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General discussion

Wow! Emachines for $200, with monitor $300 in the

Nov 26, 2003 11:25PM PST

newspaper today. Best Buy special 6AM to Noon tomorrow (Friday) only. Intel Celeron 2.66GHz, 256MB DDR RAM, 80GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD combo drive, after rebate $199.99. With 17" Flat -Screen Monitor (CRT) .25mmdot pitch, after rebate $299.98.(minimum 20 per store)

Lots of other specials on at Best Buy thru Sat, also in todays paper other flyers for specials at Circuit City, CompUSA, and Radio Shack.

Discussion is locked

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and just think, if Concorde was still flying. i could actually be there in time to buy one :-)
Nov 27, 2003 3:08AM PST

i sent that to a friend in England, he couldn't believe how cheap it was...

the cheapest "no name" PC i have seen over here (with the same specs) is about $750...

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One caution on that
Nov 27, 2003 3:22AM PST

Emachines are fully integrated systems. You really need to purchase the 2 or 3 year warranty plan with the machine (probably about $150 more at that price range) if you want to protected against product failures (I think the initial manufacturer warranty is something like three months only for Emachines). If nearly ANYTHING goes on the Emachine (sound, etc.), you may be faced at replacing the ENTIRE board, unlike most other systems people are used to buying where you can swap out parts.

Also, you need to have a good battery backup/surge protector for that. They may have one for about $89 that might work. Once you start adding up necessities for the machine, you're probably up around $500+ USD. That said, it is still a very good price, since most Emails come with a Restore Disk, usually with XP Home and other utilities.

Best Buy will usually offer Virus Protection (either Norton or McAfee) vastly discounted with the purcahse of any machine too. If yours is old, or you need a copy for the new machine, it's probably a good idea to buy it at the discount.

One of the first things you want to do with their machines after they do the Best Buy tuneup, is to get rid of the software that "phones home" on it. Try any of the spyware products, either AdAware by Lavasoft or another one, and have it get rid of that junk if you value your privacy.

This is also not a good time to buy memory since the prices are jacked up for Christmas right now. If you can hold off until January, the prices should fall again and you can get some good deals. Check first, and make sure Best Buy doesn't have to install it for you (in which case you just bring in the machine in January), because most places will consider even that mindless upgrade a technical violation of their warranty, which voids the warranty.

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NT Re: you need to have a good battery backup? i think JR meant a desktop, he mentioned a 17'' CTR monitor..
Nov 27, 2003 3:28AM PST

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Re:NT Re: you need to have a good battery backup? i think JR meant a desktop, he mentioned a 17'' CTR monitor..
Nov 27, 2003 3:59AM PST

That's exactly what I meant. I meant a CyberPower or I think it's AFC or other backup battery with surge protector. Once you are in the range of Pentium 3 or higher (or the equivalent thereof), you can't just use the cheapo powerstrips.

Fluctuations in electricity that may not bother older computers or appliances, will fry the MOBO on the Pentium 3's and above. Tbey have to have a good surge protector (the kind that is a large battery backup also, although that is slightly less important) so that you don't have a sudden spike that may only make lights flicker in the house, but will fry the board - literally.

If you talk to the staff at Best Buy or your local computer store (Best Buy I've found to have knowledgable folks overall), they can tell you which is the type you need for that computer. At a 2.66, which the machine I'm on happens to be, I use a CyberPower 1250 AVR. I'm using a CyberPower 700 AVR for my Emachine that is comparable to the ones John is talking about. Normally I would have purchased a higher AVR, but after comparing, I figure the 700 AVR was okay for that (guessing $49).

With our power outages during the fires out here this last month, I actually had the CyperPower box turn brownish yellow on the top of the case, from the abuse it was taking internally from the voltage changes. But my computer remained fine.

For laptops, I use a Targus surge protector that I take with me that (Comp USA if not Best Buy), like the CyberPowers, does both the phone and FAX lines too, as well as the actual machines, so even telephone line spikes won't ruin the machines. Some, like the Mac notebooks, have a good surge protector built into the power plug-in.

