New eMac owners speak up!

[Kirk]

A little early maybe, but I am curios as to how the new eMacs perform in real life. How does iLife (Garageband . . .) work? Does Photoshop run Okey? Tried any games? Is it noisy?

Speak up when you get to try one!

:)

[applemacdude]

Well since noone probaly has one right now...and it was to days ago when they were introdeuced....

[evil]

i have a 1ghz model of the emac and i think it is excellent. i have used final cut on it and played games. Games arent going to run on the highest settings, but i used to play sim city 4 on my emac a lot. i would totally recommend the new emac. its a bargain for the price.

[DaYC-Ent]

i only do spreadsheets and amateur photoshops, but games are the only place where i have a question about eMacs. mostly, it's either Neverwinter Nights or AmericasArmy. i'm used to playing with low details on my PC, so it wouldn't be that big of a change. but this would be my first mac. would the new eMac be worth it? the iMac setup that i want is $1200 more than the eMac. which should i go with?? :confused:

[evil]

well. i would say if the question is only between the imac and emac. i would recommend the emac. it is a better machine for the price. i think that the imacs are overpriced.

[Kirk]

Well since noone probaly has one right now...and it was to days ago when they were introdeuced....

Yeah, I know, but I just couldn’t wait! Anyone know when the first ones will be shipped . . ? If you have placed an order, keep us posted!

Nice to see someone with even worse spelling then me . . . ;)

[Chip NoVaMac]

I know the question...

I have a PB 12"w/512mb and think of upgrading the RAM to 1gb. Thought for about $1000 I can add a desktop to my lap combo and get the eMac (Edu) wit a 160gb HDD, AE, BT, and superdrive; and have a good back up if the PB ever died, and get better performance when working on Photoshoo fils that don't require me to be portable.

[Scenicroadways]

one thing that no one realizes is that the Emac still has a 5400 rpm HD, whereas the Imac has a 7200 rpm. This can be a big difference in speed despite the Emac's superior 512k cache. Too bad it didnt get the 7200 rpm drive and it would be a perfect cheap machine.

[aswitcher]

one thing that no one realizes is that the Emac still has a 5400 rpm HD, whereas the Imac has a 7200 rpm. This can be a big difference in speed despite the Emac's superior 512k cache. Too bad it didnt get the 7200 rpm drive and it would be a perfect cheap machine.

Yeah, I wonder how much extra the Super would have cost with the faster harddrive.

[aethier]

well, i don't have one, but i have a 1.25 ghz powerbook.. so the specs are near identical, minus the fact that i have a 9600... anyways, well from my powerbook view, it is pretty good (providing it preforms the ssame way, i don't see why not)

aethier

[Lancetx]

one thing that no one realizes is that the Emac still has a 5400 rpm HD, whereas the Imac has a 7200 rpm. This can be a big difference in speed despite the Emac's superior 512k cache. Too bad it didnt get the 7200 rpm drive and it would be a perfect cheap machine.

Are we sure of this yet? I have a May '03 revision eMac and it absolutely does have a 7200 rpm hard drive. I verified this by matching the model number off of the drive via System Profiler to the specs for that same model drive on the IBM/Hitachi website at the time. Someone will need to check System Profiler on a new eMac to see whether the new ones do or not.

[pinto32]

Even though the videocard still is at 32MB of DDR, is a Radeon 9200 now, which should be a lot better than the old 7500. If you really wanna know fast, you could take a trip to an Apple Store or CompUSA....

[neoelectronaut]

I have the 2nd Generation eMac (With the ATi 7500) and I think it freaking rocks. Best computer I've ever owned and used.

And now that they've just been updated and the price stayed in one play, I say buy one.

Now.







Why haven't you bought one yet?

[Kirk]

Are we sure of this yet? I have a May '03 revision eMac and it absolutely does have a 7200 rpm hard drive. I verified this by matching the model number off of the drive via System Profiler to the specs for that same model drive on the IBM/Hitachi website at the time. Someone will need to check System Profiler on a new eMac to see whether the new ones do or not.

I was wondering about the speed of the Harddrives! Does anyone know for sure? Maybe someone can drop by a Apple Store today and check it out. A bit strange that you can’t find the information on the Apple website, don’t you think? Maybe the BTO 160 GB HD is 7200 rpm?

