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SeSawaya · Apr 4, 2003, 12:42 PM

Really thinking about buying an emac but I'll have to wait till the next "bump". (4x dvd???)
I would much rather have an imac but I need DVD burning capabilities and the iMac is just too expensive for my small wallet.

Dose anyone have anything good to say about the emac/imac choice? OR should I really try to save up for the iMac?

thanks in advance

gumby5647 · Apr 4, 2003, 02:16 PM

i think you'd be happier with the iMac. just a thought though....

mathew_m · Apr 4, 2003, 07:41 PM

Unless you're really straped for cash or live in fear of receiving an lcd with dead pixels, I would save up the 500 bucks and get the 17" iMac. The current model is by far the best bang for you buck Mac out there.

Zoom_zoom · Apr 4, 2003, 07:41 PM

i was in the same position as you SeSawaya about two months ago, I switched from PC to mac and i wasn't sure to go either the emac or the imac,

I ended saving more and going the imac and haven't looked back , but i hear that the emac is still a great computer!

I couldn't be bothered waiting if the emac got updated.

My suggestion is for you to go to a apple store and have a play around with both machines and see what you prefer!

SeSawaya · Apr 4, 2003, 09:22 PM

well yah, I REALLY want an 17"iMac, but I'm not sure if I can justify the diffrence in price right now. If I get the imac, it will be for function and looks, the emac, just for function (& it will probably be hidden!!!)

gumby5647 · Apr 4, 2003, 10:21 PM

actually the iMac will be faster than the eMac.

Faster CPU
Faster System Bus
Faster DVD burner (4x)
Faster Graphics Card

the iMac will hold it's value longer than the eMac will.

mathew_m · Apr 5, 2003, 10:26 AM

Trust me, if you really want the imac then you will probably not be satisfied with the emac. Everytime you pass an iMac you'll have buyer's remorse. Also since you do video editing (right?) the widescreen alone is worth the price.

With that said, one of the somewhat misleading things about the iMac is that it takes up less desk space. It does sort of depending on which angle you have the display set at. I have found with the exception of watching a dvd full screen that I prefer the screen positioned around eye level which means that it takes up about 18" of desk space. Less than an emac but much more than your average lcd display.

Agent69 · Apr 5, 2003, 12:17 PM

I just ordered a new eMac because I don't want to spend a lot of money right now, especially with the CPU change looming large over everything. I also dislike LCD screens, so the eMac was the best choice for me. Once I get it, I plan to boost it up to 1GB of RAM. I will only be using the eMac for:

1. Internet browsing
2. Email
3. Listing to MP3s
4. Mame (if it runs well.)

wilsonX · 02:44 PM

I have a powermac G4 733mhz superdrive (dvd-r, dvd-rw, cd-r, cd-rw) for sale. It has a better video card, faster system bus, a bigger hard drive, and etc. check your email for more spec's.

http://homepage.mac.com/tmahaffey/PhotoAlbum4.html

Jasoco · Apr 12, 2003, 04:37 AM

I bought my iMac G4 back last May when the eMac was still Edu-only.

Before I finally bought it, I went from wanting a new PowerMac ot wanting an iBook to a used TiBook and then iMac. I went back and forth for months not knowing what to get. I actually wanted the eMac in the end, but had to "settle" on the iMac since the eMac was never gonna be available to normal people.

A month later, the eMac became available to normal people. Go figure.

If I had the chance at the time, I would have gone eMac because of the larger resolution.

But if I had the chance now, I would keep my iMac because I've grom to love the elegance and shape. And the scren moves so gracefully I use it all the time.

