• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Are eMachines any good?

B

buzzard34

Gawd
Joined
Feb 14, 2004
Messages
619
How well do emachines fare in the wide world of computing? I went to worst buy (more on that later maybe, don't ask :eek: :D) and pretty much was told emachines are shit. I dont think this is true, as I've had friends pleased with their emachines and with gateway owning them now maybe we can expect more. What's the general opinion on these guys?
 
emachines are cheap as hell but you can spend like 125-150 on them depending on their model and max out their capabilities. like buy a gig o ram and a video card other than onboard or gf4. if your using it for surfing and very light gaming their fine stock but anymore and they crap out. the cheapos usually don't have agp ports so find out if they do also replace the psu quickly as they are pos's and expect less now that gateway is selling them as they have the worst tech support around and many computers I work on are gateways. also there will be a lot of crap on that pc so get rid of it right away
 
Nice thing about them is they are usually OTS (off the shelf) components, nothing proprietary about them...
 
I have had experience with quite a few eMachines. And honestly a few years ago everyone told me eMachines were the worst thing that you can ever own. I was brainwashed and I almost crapped my pants when my dad bought one. Seeing we never had a problem with it for 2 years and possibly longer if I didn't cause a virus to kill it.

So from personal experience, these machines are just fine! They are great for office work, they work, they are reliable. But they are not meant for anything else. Very limited on upgrades. Comes with a mobo that has integrated AGP, so you can't upgrade the video card.

So all in all, don't believe everything that people tell you. Some people just hate it b/c of the fact the machine was made to have little to no changes made by the owner. The case can only hold one harddrive. And depending on what else, they only give you at most one spare slot for a CD drive. The computer WILL run, the only thing I have seen stop it is a virus! Take care of your machine and it will take care of you.

I really don't know what kind of reply you were looking for. Feel free to ask about anything else.
 
eMachines a long time ago used to be shit... however, they got a new president, who was instrumental in turning the company around and making their computers not shit. (He actually went down to the tech support dept. and took phone calls from disgruntled customers! :cool: ) That was at the point just before eMachines was bought out by Gateway; I don't know if the company has moved in any direction (up or down) since then. But the person at BB probably didn't have a clue (but then you probably already knew that :p ).
 
Let's just say they give you the bare minimum to have a decent computer of that computer generation. It will hang with the rest of the computer, but not exceed them.
 
I actually work part time for a retailer that sells them. I work in the tech service shop and I can tell you that eMachines made in the last two years are so are very well built and extremely reliable.

Yes upgrades can be rough if they don't have an AGP or PCI-E x16 slot and most of them don't. They're great if you aren't a gamer. If you are, look elsewhere.
 
Didn't they get bought out by someone, Gateway maybe? Might have something to do with the recent improvements.
 
Gateway bought them, but that was long after the company did a major turn around. Gateway deserves no credit for that at all.
 
Huh.

The T6410 and T6520 are both even A64-based...socket 754 from the looks of it and with ATI onboard graphics. Both MIGHT have a PCI-Express 16x slot, but it doesn't specify.
 
ashmedai said:
Huh.

The T6410 and T6520 are both even A64-based...socket 754 from the looks of it and with ATI onboard graphics. Both MIGHT have a PCI-Express 16x slot, but it doesn't specify.
Click to expand...

Actually they are Socket 939 if I am not mistaken and yes both of those models do in fact have x16 PCI-Express PEG sockets on the mobos.

They actually use the Radeon Xpress 200 chipset. The PSU is weak as hell in those things though. Its hard to get a better card into them without replacing it. I've had to do it on a couple customers machines.

I am pretty sure those models you listed are the ones I am thinking of. If they are not, there are one or two A64 S939 PCI-E based systems with fully functional PEG slots on them.
 
Their website only lists four current models, two Celeron D & two A64. They don't sound half bad for most home users that aren't worried about gaming. Plus not that hard to upgrade if you need to later. For an OEM, you could do a lot worse. Service quality through them very good or do they mostly bring it to you for a good old disinfect & repair (leaving you to find things on the hard drive that leave you scouring your hands in the bathroom for the next hour from having touched their keyboard...)?

