Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > At long, long last, I will have an eMac.

At long, long last, I will have an eMac.
Thread Tools
megasad
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 10:35 AM
 
At long, long last, the stars have aligned themselves, I am happy with what is out there, and I have finally ordered my new machine. Been waiting since November last year... At long fecking last!
Code:
- eMac, Combo Drive, 512MB RAM, 160GB HD, Bluetooth � 699.37 - AirPort Extreme Card � 72.85 - eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand � 34.08 - 512MB PC2700 DDR333 184-pin Crucial RAM � 73.66 - Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200rpm hard drive � 77.60 (inc. �4.22 P&P) - 3.5" Firewire/1394 Hard Drive Enclosure � 45.03 (inc. �5.95 P&P) - Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical � 11.66 ======== �1014.25
I used the education discount (since my student ID card doesn't run out until July) to save �54.29. Ordering the AirPort card separately (as opposed to built-in) saved me a further �1.41 for some reason...

Without the stand, the eMac is like a boulder on your desk. With the stand, the whole thing can be moved around effortlessly. Good stand.

Changing the built in RAM from 256MB to 512MB cost �47. The cheapest stick of RAM I could find was ~�66 from eBuyer. 256MB sticks are going for about �25 on eBay. So, though I could have saved ~�6 by getting the base amount of RAM, selling the 256MB and then buying one of those cheap 512MB sticks, I decided not to. Too much hassle, and potentially wonky RAM.

5% off the Crucial 512MB stick by using the coupon code BBUKWEBPROMO. Again, could have saved ~�8 by buying the cheaper RAM, but figured I'd buy Crucial since I've used them before and not been disappointed.

The hard drive goes in the external enclosure and then everything is backed up on to it. The 8MB cache version of the drive was only ~�6 more, but had a waiting time of five days. I want gratification that is as close to instant as possible, dagnammit. I already have the same enclosure with a 60GB drive in it, and whilst it makes fan noise, I will only be using it for an hour or so a week, to do the actual backing up. It is tiny.

And the mouse because my Logitech one is a little too small for my liking.

I also have a white Apple Pro Keyboard that I'll probably sell at some point, depending on how much I like the new one.

The item that will take longest to arrive is the eMac itself, "2 - 3 weeks" being the amount of time it takes to put in the Bluetooth module, and change the RAM and hard drive, it would seem. So, I await 3rd May with glee.

Hurry up, 3rd May!

[EDIT - Or, according to the order tracking page, hurry up, 10th May!]
( Last edited by megasad; Apr 17, 2004 at 04:06 PM. )
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 10:48 AM
 
Excellent. I hope to be joining you soon in purchase of a new eMac within the next 4-6 weeks. Mine will be:
Superdrive
160 gb drive
Internal bluetooth
At least 512mb (via the $75 apple upgrade). If it is discovered that the eMac will actually recognize 1gb PC 2700 I will stick with the stock 256 and add a 1gb stick, leaving room for future growth (by replacing the 256) if its ever necessary. Otherwise I'll probably just upgrade to 2 512 sticks via Apple BTO (since its just as cheap as the tossing the 256 and then buying 2 3rd party 512s).

I already have an 80gb Seagate, external firewire case, and wireless (RF, not bluetooth) optical mouse. Be prepared for tons of questions from me an others when yours arrives. (Hint: download Xbench )
     
spookykids
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 03:49 PM
 
wow! you went for the whole 10 yards and got a loaded emac!!

good for you. im sure youll enjoy the emac to death
"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
--Emiliano Zapata
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 04:05 PM
 
Originally posted by spookykids:
wow! you went for the whole 10 yards and got a loaded emac!!

good for you. im sure youll enjoy the emac to death
Aw yeah. Since my iBook exploded, I've been using an iMac DV+ (450MHz G3), with only 192MB RAM. This is going to be one sweet upgrade.

