Having the ability to build custom Windows installations, including ‘in-place’ editing, and the ability to update Windows without Microsoft silently reinstalling shit I don’t want or need, with NTLite’s ‘Host Update’ wizard, it has been well worth the 40€ for each version (no subscription too!)
I really don’t want to sound like an ad, though NTLite has really made Windows a decent operating system again.
It certainly notable that Windows, once all of Microsoft’s crud is stripped out, doesn’t touch the CPU at idle, whereas a fresh install of Windows without customisation always consumed 2-3% of the CPU at idle.