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krux` · Oct 28, 2003, 07:02 PM

I was wondering if there was any real downsides when you compare the eMac with a G4 Tower or iMac assuming that the 17" is fine for a display.

bradoesch · Oct 29, 2003, 02:02 PM

Skipping over the obvious (lack of internal expansion, etc.), the currently shipping G4 towers have 1 MB of level 3 cache per processor (2 MB per processor in the duals) while the eMac has none. Depending on what you're doing, you might never notice this. The towers and iMacs also use DDR SDRAM, where the eMac uses older SDRAM. Apparently the towers can't fully use DDR anyway, and people here don't generally agree on how much of a difference it makes.
If you would tell us what you need/want a computer for, it's easier for people here to answer that then to explain situations that might not affect you.

Brad

nredman · Oct 29, 2003, 06:26 PM

my eMac smokes the new G5

not..its a nice machine though

bstieritz · Nov 1, 2003, 04:00 PM

eMac ---> A fast G4 w/monitor for under a 1,000 bucks???

. . . what's left to say?

cheers,

brian

Link · Nov 3, 2003, 07:14 AM

Disadvantage? The fact it takes up the footprint of a 17" CRT and weighs 50lbs.

Otherwise, like all other macs, they're very cool

brucewayne · Nov 4, 2003, 11:59 AM

I dislike to 50lb weight, the fact that they're butt ugly, and the cd door slams shut. (It would drive me crazy). Looking at the LCD display beside the CRT, the LCD screen wins hands down.

Plus the FP is just too cool looking.

cenutrio · Nov 4, 2003, 12:42 PM

Price is not an issue

eMac special deals at Apple store starting at $699 (CD unit)

emac edu price starting at $749 (combo unit)

eMac price for developers starting at $703 (combo unit)

We just got our first eMac in our lab (we have G4 towers, many iMacs, some G3 desktops, and a couple of cubes, plus iBooks and TiPBs. Overall, the eMac is a winner in price and preformance. I like it a lot.

Luca Rescigno · Nov 4, 2003, 04:30 PM

Downsides vs. iMac:

- Not quite as fast (there is a 1.25 GHz iMac, which also uses a faster graphics card)
- Still using single data rate RAM
- Heavy
- Bland-looking. It's not butt-ugly, just very plain.
- CRT instead of an LCD. LCDs are nicer.

Advantages over the iMac:
- HUGE price advantage
- Still boots OS 9 (the Combo drive version only, if you need that)
- ATI Radeon 7500 is better than the nVidia GeForce 4MX, I think. The GeForce 4MX is on the lower-end iMac.

Basically get whichever one fits your budget best. All the iMacs and eMacs are good computers, but they get progressively better as the price increases. It's just that the price increases too quickly when moving to the iMacs.

Link · Nov 6, 2003, 02:34 AM

I thought the eMacs looked alright. Not too exciting but ok. The CD door blows that's for sure, however!

dfiler · Nov 6, 2003, 06:53 PM

Many people, myself included, like how the eMac looks. My most recent switcher absolutely loves everything about her new eMac. It takes up an incredibly small amount of desk space but is deceptively heavy. Strangely, it occupies the same room as my LCD screen once you figure in the swivel space footprint of each.

I think the difficulty of repairs and maintenance is the eMac's biggest flaw. If something fails, it is harder to swap the HD to a different machine while waiting on repairs or parts.

RedHerring · Nov 8, 2003, 11:28 AM

I recently purchased a 1Ghz eMac w/combo drive, and I love it. It's fast and seems to have more than enough power under the hood.

The screen is awesome! The CRT vs LCD is a matter of taste, as well. I personally don't like LCD screens. The first time I popped a DVD into the eMac, I was blown away at how awesome it looked. My brother and I couldn't figure it out...but there was something about the way the movie looked that was like nothing we'd ever seen before...it was almost 3D looking...if that makes sense! Haha.

I replaced an older Gateway PC with this eMac, so I *love* the way it looks on my desk compared w/what I had before. And it takes up MUCH less space than the old Gateway.

I would recommend the eMac w/o any reservations at all.

Oh yeah...I'm a recent switcher...and proud to now call myself a Mac user!

Luca Rescigno · Nov 8, 2003, 12:34 PM

Can anyone who has a 1 GHz Combo eMac that shipped with a 40 GB hard drive, please post the model/part number for the hard drive? You can get it from Apple System Profiler.

iXavier · Nov 8, 2003, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
Can anyone who has a 1 GHz Combo eMac that shipped with a 40 GB hard drive, please post the model/part number for the hard drive? You can get it from Apple System Profiler.

Maxtor 2F040L0

x.

Luca Rescigno · Nov 8, 2003, 06:54 PM

Yep, just checked Maxtor's website. It's 5400 RPM.

Anyone buying a GHz Combo eMac, go for the upgrade to an 80 GB hard drive. It's only $50 and someone on the Apple discussion boards confirmed that the 80 GB in his Superdrive eMac is a 7200 RPM.

Krusty · Nov 9, 2003, 01:25 AM

Originally posted by RedHerring:
... My brother and I couldn't figure it out...but there was something about the way the movie looked that was like nothing we'd ever seen before...it was almost 3D looking...if that makes sense! Haha.
....

