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The eNightmareFeb 12 '00 (Updated Aug 27 '00) Write an essay on this topic.About a year and a half ago, Emachines jumped into the PC market with computers that, after rebate, cost under $500. Needless to say, they sold like wildfire. Now, with instant rebates offered by Compuserve, Prodigy, MSN and AOL, you can take one of these little things home for less than it costs you to fill your car up with gas. Let me start by saying that this is a technician's worst nightmare. Hundreds of these things flooded out of each store the first week of the promotion. The numbers would have been even higher had Emachines been able to keep up with consumer demand. And with continued popularity, Emachines still pour out of stores at a lightening pace. Now, a year and a half later, as a large number of these computers finally give up the last bit of life they have, the number of Emachines I see come in for repair is simply staggering. And with a One-Year Warranty from Emachines, most of these customers aren't happy about the fact that the repairs on these PCs cost more than they paid for the things in the first place. Let me give you a quick run-down on what you might expect from an Emachine if you're unfortunate enough to have one of the many problem Emachines: Modem Emachines has cycled through modems from several different manufacturers, including HFC and Conexant. While these companies produce some quality products, the modems they sold to Emachines were generally the bottom of the heap. The modems are extremely sensitive to power spikes in the phone line, causing many to easily short out following the first thunderstorm in the area. And, more often than not, Emachines shipped their computers with outdated modem drivers that caused severe connection problems with most major ISPs (internet service providers) like Prodigy and AOL. The updates have always been available on their website, assuming you can connect without the help of your Emachine and its modem. Sound Card Emachine computers have decent sound, even from the tiny speakers included with each PC. But there are many programs which have compatibility issues with the sound card and its drivers, including a few of the more popular games, dictation software suites, and audio mixing programs. Coupled with that, only because its part of the same circuitry inside the computer, is the MIDI port (joystick port). It is not easy to find a joystick that is consistently compatible with the Emachines joystick port. Most digital joysticks refuse to even be recognized as connected when plugged in to the Emachine. As a result, many games which require a joystick are virtually unplayable on the Emachine, unless you're lucky enough to get one of the rare Emachines that doesn't exhibit these problems. USB Be very cautious of what USB products you add to your Emachines PC. Few will work correctly, if at all; and trying to install some can completely corrupt the operating system (resulting in a need to wipe the system and restore it from the included CD). Power Supplies The failure rate for Emachines for problems related to the power supply are higher, in my experience, than any other branded PC manufacturer. Support Emachines support leaves a great deal to be desired. Their website, although it has recently gone through some useful changes, offers little helpful support: a few driver upgrades, and a small section on known issues (a section that should be much larger). The phone support is quirky at best. Usually, dialing the number will get you a busy signal or a menu that never takes you anywhere. When you do finally get someone on the line, the chances of getting anything useful from the representative are slim to none. Other System Components The video system is fair. With the exception of the Emonster PC, which comes with a Voodoo 3 video card, Emachines graphics are nothing spectacular, but they are at least serviceable and stable. Their hard drives have a low failure rate. The processor and motherboard, again, seldom see failure. Their CD-ROMs are decent, and are as fast and reliable as those included in any other branded PC. The DVD-ROMs that come with some of the 'higher-end' (I use that term very subjectively) models is fair, but without the inclusion of a hardware DVD decoder card, expect some choppy playback. Is Emachines a horrible company? Not really. They have done wonders for lowering the overall price of computers, and greatly expanded the low-priced PC market. And it's not like every computer that comes of the Emachines line is a lemon. Many Emachines come out of the box working fine, and some of those even stay that way for quite a while. For the price, an Emachine can be a decent option for a cheap, no-frills PC for the non-power user. But keep this in mind when you dish out that pittance for your PC: You get what you pay for.  |
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