Entered CNET Catalog: 10/13/2005
SKU: T6524
Manufacturer: eMachines
Manufacturer description
The eMachines T6524 desktop PC provides an amazing digital entertainment and gaming experience through 64-bit computing, 1GB memory and high-performance graphics. Play the latest 3-D games and run advanced digital media applications without worry. Enjoy all your photos, music, movies and games in one convenient place with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. The T6524 provides a powerful digital experience with features such as 1024MB DDR (400MHz) memory, DVD±RW Multi-Format Double-Layer drive, separate CD-ROM and 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager. It's the perfect choice for media moguls and gamers who want a great system without breaking the bank.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/20/2005
Gateway's low-end eMachines PCs target families, students, and the similarly budget-conscious with a tried-and-true formula: offering a tiny selection of cheap, ready-to-ship products. Want to configure your own system? Try somewhere else. Need a fancy graphics card or a big monitor? You're in the wrong place. But if you want the basics at a bargain price, you need look no further than the $600 (after $50 mail-in rebate; monitor costs extra) eMachines T6524 Media Center PC.
The T6524 we evaluated is actually the highest-end model in eMachines' current five-model fall lineup--indicating just how deep into budget country we've ventured. Like its brothers, the T6524 is available only through retail chains such as Circuit City and Best Buy, and in only one fixed configuration. All five models share the same silver-and-black external plastics (clearly bearing the stamp of Gateway's in-house designers), differing only in their guts.
Based on AMD's 2.2GHz Athlon 64 3500+ processor, the eMachines T6524 Media Center PC delivers impressive application performance for this class of system. Although the 3500+ is 200MHz slower than the 3400+ chip found on last quarter's eMachines T6520, the 3500+ is based on a newer chipset that allowed the nearly identical T6524 to edge out the T6520 on CNET Labs' SysMark 2004 application benchmark. Compared with its Intel competition, the eMachines T6524 turned in a score similar to that of the HP z555, which uses a low-end Pentium 4 500-series chip, while trailing the Sony VAIO RB44G, with its midrange Pentium 4 600-series chip. Aiding both Intel-based systems was their use of dedicated graphics cards with 128MB of graphics memory.
Like the T6520 that preceded it, the eMachines T6524 relies on integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics that shares main system memory for graphics chores. You'll be able to play only older games on the T6524 at moderate resolutions. Fortunately, its unoccupied x16 PCI Express graphics slot can accommodate an upgrade to a discrete graphics card.
Once you wrestle the deceptively difficult side panel off the case, you'll find a nifty interior that provides ample room to grow. In addition to the aforementioned PCI Express graphics port, you get plenty of spare PCI slots and drive bays, should you need them. Two of the four DIMM slots are filled, allowing you to expand the system's already ample 1GB of 400MHz memory to 4GB.
On the outside of the T6524, you'll also find lots to get excited about: a double-layer DVD burner, a 48X CD-ROM drive, and an 8-in-1 flash-card reader on the front panel, along with a full complement of ports around back. Although the eMachines T6524 Media Center PC provides seven USB 2.0 ports (with three up front), you get but one six-pin FireWire port (located on the back panel).
As its name implies, the eMachines T6524 Media Center PC uses Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (MCE), which is unusual for sub-$1,000 systems; however, eMachines doesn't include a TV tuner and a remote control, as you'd find in higher-end Media Center systems. The argument here is that MCE offers plenty of other functionality, such as photo management and DVD controls, that makes it worth its relatively small additional cost. You can always add the other elements later if you wish. Unfortunately, the T6524 ships with a pair of flimsy stereo speakers that sound as lightweight as they feel. The functional but unremarkable Internet keyboard and the three-button USB mouse share the black-and-silver design motif of the tower box, which adds to the T6524's aesthetically pleasing image. We grew to quickly hate the rollerball mouse; anything less than an optical mouse is unacceptable these days, even among budget PCs.
eMachines recently added a 17-inch LCD to its display lineup and included it with our T6524 evaluation unit. The two items are sold separately; adding the $270 (after $50 mail-in rebate) E17T4 LCD to the T6524 brings the total system price to a reasonable $869. The E17T4 isn't terribly bright and DVDs looked grainy on our tests, but overall it provides an acceptable image for the price.
eMachines includes the Microsoft Works 8.0 productivity suite, Microsoft Money 2005 accounting software, BigFix diagnostic software, and a 30-day subscription to Norton Internet Security 2005 antivirus software, among other workaday titles. You also get a standard one-year warranty and some bare-bones documentation. You can upgrade the warranty directly through the company--two years runs you $99, and a three-year warranty goes for $139. eMachines also throws in free phone support for the life of the warranty, although the call is not toll-free. Calls to tech support after the warranty expires cost $20 per incident. Support hours run from 5 a.m. to midnight PT, seven days a week. You can also e-mail tech support or try out the live chat, which is available daily from 3 a.m. to 12 midnight PT.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo SysMark 2004 rating | |
SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating | |
SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating |
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
eMachines T6520
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3400+; ATI Radeon RS480 chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Seagate ST320021A 200GB 7,200rpm ATA/100
eMachines T6524
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+; ATI Radeon RS482 chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; WDC WD2000BB-22GUC0 200GB 7,200rpm ATA/100
HP Digital Entertainment Center z555
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.0GHz Intel P4 530; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB Nvidia GeForce 6600 (PCIe); Maxtor 6B250S0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
iBuyPower Value-Pro
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+; Nvidia nForce 4 chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6200 Turbocache PCI-Express[TK]; Western Digital WD1600JD-98HBB0 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Sony VAIO VCG-RB44G
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.2GHz Intel P4 640; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X300 (PCIe); WDC WD2500JD-98HBB0 250GB, 7,200rpm Serial ATA
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
User Rating: 
10/10
Best Pc I Have Ever Owned!!!
