Gigabyte GOPC CA2: Good Things Come in Small Packages - Linux Compatibility and Conclusion
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Linux Compatibility
While Gigabyte highly recommends Windows XP for use with this computer (and so do I), I installed Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official and Fedora Core 2 on it without issue. It seems that the key to running Linux on this computer seems to be the peripherals you attach to it, since the GOPC does not come with devices like a CD/DVD writer and has no PCI slots. The testing was done with hardware known to work under Linux (Fedora and Mandrake shipped with drivers for the Radeon). I could not get the card reader to work with it. It seemed to be detected, just not usable.
Both Mandrakelinux and Fedora Core 2 use 2.6 kernels, so those who build custom kernels or use source based distributions with the 2.6 kernel should not have a problem.
Conclusion
Gigabyte's GOPC, a desktop replacement, is a computer that has half the size of a mid tower, but has most of the capabilities of one. Its compact design allows it to be placed anywhere in an office, and is extremely quiet. The size does have the large side effect of being hard to assemble, and have a constrained airflow. Its supplied heat sink seems to dissipate the heat well, but with only the power supply to get air out, overclocking or heavy computational tasks can get it quite hot. The multimedia features - onboard sound, FireWire and USB ports, SPDIF ports, 6-in-1 card reader, and audio jacks on both sides - allow this to be a simple media PC.
The SiS 661FX/969 chipset combination performs well. While it does not meet the performance of an Intel i865/ICH4 combination on the EPoX EP-4PDA5+, it keeps up and is perfect for office tasks. The integrated video card, while SiS says is software compatible with DirectX 9, was unable to perform some benchmarks. I would not recommend the integrated card for gaming, and if you are considering making use of the AGP slot, choose your card carefully since there are a limited amount of molex connectors available and a very small amount of space. An ASUS A9600XT/TVD video card, however, fit perfectly.
Under Linux, Fedora Core 2 and Mandrakelinux 10 Final worked flawlessly. I was unable to get the card reader to work under Linux though.
Highs:
- Really quiet
- Keeps up with the 'big' computers
- Lots of multimedia capabilities
Lows:
- Instructions are lacking
- Hard to assemble
- Some people may not want to buy a processor, RAM, hard drive, and optical drive and then this
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