What is an oem product: advantages and disadvantages?

What is an OEM product ? Should I buy it? Is the price reduction worth it ? Windows 10 OEM? OEM license? OEM ink cartridges? We explain what it means and everything you need to know in this article!

When it comes to offering a solution to customers, manufacturers always discuss how to adequately meet their needs. This includes an in- depth analysis of what is best for you, whether it's making your own products or partnering with another manufacturer to offer the best solution.

Partnering with OEM product manufacturers allows a company to cut costs on raw materials and the manufacturing process for these products, while also focusing more on designing its own products.

Another good reason for a company to partner with an OEM manufacturer is the life cycle of these products. Thus, while the manufacturer focuses only on the manufacture of said product, this focus makes the products have a longer useful life due to the best selection of materials and processes.

These OEM manufacturers include those who sell their products to another company by affixing their logo, while others do not include their brand, and many other manufacturers directly sell their OEM products to the end consumer.

Index of contents

What is an OEM product?

When we refer to an OEM product, which in Spanish means " Original Equipment Manufacturer ", we generally refer to any company that is dedicated to the manufacture of products that it then sells to another company.

In the computing sector, this concept applies to manufacturers selling their OEM products for another company to assemble its own equipment. Among these OEM products we can mention motherboards, processor, hard drives and power supplies.

To give us a more precise idea, the company Intel, which manufactures processors for PCs, would participate in this group, since it sells its processors to other companies so that they assemble and sell their computers to the final consumer, as is the case with Asus laptops, HP or Acer that include Intel processors in their home computers, for example.

The relationship that arises between the OEM manufacturer and the assembly company is often referred to as "outsourcing." These products are normally marketed from the factory without packaging, since they are intended directly to form part of the packaging of another product that will be sold to the final consumer.

The concept of OEM product was initially associated with all that company that developed its products and which were later resold under the brand of another company. In any case, this concept was transformed over the years, which is why today it refers to different situations.

Advantages of OEM products

• They allow companies to focus on their own products OEM specialized manufacturers on their products Lower development and production costs for PC manufacturers Possibility to experiment with the most innovative technologies.

Disadvantages of an OEM license

One of the biggest negative points that an OEM license for software products has is that this license is forever linked to a PC, not allowing this same license to be used on another computer. With this it is understood why these licenses have such an affordable price.

In the event that you have chosen to buy an OEM license for the Windows 10 operating system, you will have to activate it by phone call or internet from the PC, providing the product key.

But the problems start if you want to update the PC hardware, in which case you can replace everything but the motherboard and hard drive. If you want to buy a new hard drive, the OEM license will no longer work and you will have to purchase another one.

Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit OEM DVD - License Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit Spanish

• The package includes a DVD to install Windows 10 Professional 64-bit Spanish and instructions. Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OEM will be mailed in an official sealed box. The activation key for Windows 10 Pro OEM is in the box. Windows 10 Pro license Includes Spanish as well as English, German, Italian and others. Use only genuine Windows 10 Professional OEM. Beware of pirated versions.

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Still, what would happen if the hard drive or motherboard had to be replaced yes or yes? If your PC has already come with a Windows OEM license, there will be no other alternative than to contact the PC manufacturer (Dell, Lenovo, HP or another company) and ask technical support to maintain the validity of the license once that we have replaced any of these components or contact Microsoft to validate the operating system, there are cases that have approved it and others that have denied it.

OEM hardware

Regarding hardware and other devices. A classic we find in pre-mounted computers and other very common helmets that we see is in the OEM legend of an ink cartridge in case we have a printer, whether it be laser or inkjet. This legend can be found in the same ink cartridge catalog or in its own packaging.

This means that this cartridge was manufactured by the same printer manufacturer and works exclusively on these computers. Something that can be negative from the point of view of money, since an original cartridge of this type is usually more expensive than others (generic) developed by other manufacturers.

These alternative cartridges (compatible and recycled) are manufactured by companies that are dedicated only to this, and that do not manufacture printers. This makes the price of these supplies cheaper and have a quality very similar to the original (OEM).

However, it is imperative to remember that you have to choose a recycled cartridge supplier very carefully to get the best compatibility and quality, rather than just focus on getting the most affordable cartridge.

Non-OEM Cartridge Printer Warranty

Those companies that develop OEM products tend to mention in the documentation of the products that buying recycled cartridges can harm the proper functioning of the printer, in addition to eliminating the validity of the warranty.

This occurs because these manufacturers claim that by damaging the printer with non-OEM products, they are not responsible for any damage, thereby voiding the warranty of this printer.

In any case, in accordance with the provisions of Directive 93/13 / EEC as well as the Law of February 1995, using an unofficial cartridge but compatible with the printer does not expire the printer's warranty.

On a personal basis I have used printers with quality compatible cartridges, and the only difference is that they have been used up before an original one. I think it is worth it if the price difference is very large, since you have online as Amazon offers original cartridges at a very good price.

OEM software

In the market we can find not only hardware with this type of license, but also OEM software. In any case, OEM software is very rare, contrary to what happens with hardware. Among the most common OEM software we can find the Windows operating system, productivity programs and security apps, and even system utilities.

A negative point of OEM software is that it does not offer technical support to users, limiting itself to being marketed with the logo of another company and with a basic user manual. It is the manufacturer of the final product that must take care of providing the user with technical support and documentation for this software.

Most of these OEM products receive customization by the manufacturer to fit a specific PC, so if we are using a Windows OEM license on an HP computer , it probably won't work when we try to install it on a Lenovo machine, for example.

