Happy eMac Owner
Written: Sep 13 '02
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Pros: Fast computer with an absolutely gorgeous screen.
Cons: Lack of expandability (though I'm sure somebody will figure something out in 3 years).
The Bottom Line: Excellent machine at an incredible price for the goodies that you get. Beats the flat-screen iMac hands down.
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| spamaroid's Full Review: Apple eMac 17 in. (M8894LL/B) Mac Desktop |
I purchased one of the original Bondi Blue iMacs in November 1998 and it chugged along fine up until January 2002 when the power logic analog board went out. I debated buying a new computer then because the repair was in the $300 range. Well, I decided to fix it and it kept on chugging.
I watched as the eMac was announced and then was finally offered to the public earlier this year. I knew that I wanted a faster computer and my iMac was bothering me because I could find almost no new games that could run on it and it was crashing quite a bit. So, I investigated upgrading the processor to a G4 500, installing a CDRW and a larger hard drive. The best figures I could come up with were around $550.
I had planned a trip to Atlanta in mid-August and knew that I wanted to at least go by the Apple Store and see what these new eMacs looked like. I had mentioned to a friend that if they had a really good deal on one (i.e. refurbished) that I would buy one.
Well, it just so happens that not only did that have 3 refurbs in the back, but they were offering them for $899. I thought about it all weekend and went back late on Sunday and bought one.
HAPPINESS #1: It was supposed to be a 700 Mhz, 128 RAM and CD-RW version. Well, the salesman said that this particular unit was an in-store demo. I was very happy to find that when I got back home and plugged the machine in that they had installed an extra 128 MB RAM and had also left lots and lots of goodies on the hard drive (read excellent software worth about $1500).
HAPPINESS #2: I put it side-by-side with my old iMac to transfer files and was absolutely shocked to see what a difference there was between the two screens. I did not know any better, but the iMac display looked down right dark and dingy compared to the eMac display.
HAPPINESS #3: The G4 is incredibly fast. Photoshop renderings are at least 10 times faster than my old machine. I knew that there was going to be an improvement, but didn't think that it would be that great.
HAPPINESS #4: Jaguar is also incredible. I was so used to having to reboot my iMac (OS 8.6) at least once every other hour and I was actually envious of Windows 2000 users who can stop non-responding programs with the venerable three-finger-salute. YEAAAH!! Now, I can do that too.
HAPPINESS #5: Games! No problem there, runs anything under the sun that I can load on it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 899
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor speed: 701-800
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
spamaroid
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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