On a height related matter; anyone know how much the tilt stand adds to the eMacs existing 15.8"? I've got a shelf on my desk and I'd like to know if I need to move it up a bit or not.
( Last edited by megasad; Apr 18, 2004 at 06:39 AM. )
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
tRr
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Toronto
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 04:55 PM
 
Congratulations!

Hopefully I'll be getting one soon as well...
     
ChasingApple
Senior User
Join Date: Mar 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 05:19 PM
 
Those are sweet new eMacs! Had that been out a few months ago when I got my iMac I might have got it instead. More bang for the buck, just a CRT downgrade.
iMac G4 / Macbook
     
Lateralus
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Arizona
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 10:19 PM
 
Your eMac is going to kick ass.

Congratulations!
I like chicken
I like liver
Meow Mix, Meow Mix
Please de-liv-er
     
Link
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Hyrule
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 17, 2004, 10:59 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
Aw yeah. Since my iBook exploded, I've been using an iMac DV+ (450MHz G3), with only 196MB RAM. This is going to be one sweet upgrade.

On a height related matter; anyone know how much the tilt stand adds to the eMacs existing 15.8"? I've got a shelf on my desk and I'd like to know if I need to move it up a bit or not.
Your iBook exploded?

Congrats on the eMac though! AFAIK the tilt stand will probably add about 3 inches to the eMac, maybe 4.. dunno about that

Anyway um.. make sure to show us picts! A friend of mine is going to be getting an emac sometime soon but I'd love to give him a reason to hurry
Aloha
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 21, 2004, 02:01 AM
 
Originally posted by megasad:

The item that will take longest to arrive is the eMac itself, "2 - 3 weeks" being the amount of time it takes to put in the Bluetooth module, and change the RAM and hard drive, it would seem. So, I await 3rd May with glee.
Just an FYI. I went back to the US Apple Store and where it was formerly saying "5-7 days" for the standard SD config and "2-3 weeks" for a BTO, it is now saying "1-2 days" and "3-5 days" respectively. WOW !!! Perhaps they were overly cautious at first ... looks like they'll be shipping 'em out post haste. Maybe you'll get yours REALLY soon.

As for me, the next empty credit card that rolls around will be purchasing a new eMac as well (my Discover card, I think .. has a due billing date of the 26th, therefore I will purchase on the 27th or soon after so I have 2 months before I have to pay it off in full to avoid interest). I've settled on my final config: US $999 for SD eMac + $100 for 160gb drive + $75 for upgrade to a single 512 stick +$50 for internal BT = $1224. I found a couple of ram sites that are already claiming that the eMac will accept 1gb PC2700, so I plan to buy one from 4allmemory for a mere $219. So my final config will cost $1446 for 1.5 GB of ram and otherwise maxxed out specs. The 1.5gb is probably overkill for me right now (I estimate really needing about 768mb and 1gb wouldn't be too much -- but I'd just as soon be done with it and have enough ram to see me thru the life of the machine). I know the speed won't be that impressive for the G5 crowd, but it will absolutely thrash my current config (G3/450/384mb/80gb iMac DV+) and drop right in with my iSub and other peripherals/desk layout. Can't freakin' wait
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 22, 2004, 07:32 PM
 
Well, crap.

First, the good thing. On Monday, I called Apple about my order, and the person on the phone was kind enough to tell me he could save me quite a bit of money over the education website prices. Which was good.

To make said saving, I needed to cancel the existing order (for which the money had already been taken from my bank) and make a new one. Fair enough.

Now, the bad thing. Today, I lost my Switch card. So I had to cancel it, to stop the Bad people from using it to buy things I would not get to enjoy. So, I called Apple, to ask about my order, as the new amount had not yet been taken from my bank account...

It got fudged up, they don't know how, so I need to place the order again.

Except now I have no Switch card and am still out over �800 (I should be getting my money back in the next week or two).

So, I can't really place my order until I get the �800 back / get paid at the end of the month / get a new Switch card. Which means a delay of about two more weeks, so no new eMac until about May 24th.

I say again; crap.