:confused:

[diehlr]

one thing that no one realizes is that the Emac still has a 5400 rpm HD, whereas the Imac has a 7200 rpm. This can be a big difference in speed despite the Emac's superior 512k cache. Too bad it didnt get the 7200 rpm drive and it would be a perfect cheap machine.
If this is in fact true, it's not that big of a deal. Go grab a fast drive from NewEgg for under $100 and throw it in there. Then sell the old 40/80 gig for $30-40 or so. For a mere $60-70 you will have a much larger and faster drive.

[micvog]

Are we sure of this yet? I have a May '03 revision eMac and it absolutely does have a 7200 rpm hard drive. I verified this by matching the model number off of the drive via System Profiler to the specs for that same model drive on the IBM/Hitachi website at the time. Someone will need to check System Profiler on a new eMac to see whether the new ones do or not.

IIRC after the last eMac introductions, the conclusion was that the stock HD on the base eMac was 5400 RPM and the others were 7200 RPM.

[Dippo]

If this is in fact true, it's not that big of a deal. Go grab a fast drive from NewEgg for under $100 and throw it in there. Then sell the old 40/80 gig for $30-40 or so. For a mere $60-70 you will have a much larger and faster drive.


Don't worry about the speed of the Hard Drive. It can easily be replaced if you think that it is too slow. Of course if you don't invest in some extra RAM, then the Hard Drive speed won't matter much.

[cait-sith]

i placed my order for a new emac around 9 am CDT on tuesday. still hasn't shipped. it's reaching the end of the est. shipping final date.

as for the disk, i'm sure it's slower (5400) since apple won't admit the rpm to us.

is the hard disk a user-servicable part like ram? i don't think so. there's no mention on how to do it in the manual.

i'll run some benchmarks and let you know when i get it.

[Kirk]

Great! Keep us posted!

The last I have heard about the HD, is that the 40 GB is 5400 rpm and the 80 (and 160 GB) probably is 7200 rpm, but I haven’t got it confirmed from anyone who actually has tried one.

I think I will order it with a 80 GB HD, since I already have a 160 GB external one. Rather use the money on RAM.

I think swapping your HD would void your warranty.

[Kirk]

Bad "news" . . !

:eek: :eek: :eek:


From Appleinsider:

"According to sources in manufacturing and reseller channels, Apple has recently placed its 1.25GHz eMac SuperDrive model on a short-term quality hold. While most resellers have yet to receive the new desktop, those who have are being instructed not to begin selling units to customers.

In a memo to employees Apple noted that there is "no confirmed problem" with existing inventory of the new eMac, but acknowledged ongoing testing of the high-end configuration. AppleInsider can only assume that a potential issue relating to the computer's new 8X Super Drive was recently questioned.

Apple's online stores in the US and UK currently reflect a 1 to 3 day delivery estimation for the 1.25 GHz Combo Drive eMac. However, the stores estimate a 5 to 7 day and 2 to 3 week wait on the Super Drive eMac, respectively."

[hob]

At my school (i had nothing to do with this - and the people in charge no nothing about macs!) we have lots of emacs now in the media/film and music depts. They all have 256MB of RAM - and the video editing ones rely on external LACIE HDD's to import video from cameras - otherwise they drop frames quite nastily... I think the ext. drives are 7200 or 9600(?) but I don't know for sure - would more RAM mean that they didn't need the disks? (other than for storeage purposes :P)

[Kirk]

Does anyone know if the new eMacs are at the Apple Stores yet? Has anyone tried one? (Not talking about the online stores of course . . .)

:o

[imac_japan]

Does anyone know if the new eMacs are at the Apple Stores yet? Has anyone tried one? (Not talking about the online stores of course

I went shopping for a second hand Emac last week in Tokyo (before the updates came out)....I didn't buy one due to one reason ! I saw alot of models which had broken screens. Strange ! The staff in the shops said that the screen gives out (in the old models)...So I would wait for the bugs to be lroned out

[sjk]

Does anyone know if the new eMacs are at the Apple Stores yet?Yep (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=800754#post800575); only the combo-drive model since of the delay with the SuperDrive model.

