Aqua-Soft ForumsAre they any good for basic applications? By this I mean running basic programs and not games and such. I am being told by members of my forum that I would be better off investing the money on new PC parts and building a new PC around an AMD Athlon XP 3200+.
Emac
The eMac is a pretty good buy. It is the cheapest G4 system in Apple's line. They also just cut the prices, so you can get an eMac with a SuperDrive (which can burn/read DVD's and CD's) for just over $1000. That still leaves you cash to upgrade the RAM and HD.
On the con side, they are big and heavy, and used to have issues with the display crapping out (which I think has been fixed since- I believe only Rev. A or B eMacs had this issue). I know some other members here have bought eMac's; they would be able to answer questions better.
All in all, I think it'd be a solid buy and a great investment. Just make sure you have the deskspace.
-godpunk
That big you say? Also is ATI Radeon 7500 the best you can get with an eMac or can you upgrade that to something else?
It looks like the Radeon 7500 is the only card they offer on the eMac. While it's not a 9200, it is a good card; my iBook has the exact smae one. The only reason that I could see this maybe being a concern is if you are a heavy gamer who plays GPU intensive games- but even then, I think the 7500 should be able to handle it very well, if not flawlessly.
Also, here are the size and weight specs on the eMac from Apple:
Size and weight:
Height: 15.8 inches (40.6cm)
Width: 15.8 inches (40.6cm)
Depth: 17.1 inches (43.3cm)
Weight: 50 pounds (22.7kg)
I took a deeper look into the eMac, and I think I can confidently say that if portability is not an issue, and you have the desk space, go for it. It's a great system that should be able to handle anything you throw at it- it's no G5, but it's ain't a Pentium II either. If my iBook can handle the loads I throw at it on just a G3, then you should have no problem. The value is amazing...for just $1099 US, you get:
-A G4 Processor
-An 80 GB hard drive
-A CD/DVD Burner
-256 MB Base RAM, expandable to 1 GB (BTW, if you want to expand your RAM, buy it somewhere other than Apple; they overcharge)
-Flat Screen CRT, 17"
-2 Firewire ports, 5 USB Ports (counting the 2 on the keyboard)
I say go for it! (Y)
-godpunk
that graphics card probably costs about $30 for a pc
don't buy that computer if you are a gamer is my advice
But then again, why would you buy a Mac if your a gamer? There are only a selected few that are ported to the Mac. Maybe you mean don't buy an eMac if your a graphic designer?
well no, but if you were thinking you'd be able to play the few mac games that will come along, i'd say that was a little optimisitic.
(Unless they seriously dumb down the graphics for mac games)
i think the emac is a powerful machine, especially since you get a 1GHz G4 and a superdrive...the only thing is that it is a HEAVY beast! my friend has one, and it is a pain moving it in and out of the dorm, but its only that and the keyboard and mouse....
however, i noticed that her display is a little crooked, but its an older machine, she bought the summer of 2002 (so its only a 700Mhz G4), but besides the crooked display its does what she needs.
Originally posted by wizard@Oct 28 2003, 03:27 PMMaybe you mean don't buy an eMac if your a graphic designer?
I meant exactly what I said. 
Even if he was a graphic designer, I'd recommend the eMac. I'm a graphic artist, and I'm getting by great on a G3- there's no reason a G4 wouldn't be able to handle the load.
-godpunk
let me make some tune ups to lots of inproper use of descriptions in here:
- First of all, the eMac as mentioned is heavey like a shell, (my iMac that is 15" size screen is a nice piece of weight), however it isnt bigger than my 19" monitor I have on my pc. Its an exaggeration to say Originally posted by godpunk+-->QUOTE(godpunk)make sure you have the deskspace.. Its all-in-one great PPC G4 that is still a lot more convenient than a pc system (space wise).
- the Radeon 7500 that you get doesnt necessaraly mean it will be ridiculously slow, since its based on a 100% different operating system and way of data transfer. I dont even mean to say it will be just "ok" cause in fact I saw iBooks, slower than godpunk's one, running UT2003 and it was FLAWLESS (trust me, I got a nice card and a nice sys on mah PC). I can blindly assure you it WONT let you down with a G4 1 ghz system. The main flaw isnt the computer itself, but the small market of games compared to the loaded shelves you get for the pc.
-
I wish, by all means, to "only" have 700mhz G4.Originally posted by sakasune@
she bought the summer of 2002 (so its only a 700Mhz G4), but besides the crooked display its does what she needs.
Some people have small or awkward desks, Goku. :smartass:
I wasn't saying that the eMac is a boulder, I was just saying that some people may not have a big enough desk (like those at college). My 17" monitor, which is about the same size as an eMac, can't fit on my dorm room desk. Thanks college. <_<
-godpunk
you still rule though gp :bow:
Well see, I do like a game or two occasionally... but let’s be honest. I can run Halo just fine on my current box and have run the HL2 *cough* *hack* demo equally and as easily. I plan on dumping this box in another room once I get something new but I will consider it strictly a game machine. I want something that can run Photoshop well and fast. The problem with Linux is that I can not use Office or PhotoShop. I have read as much as possible on Darwin and have considered using it (despite it being Unix and not Linux) but I can not, for the life of me, find any screen captures of what it looks like or what GUI it uses. My only alternatives are a Mac or wait for Longhorn.
Looking at the student discount page of the Apple site I have noticed I could max out an eMac for about $1100.00 but even then I don’t think I would need that many resources.
Originally posted by Goku+Oct 28 2003, 06:03 PM-->QUOTE(Goku @ Oct 28 2003, 06:03 PM)[*]
Originally posted by sakasune+Oct 28 2003, 05:35 PM-->QUOTE(sakasune @ Oct 28 2003, 05:35 PM)Originally posted by Goku@Oct 28 2003, 06:03 PM[*]
Oh yes, let's all believe Apple's benchmarks. 
Can someone say: "reality distortion field".
Remember Apple and their bib "gigaflop" campaign? What a flop that was (PUN).
So can someone show me some real world numbers then? 
Macs, PC's.....they are both more than adequate in terms of speed. I can't tell you how many friends I have that will plunk down dollar after dollar on faster processors yet they still don't know how to type in which case I recommend mixing in a bit of Mavis Beacon if you catch my drift. 
Personally, I look for an OS that's intuitive and stable and runs the software I want to run.
Just my 2 cents.....
How come its so easy to release comparisons that lead to completely opposite conclusions?
I keep seeing reviews of mac vs pc. that completely contradict each other. Seems kindof ridiculous.
And if skinnylegs is right than price is all that matters(if you think os's aren't dif. enough to change platforms or dif. enought to warrant alot of cash, which i do).
Originally posted by [LOFskinnylegs,Oct 29 2003, 03:57 AM] Personally, I look for an OS that's intuitive and stable and runs the software I want to run.
I hear you. All I need is something that will run PhotoShop CS, Apache 2, PHP and mySQL and run them well. Linux (RedHat) will run all except PhotoShop without a hitch. Windows XP Pro will run them all... but rather poorly and I refuse to use IIS. Mac OSX I believe will run them the best, but do not know what to buy to get me to where I want to be.
>.<