Oh, well. Maybe they'll release shiny new G5 iMacs between now and then and I shall change my mind as what to buy.

You steenky people, with your non-custom-builded eMacs, that you have them already; you enjoy those suckas.

[EDIT - Of course, the extra 512MB RAM and FireWire enclosure have already arrived and the hard drive and mouse ship on Monday... Pah.]
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 23, 2004, 02:37 PM
 
I have no idea what the UK Apple Education Store are up to, but at 6:30pm they emailed me an Order Confirmation, saying that my updated order, the one I made on Monday, with the savings, (~�88 over retail, rather than ~�55), has been accepted and I should receive my new eMac on 10th May, as was originally expected.

Helpfully, the online tracking page lists the order as still open.

WTF?

I have no idea what's going on, as I called them and cancelled the order yesterday, and I can't check whether the money has gone out of my bank until tomorrow. If it has, I'm over �1100 in the red, which is not good, but at least it's a student account, so no interest to worry about. Just that �1250 overdraft limit that I probably don't want to go breaking...

And I can't call Apple until Monday, as their phone number is, helpfully, only open 9am-6pm, Monday-Friday.

Oh well. So long as the money gets sorted, and I get the eMac, all is good. Just a little bizarre.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
unfaded
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pitzer College, Claremont, CA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Apr 24, 2004, 06:09 AM
 
My order tracking just went up, I'm getting it Monday.

Unless I find out away to go to a FedEx place on Sunday and pick it up...maybe I'll do that
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 5, 2004, 07:31 PM
 
Originally posted by unfaded:
My order tracking just went up, I'm getting it Monday.

Unless I find out away to go to a FedEx place on Sunday and pick it up...maybe I'll do that
Mother-fudge...

Turns out my order was cancelled, due to me losing my Switch card. Even though the order was made before I reported it lost, that meant my order was cancelled. Except, not until this morning. When I called last week, they said all was fine.

So, I get the AirPort Card and Tilty Stand around 14th May, and the eMac itself around 26th May.

So damn late.

I will kick the crap out of this thread until I get my eMac, you see if I don't.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
heresiarh
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 5, 2004, 07:42 PM
 
congratulations. how heavy is the emac?
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 5, 2004, 09:14 PM
 
Originally posted by heresiarh:
congratulations. how heavy is the emac?
They weigh 50lbs. So, ~42% heavier than a DV series iMac but almost identical in size.
     
heresiarh
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 5, 2004, 09:23 PM
 
This means i can do weight training with it. hmm interesting.
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 7, 2004, 09:27 AM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
I will kick the crap out of this thread until I get my eMac, you see if I don't.
In the interests of kicking this thread, I now tell you all that Apple say that both my eMac and all its associated accoutrements have already shipped. Which either means that "2-3 weeks" is a huge overstatement, or that they just realised that they'd already built the eMac I wanted, since I ordered it ages ago, and sent me that one.

I get new stuff on Monday? Hoo-ha!
( Last edited by megasad; May 7, 2004 at 02:51 PM. )
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 7, 2004, 12:40 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
In the interests of kicking this thead, I now tell you all that Apple say that both my eMac and all its associated accoutrements have already shipped. Which either means that "2-3 weeks" is a huge understatement, or that they just realised that they'd already built the eMac I wanted, since I ordered it ages ago, and sent me that one.

I get new stuff on Monday? Hoo-ha!
Excellent !! How's about X-benching for us when you get 'er up and running. I plan to order mine over the weekend or Monday. Giving the estimated wait at the Apple Store and shipping, I expect to have it by the 16th-20th of May. JOY !!!
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 7, 2004, 02:49 PM
 
Originally posted by Krusty:
Excellent !! How's about X-benching for us when you get 'er up and running. I plan to order mine over the weekend or Monday. Giving the estimated wait at the Apple Store and shipping, I expect to have it by the 16th-20th of May. JOY !!!
Hokey doke, I shall do the Xbench thing. I assume it's a simple application that I open and then it spits information at me? Shall I try it with both 512MB and 1GB? Will the extra RAM make a difference?
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
discotronic
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Richmond,Va
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 7, 2004, 02:56 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
Hokey doke, I shall do the Xbench thing. I assume it's a simple application that I open and then it spits information at me? Shall I try it with both 512MB and 1GB? Will the extra RAM make a difference?
Doing it with both 512MB and 1GB would be great. The extra RAM should make a difference.

