AMD 64 Notebook eMachines M6805 - Please comment

I am looking for opinions regarding this notebook:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....kuId=62 49703
(some selected text also pasted below)

My questions.

1. General impressions of this notebook. Reliability, quality, etc.

2. I would like to immediately upgrade it to Windows XP
Professional/Redhat Fedora x86_64 Core 2. Anyone have experience with
these OS choices on this platform?

3. Best Buy price of $1099 looks pretty good, what other sources could
be better and as trustworthy?

Thanks.



For those reluctant to click an embedded link, here is some text from
the Best Buy linked referenced above:

eMachines Notebook with Mobile AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor 3000+
Model: M6805

The cutting-edge 64-bit platform gives you phenomenal power for your
mobile digital lifestyle today and your 64-bit software tomorrow.


Mobile AMD Athlon™ 64 processor 3000+* with 64-bit platform for
improved multitasking performance; 1600MHz system bus with
HyperTransport™ Technology



512MB PC2700 DDR SoDIMM for multitasking power



DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive

I have never recommended a e-m and will never There is a saying you buy
cheep you buy twice.
I recommend when buying a notebook don't buy it for price or features But
service, all laptops will need parts and service a true fact and how hard
will it be to get them for small builders and how long will you wait?
IBM, HP, Toshiba are the ones I recommend.
Someone has to be on the bottom quality wise so you decide Go to Goggle and
type in the company and problems and trouble before deciding.


"MC" wrote in message
newsdbdd.269131$MQ5.242941@attbi_s52...
I am looking for opinions regarding this notebook:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....kuId=62 49703
(some selected text also pasted below)

My questions.

1. General impressions of this notebook. Reliability, quality, etc.

2. I would like to immediately upgrade it to Windows XP
Professional/Redhat Fedora x86_64 Core 2. Anyone have experience with
these OS choices on this platform?

3. Best Buy price of $1099 looks pretty good, what other sources could be
better and as trustworthy?

Thanks.



For those reluctant to click an embedded link, here is some text from the
Best Buy linked referenced above:

eMachines Notebook with Mobile AMD AthlonT 64 Processor 3000+
Model: M6805

The cutting-edge 64-bit platform gives you phenomenal power for your
mobile digital lifestyle today and your 64-bit software tomorrow.


Mobile AMD AthlonT 64 processor 3000+* with 64-bit platform for improved
multitasking performance; 1600MHz system bus with HyperTransportT
Technology



512MB PC2700 DDR SoDIMM for multitasking power



DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 19:35:37 +0000, Strings. wrote:

I have never recommended a e-m and will never There is a saying you buy
cheep you buy twice.
I recommend when buying a notebook don't buy it for price or features But
service, all laptops will need parts and service a true fact and how hard
will it be to get them for small builders and how long will you wait?
IBM, HP, Toshiba are the ones I recommend.
Someone has to be on the bottom quality wise so you decide Go to Goggle and
type in the company and problems and trouble before deciding.

If anyone actually made their own laptops this might be true but they
don't. Everyone OEMs their laptops from the same couple of Taiwanese
manufacturers. No one does their own service either, they all farm that
out to a common set of service companies. E-Machines/Gateway is getting
their laptops from the same place as Dell, IBM and HP and if you buy a
service contract it will be handled by the same people. I admit that when
you say E-Machines I don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling either but
objectively it's probably just as good as a major brand.

"MC" wrote in message
newsdbdd.269131$MQ5.242941@attbi_s52...
|I am looking for opinions regarding this notebook:
|
|
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....kuId=62 49703
| (some selected text also pasted below)
|

I currently own an m6809 and love it. The main differences between the m6805
and m6809 is CPU (3200+), DVD burner, and HD (80GB).

| My questions.
|
| 1. General impressions of this notebook. Reliability, quality, etc.

There is a problem with the hinge covers cracking (purely cosmetic, but
irritatiing). eMachines is accepting full responsibility for the problem and
repairing it at no charge including overnight shipping. Aside from that, no
issues here.

|
| 2. I would like to immediately upgrade it to Windows XP
| Professional/Redhat Fedora x86_64 Core 2. Anyone have experience with
| these OS choices on this platform?

XP Pro goes without a hitch, of course. The kernel is the same as XP home,
so there won't be any issues. I have never performed an "upgrade", but
installed from scratch. I never trust doing an "upgrade". The Original BIOS
in the m6805 has some issues with some Linux releases. Later BIOSes fix
these issues. If you choose to run 64-bit (Linux or Microsoft), there are no
wireless drivers.

|
| 3. Best Buy price of $1099 looks pretty good, what other sources could
| be better and as trustworthy?
|
If you buy from Best Buy and you can afford it, it may be worth it to
purchase the Best Buy extended warranty. That machine is on what is called
"DEVO" status, and is replaced (even with another model or brand) if
anything goes wrong (including the aforementioned hinge cover cracks).

You can find lots of threads on this series of machines at
notebookforums.com under the Gateway/eMachines section.