Likewise, it may happen that this same OEM license is not valid for another HP machine either, because this software was specifically designed for an HP model.

As you can see, although OEM software is initially cheaper than the most complete versions of this product intended for the final consumer, the great disadvantage is that we will not be able to use it on other machines.

Both an antivirus and Windows itself, being OEM software, already leave the factory ready to be used on a new computer, which makes it a much more limited type of license than the more complete and higher-priced licenses.

As for the activation of OEM software, it is usually carried out by entering a code that is normally found on a sticker attached to the computer. According to this activation method, the software is usually called “OEMAct” (Original Equipment Manufacturer Activation Control Technology).

However, this type of software has some detractors who claim that:

• They offer limited functionality. They cannot be transferred to other equipment, so they depend on the current equipment not being damaged or faulty. They do not offer the user any kind of documentation or installation manual, as well as technical service.

OEM license on Windows

The different licenses of the Windows system were always the subject of discussion, and also of confusion. Most users don't know what their differences are. And many others don't even know that these licenses exist.

And even for those who have an idea about the different Windows licenses, they are not completely clear about the limits of each one either.

As for the Windows OEM license, this is the most affordable, something positive for most users, but it is also the one with the most restrictions.

Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit OEM DVD - License Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit Spanish

• The package includes a DVD to install Windows 10 Professional 64-bit Spanish and instructions. Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OEM will be mailed in an official sealed box. The activation key for Windows 10 Pro OEM is in the box. Windows 10 Pro license Includes Spanish as well as English, German, Italian and others. Use only genuine Windows 10 Professional OEM. Beware of pirated versions.

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Usually, this type of license is aimed at PC assemblers such as HP, Asus, Acer, computer stores, among others, who assemble custom equipment to market to end consumers.

It is also the type of license used by system integrators, who deliver pre-installed Windows at a fairly low price when a full configuration is sold. If a person purchases a pre-installed Windows PC, almost 99% of this license will be OEM.

Types of OEM licenses in Windows

Each type of OEM license has a different way to be activated.

OEM License: DM

This is the license that the branded computer has, which comes with a pre-installation of Windows 10. For this reason, these computers usually come with a sticker located somewhere on the device. This means that you do not have a product code.

Therefore, a System Locked Pre-installation (SLP) key is saved in the ACPI MSDM (Microsoft Digital Marker) table of the motherboard's UEFI firmware, which is automatically read by the Windows installation program. Entering a product key is not required when reinstalling Windows.

OEM License: SLP

This is the type of license that those branded computers that offer a pre-installation of Windows XP, Vista or 7 come with. In these cases, the device will come from the factory with a sticker called Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Also, in a license of this type we also see on the sticker a product key that is the one that will help this installation to be validated.

To activate this license follow these steps: both the OEM certificate and the SLP key are saved in the SLIC ACPI table of the BIOS of the motherboard. These two items are compared to the product key that comes on the sticker and the OEM certificate file installed on Windows; If both coincide, then Windows activation will be effective.

The system will only request the product key for the COA label when Windows is being reinstalled, while it will not be possible to do an offline activation of the operating system using SLP.

In this situation, to get activation, users will have to make a phone call using the product key on the COA label. Subsequently, the Windows OEM: COA license is activated.

- OEM license: COA: It is the type of license that comes when you buy a brand name computer with a pre-installation of Windows XP, Vista or 7; in this case, the user had to use the product key printed on the COA label.

- OEM license: NONSLP (Non System Locked Pre-installation): a product key is included, in the same way as with the Retail license. To activate Windows it can be done over the internet or with a phone call.

If we compare it in terms of operation, the OEM license is completely the same as the Retail version. While only with the OEM: DM and OEM: SLP product keys, Windows activation can be done offline, without having to contact Microsoft's servers. Both come bundled with computers from Dell, HP, Asus, and other major manufacturers.

If a technical failure should occur in Windows, it will be the manufacturer of that computer or the distributor of the license, but not Microsoft, who will provide support.

Differences between a Retail license and an OEM license

Both OEM and Retail licenses are practically the same, except for these small differences:

• The user who purchased an OEM licensed product does not have Microsoft Technical Support available for assistance. Rather, you need to contact the equipment manufacturer for assistance. OEM licenses are forever tied to the equipment where they were first installed and activated. This makes it impossible to transfer them to another computer. Although the hardware components of the PC can be updated when an OEM license is installed, in this case it will not be possible to replace either the motherboard or the hard disk. OEM license to update the operating system to a new version. Instead, you have to buy the license for the new version.

How do I know if I have an OEM license or a Retail license?

Press the Windows + Pause buttons at the same time to open the System panel. At the bottom of the new screen you will see "Windows Activation", where you will see an alphanumeric code on the side.

The product ID is in the format xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx. Note the characters in the second group: if these characters are "OEM, " it means you have a Windows OEM license.

Why are OEM products cheaper?

The main reason OEM products tend to be cheaper is due to economies of scale. This is that a company partners with others to manufacture products in a massive way, so that both the price and the production time decrease significantly.

In any case, it is always recommended to check carefully what an OEM product includes at the time of purchase, because although it is cheaper, it generally does not offer some additional features , such as technical support. The same goes for its performance.

As a general rule, OEM hardware is often more affordable than that sold in retail stores. Both types of products have the same levels of performance and capabilities, although it must be borne in mind that the OEM comes without the extras that may be necessary for its operation.

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For example, OEM computer processors may be shipped from the factory without a heatsink, while a graphics card or hard drive could be sold without their respective cables or adapters for operation. Like software, OEM hardware generally doesn't include technical support either.