Walmart.com Offers Sub-$200 LindowsOS PC

Microtel Computer Systems is selling a PC equipped with a C3 processor from Via Technologies and the LindowsOS operating system from Lindows.com exclusively at Walmart.com for less than $200.

One of the cheapest retail desktop PCs available, the SYSMAR 710 is the first PC sold by a major U.S. retailer to contain the C3 processor from Via, a Via spokesperson said Friday. The SYSMAR comes with an 800-MHz C3 processor, 128MB of synchronous dynamic RAM, a 10GB hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive, and has a list price of $199.86.

It does not include a monitor, modem, or a floppy disk drive, according to the Walmart.com Web site.

The SYSMAR 715, which costs $218, is identical to the SYSMAR 710 but has a LAN card and a modem. The SYSMAR 715 was not available on Walmart.com at press time.

Other Offerings

Microtel also makes two other PCs for Walmart.com, the SYSMAR150 and SYSMAR151, which cost $299.84 and $399.72 respectively, and feature Microsoft's Windows XP Home edition operating system. The Windows PCs also use 800-MHz C3 processors, and feature the same memory and hard drive specifications. The 151 comes with a 15-inch monitor.

Walmart.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores, Microtel, and Lindows.com partnered to offer low-cost PCs in June, releasing eight different models that used processors from both Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, priced between $299 and $599.

Via is primarily known for its chipset business, but also makes the C3 and Cyrix processors. The C3 is designed to consume small amounts of power.