Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Generally excellent home computer for family use
First off, I believe Apple has fixed the monitor problem. Mine has worked flawlessly since purchase a couple of weeks ago. In fact, the monitor is one of the best things this computer has going for it. Flat, sharp, clear, excellent color, and 17".The eMac is an excellent computer for home and family use. People may complain that this machine is underpowered -- I disagree. In my opinion, given the market this machine is supposed to address (home and education), the price/performance ratio can't be beat. This is good and plenty computer for the cost, even when compared to Windows machines intended to compete in that same market. The 700 mhz G4 is plenty fast for most uses -- most people don't do complicated Photoshop work, for example, and if you do, you wouldn't be looking at a low-end consumer machine anyway. My guess is that the speed compares roughly to a 1.5 ghz Pentium 4. The GeForce2 video card is probably out of date, and 32 megs VRAM is on the low end. However, the eMac handles all games currently released with aplomb. I've played Wolfenstein, Max Payne, Red Faction, Undying on it at high detail settings (but not maxed), with perfectly playable, reasonably fluid framerates. And the games look great on the flat-screen monitor. I suspect that this computer has at least six months to a year before gaming obsolescence. If gaming is your thing, check out the 17' flat-screen iMac at twice the price. The casual gamer will do just fine with an eMac. The existence of two firewire ports means that this machine will handle high-speed peripherals without problems. Apple's included applications for burning CD's and DVD's and putting together home movies are the easiest, most intuitive, and best available for home use. OS X lives up to its reputation for stability and ease of use. I have experienced almost no program crashes, but when I did, it didn't take the whole system with them. Quit the program and continue on your way. Downsides are that you are probably fixed where internal components are concerned (except RAM). Processor and videocard are soldered onto the motherboard and thus not upgradeable. Hard drive and optical drive are probably upgradeable, but the machine is [hard] to crack open. I've been inside many different macs, and I wouldn't risk opening this one if you paid me. You will also need to upgrade RAM out of the box. Get at least 256 megs extra. Luckily, RAM is cheap. ... RAM is user-installable through a special opening in the bottom of the computer. The specs on this machine are the equivalent of the two lower-end flat-screen iMacs. The only difference is price, monitor, the type of RAM accepted, and the ease with which you can upgrade RAM. I personally think the CRT monitor is better than the flat-screen, and bigger too, so I believe the eMac is the better value. The eMac is absolutely fine in every way, as far as I'm concerned. It is good but not outstanding for specialized purposes (gamers, media professionals may want more horsepower or upgradeable machines). But, it is PERFECT for the use for which it was intended. Families and students will be more than satisfied with price, performance, and appearance. I bought a tilt-swivel stand and iSub subwoofer too. Indispensible additions. The iSub does wonders for the sound, and the tilt-swivel stand does wonders for ergonomics.
Rating:  - Try the iMac instead
I've just become the less-than-proud (and certainly much-less-than satisfied) owner of this eMac model.The good news: It's easy to set up. Plays DVDs great. Takes up less space than you'd expect from a machine with a 17" monitor. And the ability to switch between OS9 and OSX is useful. But. The cooling fan is loud. Very loud. As someone who has personally used just about every Macintosh model that I can think of (ranging from Classics, Quadras and Performas, through iMacs of various generations, right up to dual processor G4 systems), I can safely say that it's the noisiest Mac I've come across. In a quiet room, the fan is easily audible from a distance of 10 feet. If you have a household / classroom full of kids, this might not be too bad, but if you're the type who likes to work in peace, or late at night...maybe not. Like jail and broccoli, it's probably something you can get used to once you've been exposed to it long enough. But why subject customers to such a glaring design flaw in the first place? The older Macs have always been among the quietest computers available. A more serious problem: my eMac came bundled with display problems. Apple's promotional literature describes the CRT display as 'gorgeous'. And so it would be, except that the bottom left-hand corner of mine is overlaid with a dirty blue tint. A bit of browsing around the net revealed that the eMac has been plagued with display glitches since it hit the market. While no manufacturer is infallible, this seems to have been a persistent
problem for several months, and has been acknowledged (although evidently not solved) by Apple. (For more information, check out the discussion forums at Apple.com.) My dealer claimed that new shipments were OK, but well, obviously not. My advice to the prospective Mac owner? Buy the flat-panel iMac instead (almost the same base specs for the 700MHz model, but a bit more expensive) as it has had fewer problems. I'd have done the same thing, but it's a bit too late now, and the result of my folly is sitting nearby, humming. Loudly. (I've just previewed my review. Choosing the 'keep me anonymous' option has automatically rendered me a 'PC Hardware Fan'. I'm not, by any means. I'm just waiting for Apple to restore my faith, after 10 years of pretty good experiences...and one bad one.)
Rating:  - Excellent for home or home office
I am graphic designer, with experience on both Mac G4 towers and Windows. At the office, I use Windows XP loaded with all the high-end stuff (Photoshop, FrameMaker, Illustrator, Freehand, Quark, PageMaker, Office...you name it, I'm probably using it). At home, I have a freelance graphics business wherein I design and produce coffee table books; averaging 400+ photos over 300+ pages. At home, I have 3 Macs (an 800MHz G4 dual processor, iBook, and an eMac--all networked via Airport wireless). All similarly loaded (Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, Quark, PageMaker, Office.X). I can honestly say that the eMac is the hub of all my frelance activity and home use (the kids run all their games from this machine; Baldur's Gate I & II, Dark Forces, etc.). We're connected to the internet via DSL. This machine has not given me one minute worth of problem. All the applications run more error free than on my G4, or on my Windows machine at the office. And the display on the 17" flat CRT is exquisite. Sorry to hear the others who had difficulties with their machine. My experience with the eMac has been nothing but positive.
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