Mac specs so far

[Sendok]

Ok, I'm going to be gettin a mac sometime in the next month or so, and I was somewhat curious as to if you have any suggestions on other upgrades. Please don't turn this into a Mac sucks or MS sucks thread.

Here is a pic of an eMac:
http://a720.g.akamai.net/7/720/51/05d863957259a4/www.apple.com/r/store/gallery/emac2003/images/2.jpg

This is what comes standard with the eMac:
• 17in CRT display
• 1.25 GHz PowerPc G4 processor
• 256 MB 333 MHz DDR SRAM
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• ATI Radeon 9200 graphics w/32MB DDR video memory
• Two FireWire 400 ports and three USB 2.0 ports
• 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet and 56K V.92 modem
• AirPort Extreme ready, Bluetooth optional
• Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive

^that is for $899

but after some additions:
• 1GB SDRAM DDR333 - 2 DIMMs
• eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand
• .Mac Promotional Bundle
• APP for iMac/eMac - Enrollment Kit
I'm not sure which of the office programs im going to get yet though, both cost $149.95
•Office v.X for Mac Student and Teacher Edition
•Office 2004 for Mac - Student and Teacher Edition

it comes to $1,488.90

Things I might add:
• Halo for $49.99 or Unreal Tournament 2004 $39.95
• Adobe Photoshop CS $299.99
• Adobe Photoshop CS addon pack $159.99
• AirPort Extreme Card $89

and I already have an HP printer that is compatible w/mac

[=NukeBlaze=]

Best of luck running halo beyond 1024x768.

[Sendok]

Nuke, im just a bit confused here, probably due to the lack of sleep. But at last check the mac -that im looking at- can go to 1280 x 960 im just not seein the problem...or are we talking about the graphics card here ...

[Gunpei]

What a rip off...

[speed stick]

For those specs, that is expensive. I think when comparing to other macs, this is fairly good.

[Prince]

Nice setup but I don't really think the eMac is the best choice for gaming. It's more of an affordable setup for educational/productive work (such as Photoshop and Office, checking mail, internet, etc).

I'm sure you'll be able to run Halo and UT2004 but just understand you probably won't be able to get full-details and high resolutions and such..Try checking http://www.insidemacgames.com for system specs/reviews.


Oh and see about the student discount. You should be able to knock some money off of that with the student discount that apple offers.

[speed stick]

^Yeah, our school has a lot of these computers.

[dork]

i am both a Windows and Mac user, and i can honestly say:

Windows < Mac

[swifferman]

why would you need a wireless internet card if
a) you're going to university by yourself I'm presuming and living in an apartment
b)it's a gigantic desktop computer...

Those ugprades can be well spent elsewhere. That 1 GB upgrade won't do nearly as much as a differnet upgrade, adn you really dont need that much either. (ask nuke for upgrade opinions)

[Sendok]

a) i have a wireless setup at home
b) see the above, and i happen to like wireless lans.
a/b.2) w/wireless lan you can lan different rooms into a lan game much easier.

while 1gb may be overkill...its not that much more than the 512 upgrade.

[Relient J]

The eMac is a pretty decent little machine. I set some up for a new computer lab my college put in a couple of years ago. I did notice some build quality issues, but those were early in the product cycle and they may have resolved those issues by now. I'm not the best one to ask about gaming compatibility since I leave that to my Nintendo products for the most part, but it is a fine machine. I'd say for the price it can't be beaten. Go for it!