(I was this close to getting iBook but the recent announcement that Jaguar liked G4's better and QE wouldn't work on the iBooks made me change my mind.)

slider · Apr 12, 2003, 11:56 AM

I hear what you're saying about cost. I would definately wait until the eMac gets some kind of a bump. I think it's a great machine, but I would really like to see something a little better in the GPU area before I recommend it to people. I do perfer the iMac, but get what you can afford. The Edu price is something, I hope Apple keeps pushing down the price and brings it to consumers soon. $400 can be a huge differece for some.

ymerej123 · Apr 12, 2003, 11:10 PM

I received a nice fat rebate check from Uncle Sam for my taxes so I decided to use it (and only THAT money) to buy a new computer. I decided to go with a refurbished eMac to fit the budget and could not be happier!!! I got it for $850, it shipped with 256 meg RAM (dont tell Apple, it was only suppose to come with 128. . . ) bought a 512 DIMM to boost it to 768 and it runs like a dream. I probably could have waited 4 months to see if a CPU boost came, but the deal with too good. I use it for some gaming, word-processing for grad school, internet surfing (AirPort is the best thing in the world, btw), some Photoshop/Illustrator work, iTunes (another SMASHING program) so for what I do and what I paid, its a DREAM!! I guess I'd look at what you want to do with the Mac now and down the road and see if the purchase NOW will match BOTH.

-from the happiest eMac owner ever

Agent69 · Apr 13, 2003, 08:53 AM

Originally posted by ymerej123:
-from the happiest eMac owner ever

Make that the second happiest!

Seriously, my eMac runs pretty good too. I got the EDU eMac for $779.00 and dumped 1GB of RAM into it. It's not the fastest Mac ever but I am happy with it.

neilxu · Apr 14, 2003, 11:36 AM

Originally posted by Agent69:
Make that the second happiest!

Seriously, my eMac runs pretty good too. I got the EDU eMac for $779.00 and dumped 1GB of RAM into it. It's not the fastest Mac ever but I am happy with it.

what about the noise? I was told it's loud.

Jasoco · Apr 14, 2003, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by neilxu:
what about the noise? I was told it's loud.

I don't recall the eMac's being loud..

Agent69 · Apr 14, 2003, 05:06 PM

It's not very loud but it is louder then I expected it to be. It is probably cooled by a very small fan.

pliny · 08:43 AM

ThinkSecret is reporting 1ghz emacs to be announced. They say three new models, the lowest prcied at maybe under $799.

800MHz PowerPC G4
CD-ROM drive
256K L2 Cache @ 800MHz
128MB SDRAM memory
40GB Ultra ATA drive
ATI Radeon 7500
32MB DDR video memory
FireWire 400 and USB
VGA/S-video/composite outputs
Built-in 56K v.92 modem
AirPort Extreme Ready

1GHz PowerPC G4
Combo drive
256K L2 Cache @ 1GHz
128MB of SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA drive
ATI Radeon 7500
32MB DDR video memory
FireWire 400 and USB
VGA/S-video/composite outputs
Built-in 56K v.92 modem
AirPort Extreme Ready

1GHz PowerPC G4
SuperDrive
256K L2 Cache @ 1GHz
256MB of SDRAM
80GB Ultra ATA drive
ATI Radeon 7500
32MB DDR video memory
FireWire 400 and USB
VGA/S-video/composite outputs
Built-in 56K v.92 modem
AirPort Extreme Ready

I like the s-video/composite on all, though not that a special "Apple adapter" is required.

These new emacs will be pretty good machines.

Edit: the report says ATI 7500 card, but then says only 32 mgs of video memory. The ATI 7500 has 64 mgs of video memory. I wonder which it will be? If it's 64 that will be sweeeeet.

neilxu · Apr 15, 2003, 08:26 AM

I saw this..... great! A superdrive eMac about $1000 (edu price)

Agent69 · Apr 15, 2003, 02:50 PM

Originally posted by neilxu:
I saw this..... great! A superdrive eMac about $1000 (edu price)

That is cool. I guess I should be mad but I am pretty happy with my computer and it will continue to be useful for some time.

Personally, I will be surprised if it comes with a Radeon and not a nVidia chipset, since the eMac has been using the same motherboards as the FP iMacs. Hopefully it is true, since I don't care that much for nVidia.