eMachines- Inexpensive But Functional!
Sep 06 '00
eMachines have been portrayed as ugly, slow, below standard computers. But scanning through other manufacturer categories and reading the reviews, I don't feel so bad!
Allow Me To Bore You!
When I purchased my first eMachine it was to replace my old Cyrix based machine with 32 MB of ram. It was slow and not very stable. Saying this was due to excessive heat would be an understatement. I had hoped to network the two together and gain at least some use from the older machine.
I put together a list of what I was looking for, including RAM, hard drive space, and a decent video card capable of running my children's demanding software. I took this list to a local computer fair and priced a complete system with my criteria. All told and out the door, the price would be $800 excluding monitor.
Well, after talking to fellow computer geeks, I decided it would be best to purchase everything separate and build it myself from scratch. Heck, I had all the support I needed through friends and I could save a buck or two. But after pricing and mix n' matching parts, I was at $550. Plus I would have the enjoyment of putting it all together myself! (Oh Joy)
A Sign From Heaven! (well, sort of)
As I gazed at the quote sheet, my brother came into the room holding a Staple's flyer and asked me about a computer featured on the cover and if it looked like a good deal for him. A Celeron based 400 MHz eMachine 400ix with 64 MB of RAM and a 6.4 GB HD for $550 with a $50 rebate?
The Celeron debacle caused me great concern and decided to do further research. It seemed Intel had corrected its Celeron woes by adding a cache and improving its performance to compete with AMD and other chip manufacturers.
I was hesitant, but bought it anyway not knowing what to expect. If it didn't perform to my expectations then back it goes! One catch though, the rebate had to be sent in within something like ten days after purchase. No problem, I waited till the last moment to mail in the rebate form.
So How Does It Run?
Since August of 1999 I haven't had one problem related to workmanship or components. As matter of fact I liked it so much I purchased another in December of 1999, an eMonster 500a, PIII 500MHz with 64 MB at $899 with a 17" monitor.
I've upgraded the RAM on both machines to 128 MB for less than $100. Both are networked along with the Cyrix machine and currently without problems.
Since the purchase of my second eMachine, they run 24/7.
The ATI based AGP video on both machines are adequate to run all of my current software and have yet to turn away from a software item because of it.
It Hasn't Been All Peaches And Cream Though!
· Tech support, if that's what you want to call it, has been somewhat helpful the few times I used it. The problem is though; they just love to answer your e-mails sometimes with generic response letters that don't even pertain to the question asked. If you persist though, you'll get a response to your liking.
Support seems to be up and down at times. They have answered questions promptly, 1-3 days, and other times I had to write twice before getting a response.
· The speakers included with the systems were little more than toys. This was not a problem since I had existing speakers.
· The keyboard and mouse leave very little to be desired. After looking at the quality of each, I decided to spend the extra few bucks and replace both. Of course it would only be a matter of time before my daughters will spill their Kool-Aid on their keyboard anyway! ;)
· Since only one computer needed to support a modem, I opted for the Lucent based win modem that was included with the 400ix because of Lucent's excellent support for its modems. Obtaining drivers for any of the included components has never been a problem. Just don't look at eMachines for any updated drivers! The support they show for current customers is horrible and it shows on their web site http://www.e4me.com
Expandability
Considering both have decent onboard audio capabilities, it never came into the mix when deciding on a purchase. The Celeron machine has three slots, 2 PCI and 1 shared. The PIII doesn't fair much better, only one extra slot over its Celeron counterpart. If expanding is what your after, look elsewhere! I have devices running all over the network to compensate for the lack of slots. If it weren't for USB support, I'd be up the creek to say the least.
Overall
After reading some of the reviews on eMachines, I consider myself lucky. It seems people were expecting much more than they got. Most of the negative reviews have been for the really inexpensive machines.
If you can solve problems on your own or just want a replacement machine then by all means don't rule out eMachines. But if this is your first computer purchase, it's best you look elsewhere as the tech support is nearly non-existent at times.
My theory is this, in a few years I will have to replace both of these machines since both are now obsolete, as most computers are after a few months.
These machines are not speed demons by any stretch of the imagination; but are able to satisfy my current needs. They are inexpensively made but can be considered an option for anyone on a budget and would like to upgrade their existing machine.
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