The Bottom Line
Pros
- Extremely Inexpensive
- Includes 19-inch LCD Monitor
Cons
- Very Limited Performance
- Extremely Small Hard Drive
Description
- AMD Athlon 64 2650e Desktop Processor
- 1GB DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 18x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner With LabelFlash Support
- NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Integrated Graphics and eMachines E19T6W 19-inch LCD Monitor
- Integrated 7.1 Audio With Stereo Speakers
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet
- Seven USB 2.0, 14-in-1 Card Reader
- 10.7" x 4.2" x 15"
- Windows XP Home, Works, NTI DVD Maker, Norton 360
Guide Review - eMachines EL1200-06W Small Form Factor Desktop PC
Mar 27 2009 - The eMachines EL1200 series of desktop computers uses a smaller half-sized desktop computer case that helps reduce the overall cost and size of the system. Much of the cost savings though comes from the fact that the system uses older desktop PC components rather than more modern parts. This does make the system extremely affordable but at the cost of significant performance.
Take for instance the processor. The AMD Athlon 64 2650e is a single core desktop processor that has been on the market for many years and does not compare in terms of performance to even the lowest grade dual core desktop processor. Performance is much more on par with single core laptop CPU. Add to this the fact that the system only comes with a single gigabyte of memory and the system is going to be significantly slower. The only thing saving the performance is the use of the older Windows XP operating system that does not require as much memory.
Storage is very subpar for a desktop computer, even a small form factor PC. Most budget level PCs come equipped with a 500GB hard drive but the EL1200-06W comes with a very small 160GB hard drive that is what one can expect with a netbook sized drive. At least the system comes with a full sized desktop DVD burner and a multi-format flash card reader.
Graphics are extremely sub-par with an old NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE integrated processor. This processor isn't even really up to handling high definition movie streams let alone any sort of 3D graphics support. At least eMachines is including a 19-inch monitor with the system.
The net result is a computer that is really only suited for use as an internet browser and basic productivity software system akin to a nettop than a full fledge multimedia desktop PC.
