eMachines Reviewer's Comments
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Our “TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award” winner is perfect for basic computing, like perusing the Internet, archiving family photos and managing your personal finances. The eMachine T5048 starts out at under $400 yet is equipped to manage your images and music.
eMachine, owned by Gateway, Inc, specializes in economical configurations that can perform to the level needed to support popular applications and this system is an excellent example of this scenario. This model comes with a Pentium 4 processor with Hyper Threading, so if you have been barely getting by with your P3, this would be a good upgrade for you.
This system comes with the Windows Media Center as well as a disc burner and a 9–in–1 media card reader. It also comes loaded with Microsoft Works and Money and PowerDVD and Power2Go.
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Processor:
This eMachine comes with an Intel Pentium 4 524 processor with HT Technology. This is not the newest or the greatest, but will run the basics and if you have been limping along on a Pentium III or a 4 without HT, you will notice improved performance with this computer compared to what you are used to.
Memory:
The T5048 comes with a 160 GB hard drive and 512GB of RAM, which is expandable. This is enough RAM for most people, but keep in mind that 1 GB would be much better and many suggest 2GB if you plan to run Vista in the future.
Video/Audio:
The T5049’s ATI Radeon Xpress 200 will get you by, but is not for gaming. It will perform basic functions and it is configured for 5.1 surround sound.
I/O Devices:
This model comes with a 16x multi format dual–layer DVD-RW and a 9–in–1 digital media card reader, which is better than most economy PCs. It also has 5 USBs, a VGA external connector as well a parallel and serial port and 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in back). However, it does not have a FireWire port, so if you need this option you will want to consider another system.
Price/Value:
eMachines is about affordable prices for average users and this model slides in at under $400. For the functionality you get, this is a fair price.
Support/Warranty:
With this system you get a one–year parts and labor warranty and you can contact customer support by telephone, email or chat. On their website they post tutorials, FAQs, a glossary and computer related courses.
Summary:
This is an affordable and functional system; it can perform basic functions like accessing the Internet, checking email and running simple programs easily. It also has the hardware to burn DVDs and upload digital photos. It would be a good computer choice for basic home computing or student use.
Upgrades to Consider:
Unfortunately, this system comes as is and eMachines cannot be customized. However, they do offer a T5212 model that offers a better processor and more RAM for $515.99.
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