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| eMachines T1400 |
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Hardware Reviews June 2002 • Vol.13 Issue 6 Page(s) 16 in print issue |
eMachines T1400 Budget-Conscious PC Package | ||
 When you find you're ready to take the PC plunge, finding the right system for the right price can seem overwhelming. For the budget-minded consumer, the eMachines T1400 may be just the system, priced at $674 ($599 after a $75 mail-in rebate). Although the T1400 doesn't include a monitor, it does include Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and three months of free AOL service. The T1400 runs on AMD's Athlon XP 1600+ CPU and 256MB of SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM), upgradeable to 512MB. With a Seagate 40GB hard drive, there's more than enough storage space for the typical home user. And, as a bonus, you get a Samsung SW-216B 16X10X32 (write/rewrite/read) CD-RW drive, handy for keeping that 40GB hard drive clean. To get you connected and using those three months of free AOL service, there's a 56Kbps (kilobits per second) V.92 Conexant Soft Fax modem. Even though eMachines didn't build the T1400 with gaming enthusiasts in mind, the S3 Savage Pro 4 integrated 32MB 3-D video card included with the T1400 was enough to play Quake III smoothly at resolutions of 640 x 480 and 800 x 600 (it seemed a little shaky at 1,024 x 768). There is an open AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot so you can upgrade to 4X AGP speed. Because you'll most likely need to see what you're doing, the unit we looked at came with an eMachines E-View 17r CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor. If you purchase the monitor along with the PC, the monitor will cost $209 minus a $109 mail-in rebate. The T1400 is your standard minitower desktop system. It was easy to set up with help from the color installation poster; if you need access to the case interior, you need only remove three screws and the top and both sides come off in one piece. The PC's internal cables are neatly bundled together, making working inside the small space fairly easy. For your add-ons and peripherals, there are two serial ports, a joystick port, one parallel port, and three USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports (two in back and one in front by the joystick port). Three PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slots are inside the case, one of which is unused, as well as two 3.5-inch drive bays and two 5.25-inch drive bays. One of the latter is available if you want to enter the world of DVD. eMachines also includes a standard PC keyboard complete with programmable function keys and a two-button mouse with a handy scrolling wheel. We tested the T1400's performance by installing and running MadOnion.com's 3DMark2001 and both BAPCo's SYSMark2001 and SYSMark2002 benchmarks on it. Its scores were decent compared with similarly priced systems, including SYSMark2001 scores of 138, 139 for Office Productivity, and 137 for Internet Content Creation. On the other hand, SYSMark2002 produced an overall score of 121, a 98 for Office Productivity, and a 149 for Internet Content Creation. The only apparent discrepancy between the BAPCo benchmarks was the Office Productivity test. We had to run the 3DMark2001 benchmark twice because we were so surprised at the low score of 397. The second run produced a score of 399, so at least the benchmark was consistent, but this score is anywhere from 10% to 54% lower than those we've seen lately from several similarly priced systems. We typically also run MadOnion.com's Video2000 benchmark, but we weren't able to in this case because Video2000 does not run on WinXP. Next we listened to a CD to take the system's Aion speakers for a test drive. This is usually an enjoyable experience, but the sound they produced had no depth. It seemed one-dimensional, almost as though it was coming out of a tin can. The speakers also lack an external volume control, so we had to use Windows' volume controls to adjust them (not a huge deal, but external controls are a nice convenience). Suffice it to say that we wouldn't recommend these speakers for your home surround sound system, but they are adequate for your basic PC experience. Another bonus for the budget-minded is the inclusion of Windows XP Home Edition, the latest in Microsoft's line of home OS (operating systems). You also get software titles such as Adobe Acrobat 5.0, MS Money 2002, MS Works 2000 and MS Clip Gallery. Along with an extendable 1-year parts and labor warranty and eMachines Customer Care support, you're getting the right package for your buck.  by Dana Montey eMachines T1400 $674 ($599 after a $75 mail-in rebate) eMachines (877) 566-3463 (714) 481-2828 http://www.e4me.com
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