[tech-cord] $199 computer

[George Tuttle]

Tech Coordinators:       Several weeks ago I sent out an email saying that I had ordered a $199 computer from Wal-Mart.com.  I received it several days ago but didn't get a chance to "kick the tires" until today.  The total cost including shipping was $216.  Here's a preliminary description:     The computer is assembled by Microtel and has Lindows operating system installed along with various other pieces of software.  I'm not going to report on the operating system or software until later because my primary concern right now is to replace older pentium systems where I already have the monitor and Windows software.  (In 1995 or 1996, Microsoft had a onetime deal during the summer where you could buy Windows 95 software for $20 per copy and it wasn't tied to any brand of machine so I will be transferring those licenses to these new machines and trashing the old ones)     Here's a brief description of the components I found inside.    Gigabyte GA-6VEM series motherboard with 133 MHz frontside bus that has an easy to update bios VIA C3 800 MHz processor that offers comparable performance to the 800 MHz Celeron processor 128 MB SDRAM, expandable to 1 GB, 133 MHz memory speed MAXTOR 10 GB Ultra-ATA 100 hard drive, 5400 rpm NEC brand 52x CD-ROM drive Integrated Trident Blade 3D/Pro Media AGP 4x graphics with up to 8 MB shared video memory Integrated AC '97 Audio with 3D enhanced sound Integrated VIA 10/100 Ethernet connection Micro ATX tower case (14"D x 7"W x 14"H) Available drive bays: one 5.25-inch external, one 3.5-inch external, one 3.5-inch internal 2 PCI slots 1 ISA slot (nice for some of the older legacy cards like card readers, etc.) 1 High-speed serial port (note only one serial port where 2 is normally standard) Parallel port 2 front and 2 rear USB ports (according to the manual, they are USB2 ports) Game port 104-key keyboard 2-button mouse with wheel Audio port (line-in, line-out, mic-in) Stereo speakers Even though there's no floppy included, they did include a floppy cable.     I don't see any immediate weakness in the system components, in fact, I'm very impressed with the quality of the products for the price.     As I learn more about the system and software, I'll be sending out more reports but only to those that are interested, in other words, I won't use tech-cord anymore because not everyone is interested in receiving this information.  If you want to receive information as I test more of the stuff, send me an email and I'll put you on an update email list.   George   PS.  Anyone is welcome anytime to come over to look over and test the unit.  I'm a little more optimistic about surviving all of the tech budget cuts because I think that if we shop around, we'll be able keep operating until better times.  I, for one, am interested in hearing from others when they find a good deal.