anyone else regret not activating windows on their main gaming pc?

the big difference is that microsoft focuses on blocking cosmetic features rather than core performance or security updates. i noticed that while my frame rates were identical, not being able to change my accent colors or lock screen became a huge headache after just a week. so use the unactivated version for a temporary test bench, but get a real key for a build you plan to keep for a few years.

anyone else tried the unactivated route and ended up cave-ing and buying a key later? curious to hear real experiences on how long you lasted before the customization limits got annoying.

(found a decent writeup on this earlier if anyone wants the deeper breakdown: https://logkeys.com/guides/windows-without-activation)