Get a new eMachines laptop for $349.99
Hard to believe you can buy a new, full-featured notebook for just $349.99.
(Credit: CompUSA)What's better than the $299 Dell Inspiron 15n laptop I posted a couple weeks ago? If you can scrounge up an extra 50 bucks, you'll get more bang from the $349.99 eMachines eME625-5192.
For openers, this is a new lappie, not a refurb. That's a rare find for less than $400, let alone for less than $350. No rebates, either. Shipping will run you just $1.99.
It's pretty well stocked, too, including a 1.6GHz Athlon 64 TF-20 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a DVD burner. It has a 15.6-inch screen, a 5-in-1 memory card reader, and a travel weight of about 6 pounds.
It also includes a six-cell battery; the Dell had a four-cell. The Dell also had less RAM, a smaller hard drive, and Linux as its operating system. eMachines bundles Vista Home Basic--blech, right?
My recommendation: Install the free Windows 7 Release Candidate and enjoy that until next March. Then you can decide if you want to buy the OS outright, switch to Linux, go back to Vista Home Basic, or whatever.
If this was a refurb, I'd be calling it a mighty sweet deal. Given that it's new and comes with a full, one-year warranty, forget deal: it's a steal.
Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, is the author of more than a dozen books. In addition to writing CNET's The Cheapskate blog, he oversees BNET's Business Hacks. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers. Follow Rick on Twitter at cheapskateblog. 
Cheers.
I have an idea. How about if Michael Dell sells off the company and give the money back to the shareholders. ;-)
-I used it to travel for a bit, I went from US to India, europe, and some travel inside the US. So within months it developed cracks on the hinges for the lcd display. It never broke off as I gave it desk duty after two years of using to travel. I bought a lighter laptop two years ago for my travels.
- the other thing is that it had a temperature sensor problem, or so I guess, that would shutdown the laptop at power up 1 out of three times I turned it on. this problem showed up withing the first month after I bought it. I lived with it until it broke down completely, I send it back to them for repair and since them it is working better.
So, yes it is an OK laptop, it had some cheap build choices, such as the weak hinges. But ohter than that it runs windows xp ok. And like I said, it still runs to this day. And as long as keep it on desk duty, it should last me a year or two more.
I've been told that if you print very infrequently, that HP printers are your best choice because the print head is sort of in the cartridges. Don't know if that's true.
Then there's Kodak, their ink is much less expensive and lasts longer. If you print a lot, and I do mean a lot, laser printers are more cost effective. Toner is much less expensive per sheet printed than inkjet ink.
Awesome deal. I jumped on it. Thanks for the heads up Rick.
- by SilentSkies2889 June 16, 2009 5:49 PM PDT
- "Quote from spamblocker: I have had two eMachines desktops. They were both absolutely junk and any money I saved up front was quickly eaten up by upgrades, repairs and replacement parts. Save yourself money and a mountain of headaches by going to a reputable manufacturer. eMachines is so bad I will not even by Compaq, the company that purchased eMachines, for fear their shoddy products have infected the new parent."
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (39 Comments)WTH? get your facts straight, maybe because they were junk to you because you didn't know how to use them. Compaq is owned by HP. eMachines is owned by ACER/Gateway.