Everex gPC Named One of the Worst PC Desktops of the Year

The Everex gPC is a low cost computer that runs gOS, a customized version of Linux with the enlightenment theme, features mundane hardware and clocks in at $200 without a monitor. Some reviews have come in and there is little to distinguish the gPC from low cost Windows based PCs.

It has integrated graphics that default to a resolution of 1280 x 800 which presented some problems in the PCMag review. It can go higher but not by much courtesy of the underpowered UniChrome graphics chip, it has 512MB of memory and a smallish 80GB hard drive.

The review called the Via C7 1.5GHz processor slow because even out of the box, launching the web browser took longer than it should have.

Some have said the review wasn’t fair because it evaluated for what the desktop wasn’t rather than what it was. Well, the gPC is a web access only computer, don’t plan on using it for anything else. It was suggested it could be used to install another distro of Linux but it would just be better to use that older PC you have lying around somewhere.

It does manage to toss OpenOffice into the package but that was not enough to score the gPC high enough to be recommended to, well, anyone, not even basic users.

There is also the question of what the "g" in "gPC" stands for, "green" or "Google." The problem is that Google does not endorse the product in any way and gOS is made by Good OS. Note, that gOS can be downloaded for free and burnt to CDs or a DVD and installed on any system provided the hardware is supported which you have to be careful of with any distro of Linux.

And the "green" terminology is not exactly accurate, while it does manage to use only between 20W and 50W during use, the materials used in its construction may not exactly be "green."

The operating system also lacked some polish and several features seemed out of place or did not function as expected and some of the hardware included with the system is not compatible with the included operating system, though, drivers are apparently in the works.

It may be cheap, but that’s about its only redeeming quality with the review concluding, "Aside from being cheap and unaffected by Windows viruses, there’s not a lot to recommend in the Everex gPC." PCMag assigned it a rating of 1.5 out of 5. I would agree with their recommendation that anyone considering this pick up a $450 desktop with Vista that offers a bit more expandability.

Just because something sells well does not mean it is a good product.

Source:tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/12/27/everex-gpc-named-one-of-the-worst-pc-desktops-of-the-year/