When I originally planned to do this article, I wanted to try and get a wide range of desktop computer systems that can be purchased for under $1000 without a monitor. Unfortunately I was only able to get a hold of two systems, eMachines' T2460 and Sony's VAIO PCV-RXA842. As it turns out, the two systems that I received have very similar specifications that allow for a direct comparison between the two computer systems. With that said, let's take a look at these two machines.

Specifications

Here are the manufacturer's specifications for each of the machines:

On the whole, the machines are very comparable when looking at the base hardware specifications. The Sony tops the eMachines system in a few areas such as total memory and drive space, but the eMachines comes equipped with a faster CD-RW drive. The Sony also has a bit more expansion capability for external devices with its USB 2.0 and Firewire ports standard. Just based on these specs, the Sony system seems to be the better choice, but let's look at these in more depth.

CPU, Memory and Drive Performance

Here is the breakdown of the benchmarks scores for each system in these categories:

Looking at the CPU scores, both systems are very close in their scores. The lower numbers from the eMachines system can be attributed to the fact that it has 256 MB of system memory compared to the 512 MB of memory in the Sony system. The difference is so slight that it wouldn't be noticed in most system applications.

For memory, the Sony system edges out the eMachines system by about 20% over the eMachines system. This is likely due to the dual-channel memory configuration of the nForce chipset used by the Sony system. There is also going to be a bit of difference from the amount of memory in each. Of course, the money saved on the eMachines system could allow one to greatly expand the amount of total memory to be higher than the Sony system.

The drive performance is a complete shock. The scores for the eMachines system are nearly double that of the drive used in the Sony computer. Sure, the Sony system offers 33% more drive space over the eMachines, but the performance difference is significant. This is going to be noticed by users when loading applications or using disk intensive applications such as video editing.

Graphics Performance

To be honest neither one of these systems is really suited for high performance graphics work. Just look at the scores from the benchmarks:

Sure the Sony outperforms the eMachines system in both of the benchmarks, but the scores from both are so low, that neither solution is adequate for any of the 3D games available today. If you are planning on using the computer for gaming, both systems will require the purchase of a separate 3D video card to improve performance.

As far as DVD playback on the two systems, both were able to playback just fine when the DVD player was running alone. If other applications are being run at the same time, each system showed frame rate drops that was noticeable. The eMachines was dropping more frames when multitasking and this is likely the result of its reduced memory.

Software

Overall, the Sony system comes with a bit more flushed out software application suite. The most notable areas are in the office suite and the multimedia capabilities. Corel's WordPerfect Office 2002 is a complete office suite that competes with Microsoft Office whereas Microsoft Works is a stripped down version of Office. Sony also includes a line of media specific applications suited for multimedia tasks such as desktop video and audio. The most notable application missing for both applications is the lack of any CD recording software suites.

Conclusions

There is no one clear winner between these two systems. I think the choice between the two systems depends greatly upon what the systems will be used for.

The Sony PCV-RXA842 system is the better choice for individuals who plan to use their computers for desktop video, photography or even audio applications. This is because Sony offers software to take advantage of these tasks as well as Sony's ability to connect to a wider range of devices through USB 2.0, Firewire and Sony's memory stick.

If the system is going to end up being a gaming platform, the eMachines T2460 system is the better choice. Its drive performance coupled with its price will allow for upgrading the video and memory components to allow it to perform far superior to the Sony system.

For general computing tasks, both systems will serve just fine. The Sony offers a bit more software applications from the start, but the eMachines is the better choice because of its price. The money saved from the initial purchase can allow the system to be upgraded to more memory and purchasing more robust application software for those missing programs.

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