | ||
| Premiere Pro CS5 | $800 | $650 |
OEM Versions
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) software costs a fraction of the full retail price, but does not come with tech support or a box (CD only). Academic versions are also a fraction of the price, but do come with a box and tech support. Academic versions can only be sold to students and teachers. Both OEM and academic versions do not qualify for any current or future upgrades or rebates. Not all software has an OEM version and software without tech support is not for everyone.
Upgrade Versions
I hate upgrade versions. I hate having two CDs and two product keys for one piece of software. It has the potential to make installing the software more difficult and/or more time consuming than installing the full version. I'd prefer to skip 3 versions than keep buying upgrade versions. At some point, the upgrade version won't work if the original full version is too old. You can't expect to buy a piece of software, purchase the upgrade version for the next three versions and have the fourth upgrade version work. None of the software above is an upgrade version.
Academic Versions
Academic versions of the most popular software is available at 25% to 50% the retail cost. Read the fine print on who is allowed to purchase this software, but it's meant for high school students, college students, and teachers. Student Discounts, Student Market, and Academic Superstore sell academic software. The catch is they can't be upgraded to newer versions and don't qualify for any current or future rebates.
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