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Thinking of buying an eMac.. good time?

S

SteveC

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 7, 2003
438
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Hi guys. :cool: I'm seriously considering buying an eMac in about a week or two, and I was just wondering if any of you have any insight into when the prices may go down on them, if they do at all, so I can decide if I should just go ahead and get it right now, rather than waiting a month or two or however long... Anyone have any tidbits of news that has come out lately that would help? Thanks.. :)
 
Maybe they'll get updated soon. Who knows. I don't really follow the eMac line, but I don't believe they have been updated for a long time. It may be time for something......anything.......to happen to that line.

Okay, just checked it. It looks like the eMac is a great deal. :) It will depend on what you want to do with your computer, of course, but if you're not doing anything crazy, then its all good. :cool: Its a better deal than the iMac, in my opinion. The only downside is the monitor isn't as good. The rest of it is better for the price you pay. Its a great deal for people on a budget. ;)
 
Thanks Abstract :)

I've been looking at the 1 GHz/60/128 eMac, with the Combo Drive. $994 at MacConnection right now, along with the option of a 256 MB RAM upgrade for free (after a $50 rebate) and a free printer after some rebates on that too.

Sound reasonable?

What's the difference between the iMac and eMac monitor? Right now I'm using a 15" iMac (Graphite - style previous to the current iMac style) so I imagine the eMac will be a significant step up anyway, with the monitor too. :) It'll be nice to have a 17" instead of 15 for sure. :)
 
Definitely get memory upgrades if you can. 128 MB is pretty much the minimum for OS X, 256 is better, and 512 would be even better than that. OS X loooooves memory :). That MacConnection eMac that you mention sounds like a good deal.

As for the monitors, the main difference between your old iMac's monitor and an eMac monitor would be the extra 2" and the fact that eMacs have flat screens. Other than that, I don't think the machines are too much different in appearance (besides the overall color).

--Fred
 
Originally posted by SteveC
Thanks Abstract :)

What's the difference between the iMac and eMac monitor? Right now I'm using a 15" iMac (Graphite - style previous to the current iMac style) so I imagine the eMac will be a significant step up anyway, with the monitor too. :) It'll be nice to have a 17" instead of 15 for sure. :)
Click to expand...

What??? The iMac monitor is better than the eMac's because the iMac monitor uses an LCD display and looks cool. Its also a lighter machine.

The eMac looks like the old iMac model. Nothing wrong with that, but people pay more money for the flat LCD monitor nowadays, thats all. The eMac computer is better (in my opinion), but the monitor is worse. That's the tradeoff. If you're happy with your current iMac, then you won't mind a new eMac. :)
 
MacAddict Review

I just got the latest edition of MacAddict today, (Aug 03) and they gve the eMac an excellent review with the only downside that it is bulky, and not as neat looking as the flat-panel iMac. I too am considering buying a mid-level eMac for college. My only concern is whether I'll have to pay another $130 in September for Panthar, or whether Apple will give it to me free. Does anyone know??
 
I just got a 1 Ghz emac with combo for my parents and little brother, and it's great. A much, much better deal than the imac. If you go through the stats comparison, you'll really see that the 15" imac offers NO advantages except the lcd, and many disadvantages (slower bus, no airport extreme, slower processor). The 17" imac is another story, but it costs so much more than the emac.

I upgraded the RAM to 640, and the emac runs very very fast. I don't know about those offers like the "free" RAM though. Turns out that most of them are "free" once you get $50 back 10 weeks later by rebate, AND once you pay the $40 installation fee. Maybe the deal you found has only one of those disadvantages, even still, you could practically get 256 RAM for $40 and install it yourself. Great deal. :rolleyes:

Plus I bet you'll want more than 384 RAM eventually - OS X eats all the RAM you can give it. So I'd advise getting 512 more RAM (or more!), and installing it yourself. But the emac is a great computer. We've had NO complaints about it so far. And hey, at least with a CRT you don't have to worry about dead pixels.
 
I think that the eMacs right now are a great buy. Load it up with plenty of RAM, and it will handle OS X great.
 
um... he was asking about the difference between emac and the old crt imac, with the 15" monitor. not the "new" lcd 15" imac...

anyway, the difference is that the emac monitor is 17" and flat screen. (not flat lcd)

i think emac is a good buy...

just my $0.02.
 
at $799 usd for right now, yes...and for basic stuff

but don't pay any more since the G5 emac will make any G4 emacs obsolete in short order

but being out $799 is not too bad at this particular time since it will be nearly a year, at worst, when apple puts the new chip in the consumer all-in-one desktop
 
The eMac was updated fairly recently so it's not a bad time to buy. I'd avoid things like the 15" Powerbook or the Power Mac since upgrades are pending. On the eMac you're safe.
 
