No matter how you slice it, with low-end PCs, it's all about the bottom line. And no one has mastered the price/features value equation quite like eMachines. As Gateway's budget retail line, eMachines systems are available only through chains such as Circuit City and Best Buy, and only in fixed configurations. The $599 T6420 offers surprisingly deep features for a bargain-basement system, and it represents a better value than comparably priced Gateway counterparts, such as the DX100X. As shipped, the T6420 is a good entry-level or second system, and its expansion options mean it will have a longer lifespan than other budget boxes.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Currently eMachines' top-of-the-line system, the T6420 shares a basic black-and-gray aesthetic with its corporate big brother, Gateway. On the system's front panel, you'll find mic and headphone jacks, as well as a single USB 2.0 port and an 8-in-1 media card reader. In back are four additional USB 2.0 ports, additional audio jacks and even an old-school parallel port. Sadly, the T6420 does not include any FireWire ports.
Inside the T6420, you'll find 1GB of DDR RAM, a big 200GB hard drive, and a double-layer DVD burner. Two of the four DIMM slots are free, as is a single PCI slot and a PCIe x16 slot for upgrading to an aftermarket graphics card. The easy-to-open case features a fairly orderly interior, but stray cables blocked one of the free drive bays in our evaluation model.
Built on AMD's mainstream 2.2GHz Athlon 64 3400+ processor, the T6420 is not much of a speed demon, but the system is powerful enough for casual use. On the CNET Labs' SysMark 2004 application benchmark, the system delivered scores statistically even with both the Pentium 4 521-based Dell Dimension E310 and the Pentium 519-based Gateway DX200X. Compared with a system with AMD's budget Sempron 3400+ processor, the HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX, the T6420 enjoyed a 9 percent advantage.
Interestingly, last year's comparable eMachines system actually had a faster Athlon 3500+ processor. This means that since the previous generation, the fastest eMachines PC has lost CPU power and even slipped backward in terms of model numbers, from 6520 to 6420.
The T6420's integrated Nvidia GeForce 6100 graphics chip delivered acceptable DVD playback on a generic 17-inch LCD monitor, but it could not handle our 3D gaming tests. Adding a fully fledged 3D card to the available x16 PCI Express slot will allow it to play most current-generation games.
The eMachines T6420 uses Windows Media Center Edition as its operating system and comes with a generous package of bundled software, including Microsoft Works 8, CyberLink PowerDVD, Money 2005, and the company's proprietary system maintenance utility, eMachines BigFix.
The system does not come with a monitor, but eMachines sells three different monitor models, including a 17-inch LCD for $269 (after a $50 rebate). The included keyboard, mouse, and two-piece desktop speaker set are the cheapest imaginable, and they mark one of the few times in recent memory that we've seen a rollerball mouse.
Included documentation is sparse, but a detailed electronic user guide is preloaded on the hard drive. The one-year standard warranty includes phone support available seven days a week from 5 a.m. to midnight (PT), but it's a toll call. Live support chat via eMachines' Web site is available from 3 a.m. to midnight. eMachines also offers simple, affordable warranty upgrades via its Web site--while you can't add esoteric options, such as accidental-damage protection or data-retrieval services, the company does offer one- and two-year warranty extensions, which cost $99 and $139, respectively.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | BAPCo SysMark 2004 rating | Â Â | | SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating | Â Â | | SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating | Â Â |
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System configurations:
Dell Dimension E310
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2; 2.8GHz Intel Pentium 4 521; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; integrated Intel 915G graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; two WDC WD1600JS-75MHB0 160GB Serial ATA 7,200rpm; integrated Intel 82801FR SATA RAID Controller (RAID 0)
Dell Dimension E510
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2; 3.0GHz Intel Pentium 4 531; Intel 945G chipset; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X300 SE (PCIe); Maxtor 6L160M0 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
eMachines T6420
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3400+; Nvidia C51G (GeForce6100) chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated Nvidia GeForce 6100 graphics chip using 256MB shared memory; Seagate ST3200826A 200GB 7,200rpm IDE
Gateway DX200X
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.06GHz Pentium 4 519; Intel 915G chipset; 5124MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; integrated Intel 915G graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 7,200rpm SATA
HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.0GHz AMD Sempron 3400+; ATI Radeon RS480 chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip using 256MB shared memory; Seagate ST3160021A 160GB 7,200rpm EIDE