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  #1  
Old 07-06-2004, 02:13 PM
Emu Rancher
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 664
Computer Shopping

After 2 years of frustration with a Toshiba satelite laptop I'm looking to get a new computer. The toshiba was the worst thing I've ever owned in my life I dont recommend them to anyone who is going to use the copmputer for anything that requires the processor to work hard. Anyway I'm thinking about getting an emachine computer. One of my friends has one and he said its the best copmuter he's ever owned. I'm looking for a computer to burn cds watch movies game and do some programming and word processing. The website for the company lists 3 models.

eMachines T2824 399.99 after mail in rebate

Specifications
CPU: Intel® Celeron® D 325 Processor
Operates at 2.53 GHz
256KB L2 cache & 533 MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Chipset: Intel 845GV Chipset
Memory: 256 MB DDR (PC 2100)
Expandable to 1 GB
Hard Drive: 40 GB HDD
Optical Drives: 48x Max. CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
Media Reader: 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager (USB 2.0, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: Intel® Extreme Graphics 3D
64MB Shared Memory
Sound: AC '97 Audio
Modem: 56K* ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: Intel PRO 10/100 Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Standard Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Amplified Stereo Speakers
Dimensions: 7.25"w x 14.125"h x 16"d
Internet: AOL 3 month membership included, click here for details
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 ports (1 in Media Manager; 4 in back), 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Audio-In & Out
Pre-Installed Software: Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2004, Encarta Online, Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, PowerDVD, Internet Explorer, CompuServe®, AOL (with 3 months membership included**), Norton AntiVirus 2004 (90 day complimentary subscription), BigFix®


eMachines T2958 499.99 after rebate

Specifications
CPU: Intel® Celeron® D 330 Processor
Operates at 2.66 GHz
256KB L2 cache & 533 MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Chipset: Intel 845GV Chipset
Memory: 512 MB DDR (PC 2100)
Expandable to 1 GB
Hard Drive: 80 GB HDD
Optical Drives: 48x Max. CD-RW Drive; 16x Max. DVD Drive
Media Reader: 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager (USB 2.0, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: Intel® Extreme Graphics 3D
64MB Shared Memory
Sound: AC '97 Audio
Modem: 56K* ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: Intel PRO 10/100 Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Standard Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Amplified Stereo Speakers
Dimensions: 7.25"w x 14.125"h x 16"d
Internet: AOL 3 month membership included, click here for details
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 ports (1 in Media Manager; 4 in back), 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Audio-In & Out
Pre-Installed Software: Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2004, Encarta Online, Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, PowerDVD, Internet Explorer, CompuServe®, AOL (with 3 months membership included**), Norton AntiVirus 2004 (90 day complimentary subscription), BigFix®


eMachines T3092 599.99 after rebate

Specifications
CPU: AMD Athlon™ XP 3000+ Processor
QuantiSpeed™ Architecture operates at 2.167 GHz
512KB L2 cache & 333MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Chipset: nVIDIA® nForce™2
Memory: 512 MB DDR (PC 2700)
Expandable to 2 GB
Hard Drive: 160 GB HDD (7200 RPM)
Optical Drives: DVD +/- RW Drive (Write Max: 8x DVD+/-R, 4x DVD+/-RW, 32x CD-R, 16x CD-RW; Reads 40x CD, 12x DVD); 48x Max. CD-ROM Drive
Media Reader: 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager (USB 2.0, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: nVIDIA® GeForce4™ MX graphics (1 AGP 8x slot available)
Sound: nForce™ 6-channel Audio
Modem: 56K* ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Premium Plus Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Amplified Stereo Speakers
Dimensions: 7.25"w x 14.125"h x 16"d
Internet: AOL 3 month membership included, click here for details
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 ports (4 in back; 1 in Media Reader), 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Audio-In & Out
Pre-Installed Software: Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2004, Microsoft Picture It! Standard Edition, Encarta Online, Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, Nero 6 Suite, PowerDVD, Internet Explorer, CompuServe®, AOL (with 3 months membership included**), Norton AntiVirus 2004 (90 day complimentary subscription), BigFix®


These are all desktops. I'm leaning towards the eMachines T3092 becuase of the grapchics card but I'm not sure about how the AMD processors perform. Anyone have any ideas?

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W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

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  #2  
Old 07-06-2004, 02:23 PM
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Huntington Beach
Posts: 329
Well, if you must stay in the Windows world, why not get a Pentium IV machine?

I hear AMD processors tend to be better than equivalent Intel processors when it comes to gaming, but only on the top-dollar processors.
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  #3  
Old 07-06-2004, 02:41 PM
Emu Rancher
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 664
That's my concern with the AMD processor but I'm also a college student so cost is an important factor. I looked at some dells but I felt like the prices were just really high when compared to the emachines.
__________________
W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

My car needs work.
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  #4  
Old 07-06-2004, 04:32 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Huntington Beach
Posts: 329
I guess the next question is what's important to you: processor speed or built-in features?

Also: What will you use it for? Will you be doing any upgrades anytime soon, or do you want to keep it stock as long as possible? How long do you plan to keep it?
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  #5  
Old 07-06-2004, 04:39 PM
Banned
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,449
This was three computers ago so take it for what it's worth, but E machines scared me off when I went into Circuit City and they had their Circuit City ad running on all the computers except the E machines. I asked why and the clerk said it just wouldn't run on E machines. Didn't know why it just wouldn't.