Pros: I Had Had Bad Luck With Several Older Model E Machines. I Was A Little Leary On Buying This One. It Has Been The Best Pc I Have Owned! I Actually Just Purchased A Second One For Our Children! Cheap, Reliable And Fast! I Strongly Recommend!
Cons: The Mouse Was A Little Flaky So I Replaced It. Other Than That I Have No Complaints!
User Rating: 10/10
Excellent!!!
Pros: 1 Year, flawless performance.
Cons: speechless.
User Rating: 
8/10
My TV, TIVO and Computer
Pros: Media center, Economical, Cheap company warranty
Cons: No inbuit TV tuners (so that you can choose ur own )
User Rating: 8/10
Just 2 words Solid & Awsome!
Pros: 1 Gig of SDRAM, 128 graphic memory
Cons: express graphic chipset.
and with Windows XP (MCE) Media Center Edition 2005 OS and with a Ati Xpress 200 with a AMD Athlon 3500 + (which are both compatible to each other) how can you go wrong.
User Rating: 8/10
Nice little do it all machine
Pros: Cheap and expanable
Cons: Socket 754 Motherboard
User Rating: 10/10
Gamer Review
Pros: Great value,1 GB RAM!, XPRESS 200 on board video
Cons: 300watt power
User Rating: 8/10
emachines is earning my business for good
Pros: durable, versitile
Cons: slow with multiple windows open
User Rating: 10/10
Love it Love it. Give it a 10
Pros: Great performance, upgradeable and more.
Cons: Not a top of the line machine but that would only be a waste for me anyway.
User Rating: 
3/10
This is my 3rd eMachine
Pros: Positives? I'm postive I won't own a 4th.
Cons: Restore CD does NOT include all drivers or free software.
My hard drive died within a few days. eMachines sent me a new one that I had to install myself. This wasn't a problem for me, but I know many people that would not be comfortable opening up their PC to replace parts.
After installing the new hard drive and using the Restore CD, I noticed that the Restore CD did NOT include all the needed drivers or the free Nero 6 software.
Wes (Badge EME0035) informed me that for a mere $20.00 he would send me the CORRECT Restore CD. I guess that is my fault that eMachines forgot to add the free software and correct drivers to the Restore CD???
I do like the computer itself, but the customer service (or lack of) will keep me from ever buying another emachine!
User Rating: 3/10
eMachine not for me, or business
Pros: If it has a posative, it does have a good price
Cons: Horrible OS build out of the box
User Rating: 
9/10
Great budget computer
Pros: affordable, decently fast, great features, not many pc's with this much too offer for the price, plenty of room available for upgrades, Love the AMD processor
Cons: Hard drive is a little loud compared to my older Dell, not a big deal though. Not much use for the CD ROM only drive, Only available with Windows Media Center OS, weak graphics card
User Rating: 9/10
Quiet, fast, powerful - great price
Pros: Powerful, fast, all you need.....
Cons: Haven't found any yet....
User Rating: 
2/10
What a nightmare!
Pros: Cheap Price Tag
Cons: Needed to Replacement Bad Parts
But I was sorely disappointed by this product. First thing, the speakers didn't work, so they were replaced. The DVD drive also didn't work, so it was replaced -- by another DVD drive of lesser value! Ugh..
After many conversations with tech support they recommended I use the recovery disk (on a brand new PC?!). They also told me to call Microsoft to get the drivers that aren't included on the recovery cd! I asked to speak with someone else in tech support, someone with a clue. The next guy said, "we have the drivers, we can send them to you." (they normally charge money for the drivers cd, but they were willing to send me mine for free) After all the back and forth, I installed the new hardware and got the computer working properly.
At this point it was past 30 days, and the rebate had expired. I called the corporate office (801-401-1199) and asked Ronal (the guy I spoke with) if eMachines could extend the rebate period, given the fact that the original product didn't work and it took about a month to get the right parts and drivers in my hands. Essentially, he laughed at me, and basically told me to take a jump in the lake. Maybe I should do that, and take my T6524 with me. Bottom line: it's a cheap computer, and a terrible value. Fan is loud. Application performance is poor-fair.
I absolutely wouldn't buy it again knowing what I know now: faulty parts, horrendous tech support and the worst customer service I've ever seen from a computer company. Avoid the eMachines T6524 unless you have lots of spare time to deal with hassles.
User Rating: 9/10
Great Performance PC!!!!