I can't say much for eMac. I bought an eMac last September from Apple and it was a very bad experience. If you read through Apple's Support page, you'll see that eMac's have a tendency to sometimes go completely black and not want to restart. They also have a bad habit of overheating, a friend of mine had one that caught on fire.

True, they are a great price. But they don't seem to be safe for the home, and they aren't expandable.
 
Eek? lol

My iMac gets pretty hot though! How hot could an eMac get??? I'm not going to be overclocking it or anything either, and I won't need to expand it... just the RAM.
 
Originally posted by iDesigner:

True, they are a great price. But they don't seem to be safe for the home, and they aren't expandable.
Click to expand...

Wow...now this is interesting, due to the fact that I've got an eMac behind me, but also because of this flamable chair I'm sitting in.

Is this one of those great corporate coverups? I can't seem to find any support help regarding flaming eMacs, but maybe I'm using the wrong key words?

Which new Mac could one choose anywhere in the price range of an eMac that is internally expandable (other than memory and airport slots)? <--- silly question indicator

The eMac behind me seems pretty safe, as long as it's sleeping anyway, but I'd appreciate links to the support documents specifying any danger. Also, are there any aftermarket fire suppression devices for the eMac? I'd prefer OS X native and well, USB or Firwire is a must. :D

dot
 
Originally posted by SteveC
Eek? lol

My iMac gets pretty hot though! How hot could an eMac get??? I'm not going to be overclocking it or anything either, and I won't need to expand it... just the RAM.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it. It's not that common of a problem. The sole heating issue of the eMac is that the vents and fans have to send all the hot air down through the computer before sending it out. Personally, I think pushing the hot air up and out would be a far better solution a la the old CRT iMacs.

I think the current crop of eMacs are a steal. $999 for a 1Ghz computer with a Combo drive and a Radeon 7500? Excellent deal. I was actually thinking about picking one up before I decided to look for an older tower instead.

Originally posted by cyberddot
Which new Mac could one choose anywhere in the price range of an eMac that is internally expandable (other than memory and airport slots)? <--- silly question indicator
Click to expand...

There isn't any unless you select the single 1.25Ghz G4 tower. It goes for $1299 but has the obvious expandability, a vastly superior graphics card (Radeon 9000), double the RAM and 20 extra GB of HDD space. Of course, you'll need your own monitor as well.
 
Since the original question also asked for possible price drops on the eMac, a low end G4 (sans monitor) didn't seem the answer, but hey, aftermarket monitors in the eMac class don't have to add that much to the cost. Could definitely be the option if one wants a multicomponent desktop with some expandability.

Otherwise, as job wrote..."...the current crop of eMacs are a steal."

dot
 
Leave it to me to be the unlucky one to get the overheated eMac.

Mine never did any burning, it just made a scary burning smell. My friend is the one who actually had burning in his home.

I have no idea where that Apple Support forum message is. That was almost a year ago. But you're free to do a search for it :)

Anyway, I know it doesn't happen to everyone. But since it happened to me, I had to give my 2 cents.

Good luck!
 
Originally posted by Abstract
What??? The iMac monitor is better than the eMac's because the iMac monitor uses an LCD display and looks cool. Its also a lighter machine.

The eMac looks like the old iMac model. Nothing wrong with that, but people pay more money for the flat LCD monitor nowadays, thats all. The eMac computer is better (in my opinion), but the monitor is worse. That's the tradeoff. If you're happy with your current iMac, then you won't mind a new eMac. :)
Click to expand...


when he says the model previous to the current and grpahite i think he means the old imacs with the g3's and rounded ( not flat) monitors....from that kind of setup an emac is a great upgrade :)
 
Originally posted by job
Just curious, SteveC, is this your first Mac?
Click to expand...

I don't think so considering he said:

... Right now I'm using a 15" iMac (Graphite - style previous to the current iMac style) so I imagine the eMac will be a significant step up anyway, with the monitor too. It'll be nice to have a 17" instead of 15 for sure...
Click to expand...

Just sticking my nose in!

MacBoyX
 
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