[1LongTimeLurker]

hmm a 499 mac with no keyboard, mouse, monitor highly limited upgradeabilty or a $399 emachine with monitor, keyboard,mouse and easy upgradeabilty, decisions decisions...

Here's what $100 more buys you in the Mac:

• DVI video port
• FireWire port
• DVD reader
• Faster processor
• More usable memory
• Better video card
• iLife software (DVD creator, iMovie, Garage Band)
• Shorter warranty
• Virus free operating system
• More stable operating system

Keep in mind that the base eMachine comes with 256 MB of RAM, 64MB of which is used by the video card. The Mac has 32 MB of dedicated video memory and 256 MB of dedicated RAM. In addition, eMachines only gives you 90 days of anti-virus updates, after that you have to pay for it. With the Mac, there is no need to run an anti-virus application.

You really have to dig deeper under the hood when you make these comparisons.

[fo0hzy]

Free anti-virus software stinks of gimmicry. ANYONE can download Avast anti-virus for free.

The package doesn't live up to the cost.

[1LongTimeLurker]

Shorter warranty

That was a mistake on my part, they both come with a one-year warranty. eMachines actually offers longer phone support, one year versus 90 days for Apple.

[ThinkDifferent]

Here's what $100 more buys you in the Mac:

Plus a much smaller and quieter enclosure.

[aft_lizard]

k. DVI is built into almost all new computers now adays, firewire is not neaded by 90% of the people using computers. A mac mini maximum ram is only 1 gig, but at least it uses pc ram. THe mac mini uses a laptop hardrive, which is limited to 5200 rpm, not exactly what some video power user and editor really wants.

By the time you add a monitor and keyboard to a mac-mini, you could have upgraded the video card and ram on the emachine or just bought the $599 model, which has alot more expandibility and can have up to 4 gigs of ram and a faster processor more up to date and comes with a dvd-r/rw.

People looking to buy for less will always take a package with more to offer.

[Last Visible Dog]

Keep in mind that the base eMachine comes with 256 MB of RAM, 64MB of which is used by the video card. The Mac has 32 MB of dedicated video memory and 256 MB of dedicated RAM. In addition, eMachines only gives you 90 days of anti-virus updates, after that you have to pay for it. With the Mac, there is no need to run an anti-virus application.

The Mac Toy machine is running at speeds MS machines were running 3-4 years ago. Most modern PC's are running at 2.5+GHz - the cheezy Mac monitor-less, keyboard-less, mouse-less toy runs at 1.25 GHz.

Better video card

Wrong. The overpriced Mac Toy comes with an ATI Radeon 9200 w/32MB RAM - yesterday's news in the PC world. Most PC video cards have 128-256MB of memory. If you are comparing it to a $350 emachine - the emachine video card has twice the video memory of the Mac Toy.

Faster processor

I guess the calculator on your Mac does not work. The speed of the overpriced Mac Toy is 1.25 GHz. You can get a $359 emachine that has a 2.66 GHz processor. Even a Mac-Head should be able to do the math and see the emachine is cheaper and over twice as fast (and it's video card has twice the memory of the Mac Toy - and it's hard drive is 50% larger than the Mac Toy)

With the Mac, there is no need to run an anti-virus application.

You don't have to be computer illiterate to own a Mac, but it helps. Get a clue and try again.