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CNET editors' rating:
3.5 stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 22 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The good: All four configurations provide a lot of performance for the price; top-notch service and support; USB 2.0 ports across the line.
The bad: Slightly below-average performance on our test system; can't order with an LCD monitor or a separate graphics card.
The bottom line: Improved service-and-support options make the eMachines T series a strong budget-PC choice.
Specifications: Processor: AMD Athlon XP (1.8 GHz); RAM installed: 256 MB DDR SDRAM; Hard drive: 60 GB; See full specs
See all products in the eMachines T series (Previous Models)
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 03/17/2003
- Updated on:03/27/2003
- Released on: 01/09/2003
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 All five T-series models share the same compact minitower case. |
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On the front of the case behind an upward-sliding door, there are two USB 2.0 ports and both a headphone and a microphone jack. To aid in tech-support calls, each system has a sticker on the front panel that showcases the system model and serial number along with eMachines tech-support contact info--a small but thoughtful touch.
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| Four USB 2.0 ports and both modem and Ethernet jacks highlight the ports on the back panel. |
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| All models now have two USB 2.0 ports up front. |
On the back of the case, in addition to the traditional lineup of legacy ports, there are four additional USB 2.0 ports; Ethernet and modem jacks; and speaker, microphone, and line-in ports. If you already own a FireWire peripheral, you'll have to purchase and install your own FireWire card; you won't find a FireWire port in any of the models, nor is there an option to customize your system to include one.
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| All but the T1842 ship with two optical drives: a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM. | |
Getting inside the tool-free case requires removing just two thumbscrews. Inside, you'll find a well-laid-out interior. Each T-series model gives you two free PCI slots for expansion cards (the 56Kbps modem card occupies the third slot) and a single DIMM slot, should you want to add more memory. Gamers take note: Only the two Athlon-based models contain an AGP slot, giving you the option of adding a separate graphics card.
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 Only the T2260 and the T2460 have an AGP slot for advanced graphics. |
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None of the systems, unfortunately, includes a monitor, but eMachines offers two 17-inch CRTs for purchase. Our systems came with the higher-end eView 17f, a flat-screen CRT that displayed a bright image and crisp text in our tests. In fact, we consider the eView 17f to be a great deal for the money, especially after a $100 mail-in rebate. The flat screen means less glare than what you'll have on the rounded screen of regular 17-inch monitors, which we looked at last year when we reviewed the T series. Unfortunately, you cannot order an LCD with the T series, nor can you upgrade your choice of graphics card: you're stuck with a shared-memory chipset from the get-go.
We were also underenthused with the T series' two-piece speaker set. This low-cost solution sounds fine for system noises and Web audio, but music and movie fans will want a more robust setup. Luckily, all eMachines PCs now ship with a multimedia keyboard with task-specific buttons. The T2260 and T2460 models include additional shortcut keys, such as dedicated cut, copy, and paste buttons.
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| We liked the 17f CRT that accompanied our T2260 test system. |
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| The T2200 and the T2200SE include a handy multimedia keyboard. |
All five T-series systems run Windows XP Home and include copies of Microsoft Works 6.0 and Microsoft Money 2002, as well as an eMachines-branded version of CyberLink's PowerDVD for DVD playback. Noticeably absent, however, is CD-burning software for the CD-RW drives found in four of the five T-series systems. We were forced to use Windows Media Player's second-rate CD-burning tools.
Application performance
Although it contains an AMD Athlon XP 2200+ processor, the eMachines T2260 performs more like an Athlon XP 2000+. Contributing to the T2260's disappointing performance are a relatively slow hard drive subsystem and an older motherboard chipset, the Via KM266. Every system we've tested that uses this chipset, most recently the HP Pavilion 734n, has slower-than-expected performance. Also contributing to the T2260's anemic performance is a shared memory architecture (graphics and system memory), which enacts additional processing overhead. Overall, the T2260 performed poorly and was below where it should be for its processor class.
Application performance (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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To measure application performance, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's SysMark2002, an industry-standard benchmark. Using off-the-shelf applications, SysMark measures a desktop's performance using office-productivity applications (such as Microsoft Office and McAfee VirusScan) and Internet-content-creation applications (such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver).
3D graphics and gaming performance
Systems in this class rarely provide the right choice for someone looking to play games and run educational titles with heavy-duty 3D graphics demands. That's because most budget systems use integrated graphics solutions, which typically lack significant 3D graphics power. Unfortunately, the T2260, with its integrated S3 ProSavage graphics engine is no exception. If you're looking for a system that's capable of playing games, you'll need to upgrade the graphics system with a separate card using the available AGP slot (found only on the T2260 and T2460 models).
3D graphics performance (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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To measure 3D graphics performance, CNET Labs uses Futuremark's 3DMark2001 Pro Second Edition, Build 330. We use 3DMark to measure a desktop's performance with the DirectX 8 (DX8) interface at both 16- and 32-bit color settings at a resolution of 1,024x768. A system that does not have DX8 hardware support will typically generate a lower score than one that has DX8 hardware support.
3D gaming performance in fps (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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To measure 3D gaming performance, CNET Labs uses Quake III Arena. Although Quake III is an older game, it is still widely used as an industry-standard tool. Quake III does not require DX8 hardware support--as 3DMark2001 does--and is therefore an excellent means of comparing the performance of low- to high-end graphics subsystems. Quake III performance is reported in frames per second (fps).
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Cyberpower AMD Value XP
Windows XP Home; 1.73GHz AMD Athlon XP 2100+; 256MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce4 MX 440SE 64MB; Western Digital WD400EB-00CPF0 40GB 5,400rpm
eMachines T2260
Windows XP Home; 1.8GHz AMD Athlon XP 2200+; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; integrated S3 Pro Savage 32MB; Western Digital W0600BB-00CAA1 60GB 7,200rpm
Freeway Tech Innovation A2800M
Windows XP Home; 1.67GHz AMD Athlon XP 2000+; 256MB SDRAM 133MHz; ATI Radeon 7000 64MB; Maxtor 6E040L0 40GB 7,200rpm
Gateway 300S
Windows XP Home; 2.1GHz Intel Celeron; 128MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; integrated Intel 845G/GL 32MB (shared memory); Western Digital WD400EB-11CPF0 40GB 5,400rpm
Nutrend Centra 4
Windows XP Home; 1.73GHz AMD Athlon XP 2100+; 128MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; integrated Nvidia GeForce2 32MB (shared memory); Western Digital WD400BB-00DEA0 40GB 7,200rpm
Until recently, eMachines was known for offering only shoddy tech support and warranty service with its low-priced systems. Now, the company offers dramatically improved service and support policies, making its machines excellent values. Inside the T series' packaging, you'll find a setup poster and a detailed user guide, as well as supplemental drive brackets and screws. In addition, all systems ship with a standard one-year warranty, which is extendable to three years. Phone support is via toll call and is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT. You can also chat online with a support technician from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT. The eMachines Web site is chock-full of additional service information, including a helpful FAQ page and driver downloads.
Although eMachines doesn't offer onsite service, the company does provide a depot repair program and pays for round-trip shipping. Repairs are also available at authorized service centers. Under eMachines' End-User Replaceable Parts program, customers who are comfortable with replacing their own machine's defective parts are shipped new components along with detailed installation instructions. Every eMachines system comes loaded with BigFix software, which helps avoid software and hardware conflicts and keeps the PC up-to-date with timely Windows patches and virus protection.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 22 reviews
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