"Strings." wrote in message
news:d0edd.21123$cr4.3564@edtnps84...
|I have never recommended a e-m and will never There is a saying you buy
| cheep you buy twice.
| I recommend when buying a notebook don't buy it for price or features But
| service, all laptops will need parts and service a true fact and how hard
| will it be to get them for small builders and how long will you wait?
| IBM, HP, Toshiba are the ones I recommend.
| Someone has to be on the bottom quality wise so you decide Go to Goggle
and
| type in the company and problems and trouble before deciding.
|

The machine is made by Arima. FWIW, you can buy the exact same machine from
voodoo for twice the price. Using your practice, that means the one with a
voodoo tag on it twice as good, even though it is the same machine form the
same assembly line with the same parts.

If anyone actually made their own laptops this might be true but they
don't. Everyone OEMs their laptops from the same couple of Taiwanese
manufacturers. No one does their own service either, they all farm that
out to a common set of service companies. E-Machines/Gateway is getting
their laptops from the same place as Dell, IBM and HP and if you buy a
service contract it will be handled by the same people. I admit that when
you say E-Machines I don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling either but
objectively it's probably just as good as a major brand.



Jeap
Same Hardware, Different plastic covers
and special stickers to boot.
I hear those same tiwan companys will sell direct too (if you get through to
the right people)

Wrong most come from China not Taiwan and they do not all come from the same
few supplier, Fool yourself if you must. Its not where they come from it the
quality of parts used and they are not all the same there are 50+ makers of
laptop mainboards to OEMs service and quality is different for each
manufacture. Some have their own plants some contract and specify what
quality of parts used. As I said you buy cheep you buy twice.


"General Schvantzkoph" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 19:35:37 +0000, Strings. wrote:

I have never recommended a e-m and will never There is a saying you buy
cheep you buy twice.
I recommend when buying a notebook don't buy it for price or features But
service, all laptops will need parts and service a true fact and how hard
will it be to get them for small builders and how long will you wait?
IBM, HP, Toshiba are the ones I recommend.
Someone has to be on the bottom quality wise so you decide Go to Goggle
and
type in the company and problems and trouble before deciding.

If anyone actually made their own laptops this might be true but they
don't. Everyone OEMs their laptops from the same couple of Taiwanese
manufacturers. No one does their own service either, they all farm that
out to a common set of service companies. E-Machines/Gateway is getting
their laptops from the same place as Dell, IBM and HP and if you buy a
service contract it will be handled by the same people. I admit that when
you say E-Machines I don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling either but
objectively it's probably just as good as a major brand.

Same plant does not mean same quality of parts used, Dodge had three
different cars and a van come out of the same plant they are not the same
now are they. Eyes Open

"Thunder PC" wrote in message
.. .

"Strings." wrote in message
news:d0edd.21123$cr4.3564@edtnps84...
|I have never recommended a e-m and will never There is a saying you buy
| cheep you buy twice.
| I recommend when buying a notebook don't buy it for price or features
But
| service, all laptops will need parts and service a true fact and how
hard
| will it be to get them for small builders and how long will you wait?
| IBM, HP, Toshiba are the ones I recommend.
| Someone has to be on the bottom quality wise so you decide Go to Goggle
and
| type in the company and problems and trouble before deciding.
|

The machine is made by Arima. FWIW, you can buy the exact same machine
from
voodoo for twice the price. Using your practice, that means the one with a
voodoo tag on it twice as good, even though it is the same machine form
the
same assembly line with the same parts.

Different quality of parts in each different laptop at the same plants and
most are from China not Taiwan.

"rstlne" wrote in message
...
If anyone actually made their own laptops this might be true but they
don't. Everyone OEMs their laptops from the same couple of Taiwanese
manufacturers. No one does their own service either, they all farm that
out to a common set of service companies. E-Machines/Gateway is getting
their laptops from the same place as Dell, IBM and HP and if you buy a
service contract it will be handled by the same people. I admit that when
you say E-Machines I don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling either but
objectively it's probably just as good as a major brand.



Jeap
Same Hardware, Different plastic covers
and special stickers to boot.
I hear those same tiwan companys will sell direct too (if you get through
to
the right people)

"Strings." wrote in message
news:Bthdd.17981$_u6.12135@edtnps89...
| Same plant does not mean same quality of parts used, Dodge had three
| different cars and a van come out of the same plant they are not the same
| now are they. Eyes Open

Oh, so I guess Arima uses all the notebooks for a few weeks and the ones
with problems they send to eMachines. The ones that didn't have problems
they send to voodoo. Yeah, that's it.
|
| "Thunder PC" wrote in message
| .. .
|
| "Strings." wrote in message
| news:d0edd.21123$cr4.3564@edtnps84...
| |I have never recommended a e-m and will never There is a saying you
buy
| | cheep you buy twice.
| | I recommend when buying a notebook don't buy it for price or features
| But
| | service, all laptops will need parts and service a true fact and how
| hard
| | will it be to get them for small builders and how long will you wait?
| | IBM, HP, Toshiba are the ones I recommend.
| | Someone has to be on the bottom quality wise so you decide Go to
Goggle
| and
| | type in the company and problems and trouble before deciding.
| |
|
| The machine is made by Arima. FWIW, you can buy the exact same machine
| from
| voodoo for twice the price. Using your practice, that means the one with
a
| voodoo tag on it twice as good, even though it is the same machine form
| the
| same assembly line with the same parts.
|
|
|
|