Get Windows 8 for Cheap While You Can

We knew it couldn't last. A Windows upgrade price of less than $40 seemed too good to last forever, and today Microsoft confirmed that suspicion, in an announcement on its blog.

But you still have until Jan. 31 to take the plunge into the speedier, tile-happy new operating system for the low upgrade price to Windows 8 Pro of just $39.99 online for existing users of Windows 7, Vista, or even XP.

Those who bought new Windows 7 PCs starting June 2 through Jan. 31 get an even sweeter deal, with a $14.99 upgrade price to Windows 8 Pro. A DVD Windows 8 installer at local retail shops or ordered online from Microsoft costs $69.99.

After that, starting Feb. 1, you're looking at $119.99 to upgrade to the standard, non-Pro version of Windows 8, and a hefty $199.99 for the Pro version. As a reminder, the Pro edition adds the ability to join networking domains, disk encryption, and support for Windows Media Center.

Speaking of Windows Media Center, existing users of Pro are currently able to add this for free within Windows via the "Add Features to Windows 8" feature—but also just until Jan. 31. For those who got regular Windows 8 PCs but want to upgrade to Pro, that requires the Pro Pack - $69.99 until Jan. 31, and $99.99 after.

Here's a table that lays out the pricing changes ahead:

	Before Jan. 31	Starting Feb. 1
Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro	$39.99	$199.99
Upgrade to Windows 8	N/A	$119.99
Windows 8 Pro Pack	$69.99	$99.99
Windows 8 Media Center	Free.	$9.99

Though these prices are far steeper than what's been available to this point (and than Apple Mac OS X upgrades of late), they haven’t gone up from Windows 7's initial pricing.

Do-it-yourself system builders and those wishing to run the new OS in virtual machines will need the full, non-upgrade installer, aka System Builder editions. While the Microsoft blog post mentions the existence of these editions, it gives no indication of pricing, only noting that they'll be available from online and local retailers. These editions are generally discounted, since you'll usually be buying a motherboard or other system hardware together with them.

Microsoft's TechNet site has a thorough run-through of what's involved with all the upgrade scenarios online at a page appropriately titled Windows 8 Upgrade Paths. You can also check out your options using Microsoft's Upgrade Assistant. For a deep dive into all the new capabilities and performance Windows 8 entails, read our full review of Windows 8.

For more from Michael, follow him on Twitter @mikemuch.

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About Our Expert

Michael Muchmore

Contributor

My Experience

I've been testing PC and mobile software for more than 20 years, focusing on photo and video editing, operating systems, and web browsers. Prior to my current role, I covered software and apps for ExtremeTech and headed up PCMag’s enterprise software team. I’ve attended trade shows for Microsoft, Google, and Apple and written about all of them and their products.

I still get a kick out of seeing what's new in video and photo editing software, and how operating systems change over time. I was privileged to byline the cover story of the last print issue of PC Magazine, the Windows 7 review, and I’ve witnessed every Microsoft misstep and win, up to the latest Windows 11.

I’m an avid bird photographer and traveler—I’ve been to 40 countries, many with great birds! Because I’m also a classical music fan and former performer, I’ve reviewed streaming services that emphasize classical music.

Technology I Use

For everyday work, I use a good-old Dell tower with 16GB of RAM, a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, and an Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti GPU that runs on Windows 11. I pair it with a 4K Lenovo ThinkVision P27u-10 monitor and a Logitech MX Vertical mouse. For offsite work, I use a 2024 Microsoft Surface Laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. Camera-wise, I moved to mirrorless from a Canon EOS 80D with a Canon 70-300mm IS USM lens. I now have a Canon EOS R7 with a 100-400mm lens, but I miss my DSLR for several reasons.

In order of usage, the software I turn to most frequently is the Edge web browser, Slack, Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, Firefox, Brave, and WhatsApp. I use the Windows Phone link app to see everything on my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone, which has excellent telephoto capability.

For fitness monitoring, I have a Fitbit Charge 6 and use an Anker Smart Scale P1. I’m also a streaming fan, so I subscribe to both Amazon Music Unlimited (especially for its Dolby Atmos content) and Qobuz (for its high-res sound quality and classical catalog). I recently added a Vizio 5.1 Soundbar SE, which sounds surprisingly good given its low price. To holler commands instead of using a remote control, I have the Amazon Fire TV Cube in the living room, which lets me verbally tell the TV what I want to watch. It hooks up to an LG B4 OLED TV. I have a Sonos One speaker in my kitchen that also ties in with Alexa, as does the Echo Dot 2 With Clock in my bedroom. For serious listening, I have B&W 601 speakers plugged into a Conrad-Johnson Sonographe amp and preamp, with a Cambridge Audio AXN10 streamer as source. For reading, I also have a Nook GlowLight 3.

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