Wal-Mart recently introduced a new computer (Everex TC2502 Green gPC) that can be bought for under $200.
Even though it’s a Linux-based computer (which isn’t bad,) this is not something could even be considered for use as a primary computer. It’s too slow (1.5 GHz / 512MB RAM) its hard drive is too small for a new desktop PC offering (80GB), and to the best of my knowledge there are absolutely no software titles Wal-Mart sells that would even run on this thing.
However, there is one saving grace about this box.
For those that like to tinker around with hardware, it is a relatively cheap way to get your hands on a ready-to-run Mini-ITX motherboard. The size of the case is all fluff because once you crack it open you’ll see the itty bitty mobo inside. So in essence, you could take the guts and put them in a custom case less than half the size of the one it came out of. After that you could install another Linux (like Xubuntu, a “less heavy” version of Ubuntu) and make yourself a seriously cheap entertainment PC. Or, dare I say, a nice little (albeit slow) file server.
Side note: It is ironic that Wal-Mart would sell a computer touted to be “green” because of the environmentally friendly mobo, yet this same mobo sits in a case purposely built larger than necessary just for a bigger look - causing needless waste. If that’s not irony I don’t know what is.
So anyway, if you hack the box apart and use the guts to make it into something usable, then you’ll get your money’s worth out of it. Good box for computer tinkerers. For the empty case you have left behind, fill it with soil and plant a small garden in it. 
But used as a standalone primary computer it fails miserably. I can’t see Grandma getting along with this “gOS” Linux, sorry.
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About the Author
Rich Menga is PCMech's video guy, an author and part-time host of PCMech LIVE.
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Jon Cardozo said:
11/5/2007 4:30 pm
If Wal-Mart produces a tablet PC, let me know! I’ll be the first one to buy it. Seriously though, It seems that computers are getting cheaper everyday.
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Jim said:
11/6/2007 10:52 am
Well, I won’t blast an attempt to get an internet appliance out for next to nothing. “gOS” is short for google OS, it’s based off of Ubuntu 7.10, so what’s the gripe ? I’ve been using Ubuntu since June 2006 on a partition much smaller than 80 GB and have plenty of drive space. See that’s Linux for you, it’s not bloated like Windows Vista. It still runs on PC’s with 256-512 MB of memory efficiently.
As for the hardware being too slow ? For under $ 200, do you expect quad core performance ? Office Applications are only as fast as you can type, so how fast does that have to be. And I’m not talking about crunching queries for multi-million record data tables here, we’re talking what the average web surfer uses office for. I’ll bet it handles Open Office Suite just fine ?
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reinkefj said:
11/11/2007 8:45 am
Well for $200, it’d be interesting to see what it could do. One trip to AC trying to “hit the big one” wases more than that. Unfortunately, it’s all sold out. SO either they ordered 100 for the US or it’s a hot seller among those that shop at WalMart. When you got nothing, it might look “good enough”?
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John said:
11/19/2007 12:16 am
The majority of my clients don’t use more than 20gb of space and don’t even know what outlook express is. These are the same people buying this box. It’s not made for you, so please don’t buy it. Let someone else take it home.
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