Entered CNET Catalog: 07/26/2005
SKU: T6520
Manufacturer: eMachines
Manufacturer description
The T6520 Desktop PC provides a cutting-edge entertainment and gaming experience. A 64-bit processor and PCI EXPRESS graphics ensure amazing performance when playing the latest 3D games and running advanced digital-media applications. Get the power and functionality you'll need to enjoy the ultimate multimedia experience, all at a surprisingly affordable price.Product summary
The good: Great deal for the money; x16 PCI Express slot allows for future graphics upgrades; 1GB of memory; double-layer DVD burner; respectable application performance.
The bad: Fixed configuration; only two DIMM slots; wimpy speakers; grainy DVD playback; eMachines offers only 15-inch LCD panels.
The bottom line: The versatile, expandable, reasonably powerful eMachines T6520 is a solid family computer and a perfect dorm-room companion that gets mainstream jobs done with aplomb.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 08/03/2005
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 $920 ($650 without monitor) eMachines T6520 Media Center PC.
The T6520 we evaluated is actually the highest-end model in eMachines' current four-model fall lineup--indicating just how deep into budget country we've ventured. Like its brothers, the T6520 is available only through retail chains such as Circuit City and Best Buy, and in only one fixed configuration. All four 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 2.4GHz Athlon 64 3400+ processor, the eMachines T6520 Media Center PC delivers impressive application performance for this class of system. In testing, it ran circles around the more expensive sub-$1,000 PC roundup. The T6520 also held its own against the Editors' Choice-winning iBuyPower Value-Pro, falling only a few points short of the iBuyPower machine on our SysMark 2004 test.
Nonetheless, the T6520 didn't fare well on CNET Labs' 3D-gaming benchmarks, although low-cost PCs rarely do. Its integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip handled our 1,024x768 resolution Unreal Tournament 2003 test with a passable 42.1 frames per second (fps). On our 1,024x768 Half-Life 2 test, the T6520 managed only 10.2fps--an unplayable clip by any standard. We don't recommend the T6520 for gaming as is; 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. There is one expansion drawback: the T6520's motherboard has only two DIMM slots, and both come filled (with, we must mention, a healthy 1GB of RAM). If you ever want to add more memory, you'll first have to discard one of the 512MB sticks that came with the system--a less than ideal solution.
On the outside of the T6520, 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 T6520 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).
The price of our review system included the 15-inch eMachines E15T4 LCD monitor, a bright, if small, display with a native 1,024x768 resolution and an intuitive OSD menu with side-mounted buttons. While the graphics chip inside the T6520 can drive a big monitor at resolutions up to 2,048x1,536, the video fidelity was lacking. We found DVD playback grainy, although at least it didn't drop frames or create a jerky image.
As its name implies, the eMachines T6520 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 T6520 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 T6520's aesthetically pleasing image.
eMachines includes the Microsoft Works 8.0 productivity suite, Microsoft Money 2005 accounting 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. Support hours run from 5 a.m. to midnight PT, seven days a week.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo's SysMark 2004 rating | |
SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating | |
SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating |
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1,024x768 with no antialiasing and no anisotropic filtering |
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
eMachines T6520 Media Center PC
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
Gateway 5310S
Windows XP Home SP2; 3.06GHz Intel Pentium 4 519; Intel 915GV chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated Intel 915GV graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 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; Western Digital WD1600JD-98HBB0 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Shuttle XPC K6200h
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.8GHz Intel Celeron D 335; ATI 9100IGP chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI 9100 graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Western Digital WD1600JB-00GVA0 160GB 7,200rpm EIDE
ZT Group Pro A7055
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3400+; Via K8T800 chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB Nvidia GeForce4 MX 400 AGP; Western Digital WD2000JB-00GVC0 200GB 7,200rpm EIDE
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 User Rating: 
10/10
Excellent Machine-4 years old and still going strong
Pros: Processor is extremely fast and does everything I want to do. I maxed RAM with another gig. Added ATI Radeon X1500 video card and Soundblaster Audigy 4 with Boston Digital speakers. Makes for one great media machine. Mic/audio out on front is great!
Cons: 2 gig RAM limit; crappy speakers; unit runs a bit loud for my tastes and could stand a better sound insulating case
User Rating: 
9/10
Great machine that has served all my needs.
Pros: Fast enough for just about everything I throw at it, upgradeable, clean, lots of expansion ports, good basic software package.
Cons: Have to burn your own restore CD's
User Rating: 
8/10
Affordable, Expanable
Pros: Athlon 3400+ OEM, Quiet, Large HDD
Cons: Wimpy PSU, Crappy Speakers
For you tech people: This has a 3400 OEM that is actually Socket 939; retailers do not sell this processor in stores. Socket 939=Future Upgradability if need be.