The app is easy to use. Just make sure it is the only thing running and click start.
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 7, 2004, 06:04 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
Hokey doke, I shall do the Xbench thing. I assume it's a simple application that I open and then it spits information at me? Shall I try it with both 512MB and 1GB? Will the extra RAM make a difference?
Piece of cake to use Xbench -- just click start and it runs thru various CPU/Graphics/Disk Tests.
     
heresiarh
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 7, 2004, 08:14 PM
 
interesting.
     
miloszwl
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Poland
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 8, 2004, 05:56 PM
 
i work on 1st generation eMac and iMac LCD 15" and i am really happy about them.

However, G5 would be nicer
     
heresiarh
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 8, 2004, 07:52 PM
 
What kind of work do you do? I've noticed most of Photoshop work is just fine on iMacs.
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 9, 2004, 12:47 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
I get new stuff on Monday? Hoo-ha!
Looks like I'll almost certainly be getting my eMac tomorrow, Monday 10th May, as the Shipment Status page says "Shipment Picked Up" from "EINDHOVEN, NB, NL" on "07 May 2004 21:27" and "Arrive Terminal" at "LONDON, GL, GB" on "09 May 2004 09:52". I live in London? Yay!

The Tilty Stand and AirPort card, however, though I am told they shipped on 7th May, there is no more detail than that. So I'll probably get them after the eMac, which is a little silly, but okay, as I probably won't have a chance to play with the eMac properly for a couple of weekends yet anyway. They get delivered to my place of work, so hopefully before Friday, as I'm off to Chester for a three day weekend.

A new Mac turning up in the post will be a first for me, having bought my iBook with real paper money (�1300 in �20s and �10s is a lot of paper money) from John Lewis back in September 2001. Yay for big parcels full of tech goodness.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
Will C
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 10, 2004, 08:04 AM
 
'At long, long last, I will have an eMac' - and so will I!

Just placed the order - first time I have used the Apple store - usually I buy from John Lewis because their prices are the same and they give a 2 year warranty. JL said they would not have the 1.25GHz model until late May and so impatience got the better of me. I then also found out my emplyer has a special deal with Apple where staff get 5% discount, so it was like getting a free tilt and swivel stand with the Superdive model.

I chose not to get any BTO options since I can buy 1GB of RAM cheaper and sell the 256MB module (and I'm also impatient)

I'll probably upgrade the HD if I find it is too small or slow with one with a bigger cache - seems people round here like Seagates at the moment.

Anyone interested in an iMac DV400 in a couple of weeks?............
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 10, 2004, 10:05 AM
 
I just placed my order as well (5 minutes ago). Also first time purchasing direct from the Apple Store (outrageous shipping costs from most places make going ahead and just paying the sales tax worth it for Apple's free shipping).

I did BTO since it said estimated 1-3 days to build it. I got:
Superdrive
160gb HD
512mb. Only US $75 more .. I'll add another 512 from crucial.com for $105 later for a total cost of $180 to upgrade to 1gb which is cheaper than I've been able to find 2x512 anywhere else.
Internal Bluetooth.

Like Will C, my iMac DV+ 450/384mb will be for sale to whomever might want it after I get everything transferred to the new machine. I've had 2 different DV series iMacs over the last 4.5 years, this will be my first real upgrade in that long
     
heresiarh
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 10, 2004, 12:41 PM
 
Originally posted by Krusty:
I just placed my order as well (5 minutes ago). Also first time purchasing direct from the Apple Store (outrageous shipping costs from most places make going ahead and just paying the sales tax worth it for Apple's free shipping).