[Kirk]

Does anyone know if the new eMac will accept 1gb PC2700 RAM?

[jemeinc]

My eMac w/ SD has an estimated shipping date of 5/05/04... Here is my question to you guys: Should I cancel because of this quality delay ?... I already have an iMac with 2X DVD burn capabilities that works flawlessly...I was planning on upgrading when DVD burners hit the 12X range, but I got a credit for $1099 for my G3 iBook so the new eMac seemed like a good option... After this iBook debacle I don't have the patience for another battle w/ Apple over a product that doesn't work properly... I don't have much faith in Apple actually fixing this eMac flaw, they've lied to me for a year with this iBook ... Should I apply the $1099 for a new PB & forget the eMac for now ?... Sorry, can't bring myself to get another iBook...

[sjk]

Does anyone know if the new eMac will accept 1gb PC2700 RAM?I'd like to know, too. I'll check on it later today.

1GB for the user-accessible 200-pin SO-DIMM slot of the iMac (and iBook/PowerBook) is still prohibitively expensive (~$400USD) and about half that price for the factory 184-pin DIMM slot. If the new eMac uses two standard DIMM slots (like the iMac's factory slot) a 2GB upgrade could be much more cost-effective than the iMac.

[edit: Confirmed that eMac memory slots are the same as the iMac's factory slot, but whether the same 184-pin 1GB DIMMs will work in the eMac was untested tho' it's quite likely they will.]

Another example of why Apple needs to do something (soon) to make the iMac more attractive than just the LCD display.

[Kirk]

Surely there must be someone who have tried the new eMac by now?!
:o :p

Things to know before I buy:
Is the 80 Gig HD 7200 RPM?
Are there any problems with the Superdrive?
How is the noise level?
How does Garageband work on the eMac?
Any screen related problems?
Happy?

Yes, kinda curious person . . . :D

[Foxer]

Hey all, my local Apple Store called yesterday and today I picked her up. So far, so good. However, the memory I had on order from Crucial crashed the machine at start up. I installed it before my first start-up and it scared me to death when it happened. I tried several times before I removed the stick. Once I did that, it's been no problem. I'm going up to the Apple Store tomorrow to buy a 526 stick (overpriced) from them, just to make sure there isn't a problem with the mother board or anything.

The next drama was something wrong with the finder. It wouldn't let me open the Utilities folder. (After all the crashes with the RAM, I wanted to check the disk). So I just reinstalled Panther clean and it seems to work fine now.

Aside from that (and a couple iPhoto crashes, which I blame on iPhoto), it seems to work OK. Haven't burned anything yet (too busy installing), but I'm optimistic.

I'll be glad to field questions.

[Kirk]

Congrats! :)

Just keep us posted on everything good or bad that you discover as you go along! I will probably order mine next week (looks like I will buy RAM from Apple after all . . .). I am mainly going to use it with Garageband, Photoshop, InDesign and some games.

[cait-sith]

damned apple..

my order (on april 13th) was delayed till april 22nd.. got an email, it's now delayed until the 27th. wtf??

i'm cancelling my order tomorrow. this is b.s.

[Foxer]

OK. I finished all my installations without hiccup. (FCP, DVDSP, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc). iLife apps all seem to run well. There is a general snappiness to everything, which is nice. The drive is certainly 7200 RPM. I checked it out:
http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/products/ata/desktop/diamondmax_plus_9/index.htm

It is late and I'm done for the night. Tomorrow I'll try a couple games and let you all know.

[sparks9]

OK. I finished all my installations without hiccup. (FCP, DVDSP, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc). iLife apps all seem to run well. There is a general snappiness to everything, which is nice. The drive is certainly 7200 RPM. I checked it out:
http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/products/ata/desktop/diamondmax_plus_9/index.htm

It is late and I'm done for the night. Tomorrow I'll try a couple games and let you all know.

Which specifications did you order?

[Foxer]

It's the stock SuperDrive model. Nothing special. I put in an AE card and will add RAM later today - I think crucial just sent me the wrong kind. I don't know enough to be certain.

[sjk]

Also see Apple eMac 1.25GHz Super drive (M9461LL/A) Memory (http://store.yahoo.com/memx/apem1sudrmme.html). Apple original OEM Samsung memory is currently $116.98, a bit less than Crucial.