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NT gottit, i read it as (a spare) backup battery...
Nov 27, 2003 4:13AM PST

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(NT) I think she was referring to a UPS
Nov 27, 2003 3:59AM PST

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NT yup, she wuz :-)...thanks
Nov 27, 2003 4:11AM PST

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Re:One caution on that
Nov 27, 2003 1:14PM PST

Well, for the money I personally don't think it can be beat by any other company. Wal-Mart may come close, but doesn't have a operating system (like WinXP) or the one that is furnished is an odd one.

Re: **"Emachines are full integrated system"** By that I assume you mean they have integrated graphics and sound. So do some of Dell, Gateway, and many other computers costing much more. I, like you, prefer a system that has a upgradable AGP Graphics card and sound card, however many more expensive motherboards do have on board sound. Belive Emachines come with 1 year warranty. From my experience, longer not needed especially with a inexpensive machine.

Battery Backup.... well, a surge protector with 200+ joules costing about $20 is all thatr you would need for this inexpensive machine, and I have not found that a Pentium or WinXP woul be any more or less subject to a "fry" than any other when the electricity goes kapok. (I have battery backup on two of my more expensive machines.)

Restore disk...well, don't almost all recent computers even those costing more than $1000 now come with a "Restore Disk".

Rid of software with "phone home"? Not necessarily on the Emachine any more than any other computer, and if on it is very easy to get rid of (Ad-Aware).
Virus Protection...yes, I like to use the Nortons Systems Works, the free AVG works good.

RAM...hey....very few machines this inexpensive comes with 256MB of RAM and 80GB of hard drive space and WinXP. Win XP handles 256MB RAM which is suggested and drives everything including just about all high powered games. Adding another 256MB is gravy and not very expensive that can be easily done by just about anyone. (continued)

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Continued
Nov 27, 2003 1:22PM PST

We bought a Emachine for the wife about a year & half ago. It is a 766MHz with 128MB RAM, 20GB hard drive, integrated graphics & sound with WinME. Paid $495. It does everything she requires on the internet/email and will also play just about all games. So far nothing has broken or even required a call to anyone. I upped the RAM to 196MB just for the heck of it.

Still say, for the price, that 'sale' tomorrow can't be beat...regardless..

I have and can affor a mo better computer with high powered graphics/sound cards and the frills. Wink

JR
PS..Ate too much of the thawed turkey & stuff Diane....ugh need some rollaids...baking soda.

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Err...2000+joules (correction) (NT)
Nov 27, 2003 1:30PM PST

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Re:Re:One caution on that
Nov 27, 2003 2:29PM PST

I agree it's still a great buy, John.

The restore disks on the Emachine are pretty good, but the OS is included on them. Given my preference, I prefer to have the full version of the OS on a separate, licensed disk, and the drivers and other programs on a different disk so I can upgrade from it later on. That OS alone, though, would be worth more than the cost of the machine in this instance. Again, for the price. . . it's great!

I think you misunderstood me on the spyware stuff. It is the Best Buy stuff, not Emachines, that I object to. They tie you right into their sales programs and most programs like AdAware treat them as the spyware they act like and will give you the option of nuking them.

Hope you are right on the 1 year warranty on the Emachines. I remember thinking it was a really, really short warranty when I purchased the one I have. For some reason, I usually lose the sound and have to do replacements after upgrades and new drivers fail. I figured the cost of the warranty from Best Buy, where they take care of it in your home or in the store, was worth it. Other people may feel differently.

I don't bother with warranties on ones I'm going to swap out and enhance on my own. However, where as with this Emachine, I will end up leaving it as is, I use the warranty.

I haven't used anything less than 512 in well over a year now. The machine I have set up for the forums has 1 gb rather than 512, and has four 120 gb harddrives set up with RAID and mirroring. It's just another personal preference to upgrade the memory, and it may not be necessary depending on what you load your machine with and what you use it for.

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Extended Replacement Warranties
Nov 28, 2003 4:49PM PST

for Computers and Microwaves are a good idea. If you are going to buy double on anything make sure to get the exact same model, then one replacement warranty will suffice for both. We do that one on VCR's, always buy them double with a single warranty. They can't tell which one the warranty goes to, so it serves for both.