I've got Dells in the office and a Toshiba Laptop, they all run fine. No problems.
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  #6  
Old 07-06-2004, 08:40 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 336
Re: Computer Shopping

Quote:
Originally posted by adiaw83
Well, the e-machines look OK to me except the operating system. Still...

How about Dell / Gateway despite the prices? They might be worth the extra couple hundred. For example, Dell has great service / warranty stuff, and I think they can even ship you a computer with Linux installed.

How does the reliability of an e-Machine compare to other brands? That's more important than pretty much anything else; one day of down time will obliterate even the few seconds gained by a super-fast processor. Since these e-Machines don't exactly stack up against CRAYs, reliability seems that much more important.
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  #7  
Old 07-06-2004, 09:09 PM
2.5 TURBO
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Send me back to Atlanta
Posts: 876
E- Machines are junk

Get a Dell or IBM, Gateway will most likely be out of business soon
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2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976
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  #8  
Old 07-07-2004, 08:57 AM
Emu Rancher
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 664
Through my freinds experience with them, emachines are pretty reliable. He had it hooked up to the network at college which is alsways a hotbed for viruses but never had any trouble. I'll look more closely into the dell and ibm models. The dells have seen that have compatable graphics cards to the emachines cost a good 200-300$ more and this is being funded by my summer job money so that is a big factor in this purchase.
__________________
W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

My car needs work.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 07-07-2004, 10:35 AM
Zeus's Avatar
Moderating, Eh?
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,774
I'd get an AMD CPU over Intel anyday. I build my own PCs and update them every year or so. The AMD CPU will do everything the Intel chip will for substantially less. Yes, they have a substantially difference architecture and they handle certain tasks differently, but you'd never be able to actually notice the difference in performance in similarly clocked processors.

Just my $0.02...
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Chris
2007 E550 4Matic - 61,000 Km - Iridium Silver, black leather, Sport package, Premium 2 package
2007 GL450 4Matic - 62,000 Km - Obsidian Black Metallic, black leather, all options
1998 E430 - sold
1989 300E - 333,000 Km - sold
1977 280E - sold
1971 250 - retired


"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon
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  #10  
Old 07-07-2004, 12:18 PM
Emu Rancher
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 664
Thats what I heard. I was on the AMD websited and acording to their tests, their processors operated at about 105% speed as the intels. My laptop had an intel IV in it and was one of the slowest computers I've ever used. Graphically, What kind of performance can I expect from and Intel Extreme integrated graphics controller?
__________________
W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

My car needs work.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-07-2004, 12:30 PM
MedMech
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I went with the eMachines with the CC warranty, if any problems do arise they usually swap you for a new one.

For $390 I'll get a new computer every 6 months instead of forking out 3 or 4 K.

Dell and Gateway service.

This is only an opinion.
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  #12  
Old 07-07-2004, 02:08 PM
Zeus's Avatar
Moderating, Eh?
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,774
Quote:
Originally posted by adiaw83
Graphically, What kind of performance can I expect from and Intel Extreme integrated graphics controller?
From a graphics perspective, not very much. I mean you'll be able to do any desktop publishing/basic imaging kind of stuff. Not much gaming though. Higher end design and CAD stuff - forget it.

A friend of mine's a senior engineer with ATI. Works with the Radeon cards. The new video cards are essentially miniature computers themselves, working along with your main CPU. They have their own memory, chips, cooling and power demands. They are designed specifically for the kind of algorithms used for high-end graphics reproduction.

So basically, if you want strong graphics, get the best graphics card you can afford.

Any of the new AMD processors are a good choice for your CPU.

All IMHO of course...
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Chris
2007 E550 4Matic - 61,000 Km - Iridium Silver, black leather, Sport package, Premium 2 package
2007 GL450 4Matic - 62,000 Km - Obsidian Black Metallic, black leather, all options
1998 E430 - sold
1989 300E - 333,000 Km - sold
1977 280E - sold
1971 250 - retired


"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon
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  #13  
Old 07-07-2004, 03:43 PM
2.5 TURBO
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Send me back to Atlanta
Posts: 876
E-machines

Looks like MedMech knows graphics..LOL
__________________
2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976
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  #14  
Old 07-08-2004, 03:27 PM
Emu Rancher
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 664
Is the nVIDIA® GeForce4™ MX graphics card up to par for gaming. I just need them to run smoothly and be crisp. I'm not asking for perfect shading illumination etc. Also I think the computer has another port for another graphics card if I ever needed to do that.
__________________
W126 1983 300SD 286,000 miles and ticking
Baby blue exterior Grey MB tex
Recent work:
Replaced air cleaner mounting brackets and heat shields
Replaced alternator, fan and power steering belts
Replaced positive battery terminal
Replaced negative battery terminal and cord
New Duralast Battery

My car needs work.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 07-08-2004, 07:00 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 336
Just an idea... if you're starting to worry about gaming, it's probably best for you to save up and get a good system (preferably one you build yourself). It'd be better to sink $600 into something you like than to sink $400 into something that grows to irritate you.

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