Ram runs in dual channel to a max of 4GB.
PCI-Express card add on for this price is amazing, just be sure to upgrade the PSU on this thing if you're intending to do some quality gaming on this machine.
For the best bang for your buck ratio, this computer is king. Good for family+good for the gamer who wants the most gaming possible out of a PC with the least amount of effort and money.
This thing also has the nforce410MCP, which features the 6100 integrated. This built-in graphics card can be disabled once you get a decent graphics card. Without upgrading, this computer on its on can handle games from 2004 and behind with ease, but 2005+ games will probably chug along without some investment in graphics.
User Rating: 
7/10
Good Base Unit
Pros: Powerful processor, good amount of disk space and RAM
Cons: Customer service is terrible, weak video capabilities
I have had some Windows issues (which is to be expected with just about any PC). Unfortunately the eMachines tech support people seemed to know less about computers than I did so they were little help in diagnosing my problem. If you buy an eMachines computer be ready to troubleshoot all problems on your own, their solution to everything seems to be the restore function.
User Rating: 9/10
Exellent affordable loaded computer.
Pros: Nice appearance, right hardware*, meets most requirements one would need for cost.
Cons: No media center video card or available from eMachine parts department.
Note: We bought 3 orignal eMachine eOnes(like a iMac) six years ago and they still work. (a lawsuit Apple should have lost, a true case of apples and oranges) That eone reliability prompted us to buy a eMachine again. "eMachine get rid of your Gateway support"
User Rating: 9/10
Amazing Machine!
Pros: Great Gaming card, speedy, and reliable.
Cons: If you use both free trials mcafee and norton their firewalls interfere with eachother!
User Rating: 8/10
You may not think it, but this thing is really sweet
Pros: Nice package and specs with a really nice price!
Cons: Does not have the TV Tuner included, gotta add that in, bummer!
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent value
Pros: Big hard drive,fast AMD athlon processor,fast DVD/CD burner,tons of RAM
Cons: cheap speakers,hard to access Memory stick duo cards,
The few bad things i found were that it is almost impossible to take out memory stick duo cards.i have to use tweezers to pull them out and the speakers are pretty cheap.overall for a home pc i think this is one of the best and affordable ones and the market
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent!
Pros: Very strong system
Cons: Better speakers are needed. Memory card reader needs to also handle xD cards
User Rating: 7/10
Fairly Packed for a Budget Media/Gaming Machine
Pros: Great Athlon 64 Processor, 200GB Seagate HDD also SATA Compatible, DVD-Burner runs heck fast, Media Center OS 2005, Good Intergrated Graphics with x16 Express Slot
Cons: Very Noisy while playing games and media productivity, Lots of Garbage Software installed that ruin performance, Cheap chassis parts, Horrible Recovery CD Maker Software
So I bought it and I was dissapointed on the chassis quality, upgrading my secondary HDD took ages when I had to pry open the case cover to the computer's inside and I also find one stripped bolt being attached at the primary HDD. I got around those problems by able to remove the strip bolt with a big screwdriverand replacing with one of my own screws and practiced opening and closing the case.
The Nero burning software and Cyberlink DVD software is cool and easy to use but the Norton and Macafee security software screw up my computer badly and really destroys performance. I deleted both and got Spybot and my current MacAfee VirusScan 9.0 installed instead with Windows firewall. Performance improved within the next reboot.
I also put a Radeon X600 on the x16 slot and graphics became even better and performance improved and the games ran smoothly like BF2 but it freqently overheats and is noisy when playing games, which I now got used to.
The Recovery software sucks too by only letting you make one copy of the recovery CD which sucks cause I always lose CD's but I have the Recovery CD's right now in my shelf nearby.
Overall a great machine in my opinion. It is a budget PC so quality isn't the best but for me I was able to fix them all and the computer is great for mid-end gaming and media using and the OS is just superb!!! If you are in a budget but want a machine with a lot of performance, this is the one tuly if you are ready for some quality flaws.
The CPU of the T6520 is a 734 Socket, but after recent debate on the CNET and other tech forums, I did some research to see if the T6520 is a 939-Socket or a 724-Socket computer. Turns out, it is a 939-Socket Motherboard but to reduce the cost of making the computer, uses a 734-Socket CPU. This computer can be upgraded to a Athlon 64 4000+
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent value for the money
Pros: Fast processor, plenty of ram, excellent DVD burner, Excellent port availability
Cons: Slow hard drive, Older 754 CPU socket (Not upgradeable with the latest Athlons)