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NT-Just remember the toilet paper bargain, lolol.....j/k
Nov 27, 2003 8:22AM PST

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Desire to add another 256MB to that cheapo PC...plop on down to
Nov 28, 2003 12:41AM PST

Office Max and get a Kingston 256MB DDR RAM stick for free after rebates (today and Saturday only). Course' as Diane mentions, need to check if self install defeats warranty on PC.

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Good deal! Another deal at Office Depot
Nov 28, 2003 1:05AM PST

If you turn in a used printer cartridge, you get a free package (500 sheets) of printer paper. One per day though.

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Re:Good deal! Another deal at Office Depot
Nov 28, 2003 2:50PM PST

Thanks Diane, think I have a cartridge laying around to cash in.

I'm also going to pick up a Norton SystemWorks 2004 at OM tomorrow which will be free after rebates. Since purchasing my first one on sale for $29.95 in 1999 I get a new one free each year by just waiting for the sales then using their $30 upgrade mail-in rebate (need to show proof of previous purchase) and the regular $40 rebate (this time). Also save by not having to renew for $$ the Nortons antivirus (difinitions downloads) each year.

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Wish I'd known that last week.
Nov 28, 2003 4:52PM PST

I tossed a black HP 15 cartridge just to get it out of my way. I had thought of refilling it, but wasn't in the mood to get some more ink and mess with it at the time.

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Re:Wow! Emachines for $200, with monitor $300 in the
Nov 28, 2003 7:47PM PST

What is the brand of the HDD? What is the brand of the monitor? What is the brand of the RAM? It sounds good, but one has to be aware that if they can put together a machine like that for that price the quality may not be what's expected... They still make profit out of it. Just a 17" flat screen monitor (which is only good for text, professional graphics sucks on those) is about $400 normally if you want something good. IMHO it is a way to buy a computer that you don't care about and that fulfill your desires for a year or two. But quality wise, it's impossible that it is comparable to the "real stuff"! Just my 2 cents.

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Well, Charlie
Nov 29, 2003 2:41AM PST

it is the best low cost computer that I have seen for the price. No other can come close in price except Wal-Mart and would need to get one there without a OS. Kinda think of your kid or wife wanting a 1st computer. So what of the brand of HDD, RAM, Monitor. A new DVD ROM or CDRW can now be purchased for $20 after rebates. A PCI 56K V.92 modum free or$5. RAM free after rebates. Desktop Network PCI Card free. Monitor...well the emachine that came with my wife's is a Samtron made by Samsung. Nothing on her PC has given any trouble and it is used heavily. Course the OS is ME and people know about that (we have it under control), but on latest emachines it is WinXP. Profit...very little or probably a loss on this as it is a 'promotion'. I would imagine the Emachines would make a little profit on their volume sales with their regular low price...or go belly up. They have been in business quite a few years.

Charlie, we are talking about "throw away" to some people. Now if you want a much better computer at a great price look at a older post I made:
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6122-0.html?forumID=44&threadID=3060&messageID=36852

To update that Dell site: (Continued)

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Continued..
Nov 29, 2003 2:48AM PST

(Cont'd....To update that Dell site:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=19&oc=D46RS&m_1=GP265H&m_11=WHXP&m_116=48CDR2P&kc=6V475&c=us&l=en&s=dhs

Ok, so just upgrade:

Add:
$20 more for 80GB HDD (7200RPM)
$20 more for 3.5 Floppy Drive
$60 more for GeForce 128MB FX5200 Graphics Card
$20 more for Sound Blaster Live 5.1 (D) Card with Dolby digital 5.1 capability
$10 more for stereo speakers
Free 48xCD-RW

After $150 rebate the cost with above additions is $749 (17" monitor included).

Dell changes their 'setup' prices and free giveaways almost every week.

So, you don't like Dell, then get something else that cost more. Happy)

JR

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Sale off, now $170 higher. The $819.97 retail price for
Nov 30, 2003 12:12AM PST

the above described emachine with monitor, on sale for $300, is now $469.97 after Best Buy $150 mail in rebate and other rebates.

Next good buy for computers (after rebates) will be Memorial Day weekend in May. That's when I bought my last "good price" puter (May 2002 & not a emachine).

JR