Not that I'm going to buy one, but I don't know much about their current stuff and it'd help if I had something better than a Dell kneejerk response when that niche comes up.
 
Emachines make decent laptops now too so they are better than they used to be. I almost purchased an EM some time ago becasue the price was so damn good.

Nothing wrong with them especially for the avg user who wont game very much. Even then, slap in a decent VC and you're ready to go. I like their cases to minus the logo.
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
Actually they are Socket 939 if I am not mistaken and yes both of those models do in fact have x16 PCI-Express PEG sockets on the mobos.

They actually use the Radeon Xpress 200 chipset. The PSU is weak as hell in those things though. Its hard to get a better card into them without replacing it. I've had to do it on a couple customers machines.

I am pretty sure those models you listed are the ones I am thinking of. If they are not, there are one or two A64 S939 PCI-E based systems with fully functional PEG slots on them.
Click to expand...

Thats the system I was looking at...For gaming I plan only to run W: Enemy Territory and maybe Ut2k4, and I'm sure in a couple years into the future I will upgrade. Thanks for the input, just wasn't sure what the general consensus on these PCs were.
 
If you can get a significant discount off the price on the web page, the A64 machines don't look half bad...however for the price on the web page I'd still be giving serious thought to a BYO instead.
 
i told my parents to buy a new e-machines insted of having me build a computer for them because i could not build a computer for cheaper.


I got a
2.8ghz celeron
512mb DDR
80gb hard drive
dvd/cdrw drive
17" flat screen CRT
speakers/keyboard/mouse
lexmark printer
windows xp home

for $250 after rebates (all of which i received.) I Could not touch that price buiding a similar rig at the time and it has been a great computer for their needs. I built 5 of the other computers in their office, including 2 servers, and when they asked me to build another I started coming up with prices, and quoted them around $500 for just the tower. then I saw that system at bestbuy and recommended that they just buy that.

there have been no problems that i have heard of with this system, and for the price it is awesome.
windows xp home
 
ashmedai said:
If you can get a significant discount off the price on the web page, the A64 machines don't look half bad...however for the price on the web page I'd still be giving serious thought to a BYO instead.
Click to expand...

Seen them as low as $499...that's why I'm curious in the first place about emachines.
 
Their site lists the two A64 systems at $499 & 599 after a $50 MIR. This is one of those "monitor sold seperately even though we show it with a picture of one knowing it will confuse our target audiance and snooker them into paying more than they meant to" kind of deals. I wouldn't be suprised to see them marked down from those prices on occasion though at some of the retailers that carry them.

Personally for the price I'd just go, DFI DAGF + Venice 3000 + 1GB RAM + 200GB HDD + PSU + cheap case for about the same price as the cheaper of those two, and overclock it. Although at that point it's not an OEM rig and you wouldn't get the support that comes with one.
 
Most recent emachines have AGP slots, and the newer ones PCIe slots. The post made earlier about most emachines not having the ability for upgraded was wrong. Only the very low end emeachines had IGP Intel celeron setups. True that a much of those were sold but actually the mid-higher end (off emachines models) had AGP slots for many years running now. The problem with them prior to 2003 was that the cases that were used only allowed room for very small mATX mini-PSU's. After 2003 cases were used (and the PSU housing) that would fit regular standard off the shelf power supplies. As it stands now all one needs to do is replace that stock PSU with a better one if adding (for instance) a 6800GT-Ultra. Not much of a problem at all for the current emachines with MSI xpress200 mobos and 3500+ chips to run a 6600GT (as many that have that setup have upgraded to 6600-6800GT's with zero issues even with the stock power supply). They use mostly WD HDD's and Lite-On opticals (DVD-RW).
 