Though I can't remember the exact numbers, DVDs have a certain number of lines of resolution ... computer monitors can display all of them, TV's generally can't (except for HDTV's and some other high end models). DVDs that I watch on my crappy, non-flat, 15" crt iMac look absolutely STUNNING when compared to our "normal" 25" TV -- bright, razor sharp, and with the "3D" appearance that you mentioned.

megasad · Nov 9, 2003, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
Yep, just checked Maxtor's website. It's 5400 RPM.

Anyone buying a GHz Combo eMac, go for the upgrade to an 80 GB hard drive. It's only $50 and someone on the Apple discussion boards confirmed that the 80 GB in his Superdrive eMac is a 7200 RPM.

Does anyone know the RPM of the 160GB hard drive that you can add for �120?

dfiler · Nov 9, 2003, 12:30 PM

Originally posted by Krusty:
Though I can't remember the exact numbers, DVDs have a certain number of lines of resolution ... computer monitors can display all of them, TV's generally can't (except for HDTV's and some other high end models).

Yep. Blame this one on hollywood. DVD player manufacturers are prohibited from making players capable of outputting more than 480 lines of resolution (480p) over anything but DVI or VGA. Computers can thus play at much higher res than home component players.

Back on topic: My switcher's eMac is a lemon. It just completely broke for the third time. It simply refuses to turn on.

bradoesch · Nov 9, 2003, 02:00 PM

Originally posted by dfiler:
Yep. Blame this one on hollywood. DVD player manufacturers are prohibited from making players capable of outputting more than 480 lines of resolution (480p) over anything but DVI or VGA. Computers can thus play at much higher res than home component players.

Interesting. Do you know why this is?

Krusty · Nov 9, 2003, 08:16 PM

Originally posted by bradoesch:
Interesting. Do you know why this is?

Not sure exactly, but my understanding is:
DVDs are capable of outputting 480 lines of resolution
RCA (A/V) inputs can only transfer about 400 lines
Composite (S-Video) can transfer about 450
"Normal" TV only displays about 330

So, a component DVD player will always degrade to some extent due to the limitations on how the signal is transferred to the TV .. and then again because the TV will be limited (unless its HDTV or some higher end digital TV).

I have no idea about what dfiler said -- I didn't know DVD makers were being legally prohibited .. I always understood that it was just the limitations of older types of hardware and cabling. But ... I don't really know ... so he may well be right about it.

dfiler · Nov 10, 2003, 08:36 PM

[off-topic]
While not 'legally' prohibited, perhaps 'contractionally' prohibited. However, any manufacturer outputting a higher-res signal would have to weather retaliation. Specifically, their licenses would likely be revoked and future DVDs would fail to play on their players. Thus, it wouldn't matter if they tried to win the inevitable lawsuits. Check out this tread over at AVSforums

Mr.Clicky · Nov 11, 2003, 09:18 AM

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:

- Still boots OS 9 (the Combo drive version only, if you need that)
]

I was told that the new 1gig models, both combo and super drive, no longer booted 9 (the older emacs did however)

Anyone confirm?

Luca Rescigno · Nov 11, 2003, 03:37 PM

Yeah, apparently the new Combo 1 GHz won't boot into OS 9 even though it only ships with 128 MB of RAM (all other OS X-only computers have 256 MB of RAM standard). That is pretty stupid. They should just spend the extra $30 and ship it with 256 MB so it has good enough performance that you don't want to throw it out the window. I'm sure $30 spent now will make up for the people who would normally conclude that "Macs suck" after using one for the first time.

mpic · Nov 11, 2003, 11:52 PM

I own a 700 combodrive iMac and recently changed the HD to a 120Gb 7200rpm and
i am happy with the performance, plus an easy change. It came with the 5400rpm
40Gb HD.

wvx · Nov 13, 2003, 01:14 PM

I had an eMac. Wonderful computer. Great form factor... don't drop it on your toe.

Hard to get into to upgrade hard drive or optical drive or to do self repairs after warranty is out. This computer is great, wish Apple would make it easier to access the guts... I'm sure Apple repair technicians would appreciate that too.

sniffer · Nov 13, 2003, 11:11 PM

I to really like the eMac. Reminds so much about the CRT iMacs. Only it feels more solid, at least with the two models I tried. The price/perf. on it is a winner IMO.

Big Mac · Nov 17, 2003, 05:23 PM

Originally posted by RedHerring:
I recently purchased a 1Ghz eMac w/combo drive, and I love it. It's fast and seems to have more than enough power under the hood.

The screen is awesome! The CRT vs LCD is a matter of taste, as well. I personally don't like LCD screens. The first time I popped a DVD into the eMac, I was blown away at how awesome it looked. My brother and I couldn't figure it out...but there was something about the way the movie looked that was like nothing we'd ever seen before...it was almost 3D looking...if that makes sense! Haha.

I replaced an older Gateway PC with this eMac, so I *love* the way it looks on my desk compared w/what I had before. And it takes up MUCH less space than the old Gateway.

I would recommend the eMac w/o any reservations at all.

Oh yeah...I'm a recent switcher...and proud to now call myself a Mac user!

Wonderful to hear, Red Herring. Welcome to the Mac World!

Some have said that the eMac is difficult to service/upgrade, and that is true. The eMacs and iMac G3s aren't made to be user serviceable (except for RAM and Airport). The built-in CRTs create a lot of voltage issues. If you're not qualified, you shouldn't be fooling around with the true internals of these machines.