Pros: All-in-one PC
Cons: havent found one yet
User Rating: 
7/10
A Media Center computer with on-board video but no TV-out???
Pros: Plenty of memory; 939 socket; Expandable; Good service
Cons: NO S-VIDEO OR ANY OTHER TV -OUT CAPABILITY!
User Rating: 7/10
Good computer for such a low price. 1gig of ram is also very handy.
Pros: Cheap and kinda fast. Easy upgrading.
Cons: Built in video is not for serious gaming. Cheap speakers and ball mouse.
Once you buy this comp, upgrade the speakers and mouse (to an optical). If you are into serious gaming upgrade the vid card also (make sure you disable the built in stuff). I have had the built in video freeze up and make the monitor go blank many times. Have had problems with the built in NIC also, but a call to the customer service (suprised on helpful they really are - no complaints in that area) line fixed that (sent me another NIC card). If your gonna use broadband, toss the modem.
The hard drive can get noisy at some times. The bundled software that comes with it can slow the comp down. If you don't plan on using the stuff - uninstall it asap.
The built in sound card can get choppy at times. So you might want to save the sound card from your old computer (if you got one) and plug it into the eMachine.
Over all: For 600 (after rebate) it is a good deal. I normally would piece together my own computer ($1400ish), but my lack of funds made me buy a sensible one. Upgrading the T6524 should be no problem. With the money I saved I bought a 19in flat panel monitor for the eMachine (169 after rebate). So far so good. 16 days and just a few minor glitches.
Note: The vid problems that I have had are probably due to days of constant gaming by my kids.
User Rating: 9/10
The only computer I recommend
Pros: Great value
Cons: Poor peripherals
We went to a nearby Best Buy to get this computer and I compared it to all the other selections there. This one was a cheaper price than all the systems with comparable specs by an average of $90. We ended up buying the computer/moniter/printer bundle to save another $250. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have told them to buy the eMachines moniter.
eMachines is quite generous with their ports. With 7 USB ports and 2 firewire. However, their speakers and mouse are comparable to the lowest budget systems. But with the money you save, you can easily pay for these extras. The ones included match the computer, but the case isn't that eye-catching anyway.
The computer was set up and has been running for weeks now without any problem.
User Rating: 9/10
Great PC For the money
Pros: Fast, I have up graded this machine to 4 gigs. Wow!
Cons: Poor quality speakers, roller ball mouse
User Rating: 10/10
Amazing Value
Pros: Nice AMD / ATI based system, extra PCI Express slot for gamers, fast, fairly quiet, eMachines support is great
Cons: Speakers and Mouse are not good, I had better from prior upgrades, so they went to waste
User Rating: 9/10
30 days and zero defects
Pros: Price, Quality, Fast system, very expandable
Cons: Shared video memory
The system has an entry level MSI motherboard, but one that can be upgraded to a faster CPU as it is a Socket 939 board. Although the system comes with a disappointing 300 watt power supply, it is upgradeable as it uses a standard atx psu. I have already gone up to a 400 watt with no problem, a job that took about 3 minutes to accomplish. There is only one PCI-e slot, limiting the added video card to just one. An ATI X800XL with 256Mb of DDR3 RAM installed with ease and allows me to play current top level games to a digital flat panel monitor on full steam video, everything graphic-wise set to "Very High".
The included multimedia keyboard is full featured. The roller ball mouse is a disappointment in today's world of low cost optical mice, but easily remedied. Included software is the pretty standard mix of trial versions to McAfee and Norton, enough to keep you safe on the net until you upgrade them to full versions or install your own. The trial Microsoft Student/Teacher version of Office 2003 is a nice touch, giving you a feel for the program, and a chance to try it before buying it ... or installing your own if you have. Microsoft Works Suite is a full blown version, including all the tools you could ask for, and enough for most people to accomplish the same tasks they would do in the more powerful Office suite.
Going on 30 days, the system has been very stable and fast. High speed SBC DSL flies on this system, as it should, as it didn't on my previous PIII 866 MHz system. The two questions I called in for tech support about were quickly and adequately answered. The wait times were about 1 and 2 1/2 minutes. And best yet, even though they were toll calls, English was spoken on the other end. I'd rather pay for the phone call than end up off-shore with someone who can only answer from a script and then not be understood.
Overall, I am very happy with my change from Dell to eMachines. 5 years ago, I would not have given eMachines a second look. Today, I believe they have surpassed the cheap image with at least a quality system and excellent support. With a $50 mail-in rebate, and a $100 off any system in store sale, my system comes in at $499, an excellent starting point.
CNET stated in the review that the T6524 uses a slower processor than the previous system, which used the 200 MHz faster 3400+. This is true, but is a misconception of processor speed. The 3400+ goes into a Socket 754 board, which gives it a 64 bit memory controller. The 3500+ is a 939 Socket CPU, giving it a 128 bit memory controller. The 200 MHz is a misleading factor in this case as the memory controller is double the width in the 3500+. This would indeed make the 3500+ more efficient processing double the bits each clock cycle.
User Rating: 9/10
An EMachine to be proud of
Pros: More bang for the buck
Cons: Gamers will have to upgrade for high end performance