[Foxer]

I stopped by CompUSA and got the memory for $69 (after $40) rebate. Not bad. I threw it in and it works great. (Touch wood!)

[ClimbingTheLog]

Hi, Guys,

I just about can't resist a new eMac as my current machine is dated, but I can't live without a second monitor.
If anyone tries the open-firmware monitor spanning hack on the new eMacs, please post a report here.

Thanks,
-CTL

[bunkre]

i think it also has a lot to do with using the same drive that your OS is running off of (obviously, the only internal HD on the eMac). i know from experience that pro tools will run like hell on your system drive, and runs beautifully with an external 7500 firewire.

At my school (i had nothing to do with this - and the people in charge no nothing about macs!) we have lots of emacs now in the media/film and music depts. They all have 256MB of RAM - and the video editing ones rely on external LACIE HDD's to import video from cameras - otherwise they drop frames quite nastily... I think the ext. drives are 7200 or 9600(?) but I don't know for sure - would more RAM mean that they didn't need the disks? (other than for storeage purposes :P)

[Kirk]

i think it also has a lot to do with using the same drive that your OS is running off of (obviously, the only internal HD on the eMac). i know from experience that pro tools will run like hell on your system drive, and runs beautifully with an external 7500 firewire.

:confused:
So you mean that programs run better on external drives? I Have never heard about that before! I do however have a 160 GB external LaCie drive, so I was thinking that I probably buy the eMac with the 80 GB disk instead of the 160 GB.

The only thing holding me back from ordering an eMac today, is that I would like to see the specs of the new iMac. Unless there is a new form factor I guess they will be released within the next couple of weeks, or what?

[CubeHacker]

Hi, Guys,

I just about can't resist a new eMac as my current machine is dated, but I can't live without a second monitor.
If anyone tries the open-firmware monitor spanning hack on the new eMacs, please post a report here.

Thanks,
-CTL


The spanning hack should work just fine. However, keep in mind that the measily 32mb of VRAM will be split between the 2 displays, and cause Quartz Extreme effects such as Expose to become choppy. I'm not sure if this matters to you or not.

[Kirk]

From Apple Insider:

"Earlier this week, Apple removed a short-term quality hold it had placed on early inventory shipments of the new SuperDrive equipped eMac G4.

Apparently, engineers were able to vindicate the quality of the model, once suspected of containing issues with its SuperDrive implementation.

Apple had previously sent a memo to its retail stores, asking that the models be put on hold, and not be sold to customers until further notice. The company officially removed the SuperDrive eMac G4 from hold with a followup memo days later, though no formal explanation of the suspected issue was given."


My eMac w/ SD has an estimated shipping date of 5/05/04... Here is my question to you guys: Should I cancel because of this quality delay ?... I already have an iMac with 2X DVD burn capabilities that works flawlessly...I was planning on upgrading when DVD burners hit the 12X range, but I got a credit for $1099 for my G3 iBook so the new eMac seemed like a good option... After this iBook debacle I don't have the patience for another battle w/ Apple over a product that doesn't work properly... I don't have much faith in Apple actually fixing this eMac flaw, they've lied to me for a year with this iBook ... Should I apply the $1099 for a new PB & forget the eMac for now ?... Sorry, can't bring myself to get another iBook... :)

[sjk]

The only thing holding me back from ordering an eMac today, is that I would like to see the specs of the new iMac. Unless there is a new form factor I guess they will be released within the next couple of weeks, or what?This (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=812276#post812183) is what I think. I can't wait 'til WWDC so I'll probably buy an eMac next week unless there are other announcements. An iMac refresh and/or price drop could change my mind since I'd rather have an LCD display, it's quieter and uses less power, and it would be a nice system for my wife to inherit when I upgrade.

[Kirk]

One more thing before I place my order:
Has anyone tried Garageband on an eMac? Does it work good (not just O.K.)? Is the screen to small?

I I am going to use the app a lot, so I just want to know before I buy. Doesn’t seem like there will be a new iMac this week (iTunes) and I am getting tired of waiting for a new Mac as my 400 MHz iMac CRT is getting old . . !

:o