I did BTO since it said estimated 1-3 days to build it. I got:
Superdrive
160gb HD
512mb. Only US $75 more .. I'll add another 512 from crucial.com for $105 later for a total cost of $180 to upgrade to 1gb which is cheaper than I've been able to find 2x512 anywhere else.
Internal Bluetooth.

Like Will C, my iMac DV+ 450/384mb will be for sale to whomever might want it after I get everything transferred to the new machine. I've had 2 different DV series iMacs over the last 4.5 years, this will be my first real upgrade in that long
You won't be disappointed with the upgrade. I noticed that you have stayed a loyal customer of imacs.
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 10, 2004, 10:10 PM
 
Originally posted by heresiarh:
You won't be disappointed with the upgrade. I noticed that you have stayed a loyal customer of imacs.
Well ... I *hope* I'm not disappointed (though I will surely poke and prod it to make sure everything is perfect when I finally get it). My loyalty to iMac/eMac line is pretty simple ... I just can't justify to money for a G5 tower. 3x the cost + monitor is simply not worth the speed bump for me since I'm not using it to make money. You seem to have inquired a bit in this thread about the eMacs. Is a purchase on your horizon ??

How 'bout you, Megasad? Did you're eMac make it today ??
     
miloszwl
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Poland
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 11, 2004, 02:37 PM
 
i do all kind of jobs from designing icons, dtp and even playing with 3d. it works great but like i said g5 would make it even faster. i have 384 MB of RAM.
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 11, 2004, 05:02 PM
 
Originally posted by Krusty:
How 'bout you, Megasad? Did you're eMac make it today ??
It arrived yesterday, but unfortunately I have not had a chance to play with it yet, nor will I until 21st May. However, as soon as I have, I shall post things about it.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
Will C
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 14, 2004, 05:34 AM
 
Mine has just arrived! - ordered on 10th, shipped on 11th, TNT tried delivering yesterday (13th) but I was out (arrgh) but now it is here!

(Must grow up and get out more often.....)
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 14, 2004, 07:53 AM
 
Originally posted by Will C:
Mine has just arrived! - ordered on 10th, shipped on 11th, TNT tried delivering yesterday (13th) but I was out (arrgh) but now it is here!
D@mn !! Your's came fast. Mine was BTO on 5/10 and shipped on 5/12 ... but the estimated delivery date is 5/19 . Its apparently gotta go by ground shipping all the way across the big 'ole US of A. Fortunately, I have 5/20 and 5/21 off from work so it should arrive just in time for some serious setup and play time.

BTW, for anyone interested Transintl is claiming to have 1gb RAM sticks for the new eMac and that it can be boosted to a full 2gbs.
     
Will C
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 14, 2004, 08:31 AM
 
Originally posted by Krusty:
D@mn !! Your's came fast.
Yes, I am really pleased - it's weird though, the call centre is in Cork, (Ireland) and I think it actually got shipped from the Netherlands - not sure where it was put together yet, my current iMac I think was assembled in Ireland.

Seems odd yours takes so long when Apple is a US company and all that, but I guess that's economics ruining everything again.
     
Krusty
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Always within bluetooth range
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 14, 2004, 07:38 PM
 
Originally posted by Will C:

Seems odd yours takes so long when Apple is a US company and all that, but I guess that's economics ruining everything again.
Well, it's shipping from California and I live on the East Coast ... the standard (free) shipping is via ground so I guess I can't complain too fiercely. However, in a gadget-lust filled frenzy, I just went ahead and order the 1gb stick that I linked to above. Should arrive just in time for the new machine.
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 23, 2004, 01:41 PM
 
Hoo-hah. I have finally had a chance to play with my eMac properly, get it all set up just so, and can say that I like it very much.

It is very pretty and shiny.

The machine itself is noisier than I thought it would be, much louder than my external hard drive, which I thought was pretty noisy to start with.

It is fast, so fast that I can play Grim Fandango under Windows 98 in Virtual PC. Grim Fandango is good.