MD_Willington said:
Nice thing about them is they are usually OTS (off the shelf) components, nothing proprietary about them...
Click to expand...

yes that is true, my friend has a emachine and his mobo was a MSI, ram was kingston value and HD was a WD800JB. Pretty decent components and not some cheap generic parts like what i have on my old compaq. when i saw that, i thought better of emachines :)
 
I use this nice T2885 emachine to do all the on line stuff I do. Using it right now, so I dont poison my gaming rig with internet virus, etc. Ive had it for about 18 months and its just fine for burnind CDs and emailing and surfing the web. I have no complaints about this mach at all. It was dirt cheap and has never failed me. As I said I only use it for everyday stuff, it cant run any intense graphics. :D
 
I've been wondering this myyself.

I can build him a Sempron 2300+ (with networking and all) for 610$ or buy an eMachines.

If I buy an eMachines, the total is 600$. With a Cel. D... I forget.

It was 2.8 anyway :p
 
That brings to mind, is there any real difference between sempron and Celeron? In fact wasn't sempron just the replacement for durons?
 
Well, all I know:
pcmark-1.png
 
I hate them, personally becuase they cater to the section of the market that has no business owning a computer IMHO.

However, if all your looking for is something for word processing, browsing, or simple office work then they're ok. Then why don't you just get yourself some refurbished boxes for even less if that's all your looking to do?
 
eMachine has some crazy rebates, just be on your toes, catch the deal before it goes. My dad recently bought 2 eMachines like 4 months ago, they do not come with any AGP slot or PCIe slot. BUT! it comes with SATA harddrives, I didn't see that coming.
 
I bought my M6811, and i absolutely love it. Freakin DIRT cheap with all the rebates, Never ever had a problem with it. Hope that helps
 
buzzard34 said:
That brings to mind, is there any real difference between sempron and Celeron? In fact wasn't sempron just the replacement for durons?
Click to expand...
Don't forget, the Emachines for about 500$ uses an AMD64 3200+ (at 2.2GHz), not the sempron.

I personally prefer the AMD64 over the celeron. Its a full featured desktop processor.
The only real bottle neck is the on board graphics for things like UT2004. I would just double check to be on the safe side to make sure you can install a graphic card.
UT2004
W: ET

~Hope this helps
 
towert7 said:
I personally prefer the AMD64 over the celeron.
Click to expand...

I personally prefer A64 over any other desktop processor, while Celeron is pretty much at the bottom of the heap.
 
I have a M5310 that the wife uses for school and after almost three years it still runs like a champ.
 
The emachine computer my Mom bought for her small business, surprisingly has an AGP slot, so that I can upgrade it (for whatever reason), but IMO, the power on button is a bit too soft.

And I should have reformatted the computer to get rid of all of the bundled junk they installed, but no one but me is complaining. It runs good for kids's and business type apps, and its upgradable for gaming and other future tasks.
 
Well I like what I see on the T6410, and its only gonna be a temporary PC for a couple of years before i get a better one or build one of my one. Thanks for the input.
 
eMachines after Gateway are pretty good, it was painless for me fixing the ones that I have had in the shop, but the ones made before Gateway, they make very good doorstops. :D
 
Guess what? I bought a Presario...this one to be exact. Has an AGP slot which makes me happy. Sorry If I wasted anyone's time.
rolleyes.gif
 
buzzard34 said:
Guess what? I bought a Presario...this one to be exact. Has an AGP slot which makes me happy. Sorry If I wasted anyone's time.
rolleyes.gif
Click to expand...

Good choice, I think you'll be happy with it. Should be much better then any Dell with a celeron processor ^_^.

~Enjoy
 
towert7 said:
Good choice, I think you'll be happy with it. Should be much better then any Dell with a celeron processor ^_^.

~Enjoy
Click to expand...
Yes exactly lol. I pulled a face when my boss suggested that $299 Dell.:D At least he didn't laugh at the Presario, which he would've if I had gone the Emachines route.
 
eMachines are pretty reliable and well-made, from my experience. Their fastest right now could actually make a solid mid-range gaming rig with a beefier power supply and a good video card. It should be noted that it uses Socket 939 AND PCIe 16X. It doesn't have any one-lane PCIe slots, but who cares?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top