Um, AirPort reception is pretty good, Bluetooth will actually be used, if only to send files like in an IM client, but with no IM client.

The keyboard was weird to start with, but now I am used to the angle and like that the dirt does not get inside and underneath it.

Now that I have got it set up just as I like it, it is as though I have the same machine I've had for the last six months, only a whole lot faster and better. The screen at 1280x960 made everything on the screen too small, so I run it at 1152x864, which gives just a little more space around the edges, but everything is still the right size.

I ran Xbench and got between 129-130, which seems to be a little slow.

I eat food and go poo.

Um, I have little to say. But eMac Spunk is nice and fast. Good eMac Spunk.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
Will C
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 23, 2004, 04:02 PM
 
Been using mine for a week or so and I'm really pleased. I can see this machine lasting me a few years (maybe famous last words) It is fast enough for the kind of video editing and and other stuff I use it for. I've used the monitor spanning hack sucessfully, so just need to get used to it - oddly I might revert back to a single monitor - time will tell.

I have yet to add some extra RAM, but I have a 1GB module coming soon which was cheaper than 2x512MB modules (�105 vs �115) and so also means I'll end up with 1.25GB - I've taken the risk that it might not work since the supplier will apparently exchange if there is a problem. I have noticed with two users logged in it struggles with only 256MB loaded.

Maybe to echo what many have already said, but I think Apple could sell the eMac without the monitor - maybe even just rebox the motherboard with HD and optical drive.
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jul 2, 2004, 07:31 AM
 
Dang...

I like eMac Spunk in nearly every way, save that annoying fan noise... If the new iMac has no fan, I shall sell the eMac and buy one. If it does have a fan, then fudge it, I shall keep this eMac for the next three years, like I planned.

Dang, I hate it when the new things are vaguely-not-even-properly-announced, and I want the new thing, even though my old new thing is already too powerful for anything that I use it for...

Want rippley Tiger goodness!
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Sep 1, 2004, 05:40 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
I like eMac Spunk in nearly every way, save that annoying fan noise... If the new iMac has no fan, I shall sell the eMac and buy one...
Right, so true to my word, I try to sell my eMac. If anyone's interested, go see here.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
megasad  (op)
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Sep 26, 2004, 06:02 PM
 
Originally posted by megasad:
I also have a white Apple Pro Keyboard that I'll probably sell at some point, depending on how much I like the new one.
Originally posted by megasad:
The keyboard was weird to start with, but now I am used to the angle and like that the dirt does not get inside and underneath it.
Hokey doke, anyone who has an old Apple Pro Keyboard, either black or white, when you sell the machine that it came with, whatever you do, don't include the Pro Keyboard. Keep it for yourself.

You're buying a new Mac, that comes with the new keyboard? You fancy one with less crumbs and pubes visible within its underside, yet impossible to reach? Include the new keyboard from your new Mac with the old one when you sell it. Use said crumb and pube infested beast forever more.

Why? I've been using the new Apple Keyboard that came with my eMac since I got it in May, putting the old Pro one back in its box. And I thought all was well. It felt a little weird to start with, but I got used to it...

However, I was tidying up today, found said old Pro keyboard, plugged it into my eMac... that's a completely different typing world right there! Because of the different angles of the keys, I'm making nowhere near as many typos as I was with the new keyboard. And the Function keys actually have gaps between them! I can tell which one is which without having to look at the keyboard! Helpful when quick-saving/loading in American McGee's Alice. And and, the light that comes on under the Caps Lock key is actually visible! I was often not realising it was on with the old keyboard. And and and, I can plug my digital camera into the keyboard without having to tilt the whole thing towards me, so that I can see where the USB cable is meant to go.

Right. So, I'm not selling eMac Spunk; realised that though I can afford a new G5 iMac, I don't actually need one. But this keyboard... It be damn fine. The End.
BayBook (13" MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD) // BayPhone (iPhone 4, 32GB, black)
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:30 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,