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Low End Mac's Best Deals

Best eMac Deals

2009.10.23 - updated monthly

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If you need a desktop Mac and don't need G5 or Intel power, expansion slots, or a resolution higher than 1280 x 960, the eMac could be just right for you. Our opinion of the eMac (somewhat dated) is summarized in The 2005 eMac and iMac Value Equation, and we've used several at Low End Mac headquarters.

If you want to run Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", be sure to buy an eMac with a Combo drive or SuperDrive, as Tiger usually comes on DVD. If you want a SuperDrive eMac, you'll probably save money by buying a CD-ROM or Combo drive model and upgrading it yourself with a 16x or faster DVD burner, assuming you're comfortable working inside a computer (eMacs are big, heavy, and a bit tricky). OWC has 20x drives starting below $40.

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is supported on all 867 MHz and faster G4 Macs with at least 512 MB of RAM and the ability to run the DVD-based installer. Leopard can be installed on 700 MHz and 800 MHz eMacs using various workarounds. See Unsupported Leopard Installation for details.

The eMac 2004 eMacs (mostly 1.25 GHz) are the best used values and have Radeon 9200 graphics with 32 MB of video memory and 80 GB or larger hard drives. 2005 eMacs have Radeon 9600 graphics, which makes the 1.42 GHz models even better for gaming. The 2004 and 2005 models are the only ones with USB 2.0, and they support up to 2 GB of RAM, so we recommend them over the earlier models with USB 1.1 and a 1 GB memory ceiling.

Regardless of which eMac you choose, we recommend at least 512 MB of memory to unleash the power of OS X - more if you have multiple users, run a lot of programs at once, or depend on Classic mode.

Adding 512 MB to the base RAM makes for a very perky system. Going to a gig is better yet, the USB 2.0 eMacs support up to 2 GB, and installing memory is trivial.

Ground shipping may add $30 to $70 or more to your final price. Used Macs usually include a 90 day warranty. Prices may be limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos. Please email any corrections or additional sources with competitive prices to. Dan Knight

Best Used SuperDrive eMac Prices

VERY HOT 1 GHz Combo, $100, Mac of All Trades
1 GHz SD, $200, MegaMacs
VERY HOT 1.25 GHz Combo, $119, Adopt a Mac
1.25 GHz SD, $339 shipped, Power Max
VERY HOT 1.42 GHz Combo, $150, Mac of All Trades
1.42 GHz SD, $498, Mac-Pro

Recent Memory Prices

PC100 (2002 eMacs): 128 MB, $7.89; 256 MB, $10; 512 MB, $23.10
PC133 (2002/03 eMacs): 128 MB, $5; 256 MB, $9.99; 512 MB, $19.99
PC2700 (2004/05 eMacs): 256 MB, $7; 512 MB, $14.89; 1 GB; $30.99

Best Mac OS Prices

Best Classic Mac OS Deals
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals
Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals
Best Mac OS X 10.5 and Deals (requires 512 MB of RAM and DVD compatible drive)

Unless otherwise noted, there is no surcharge for credit card purchases, and shipping is not included. Since the eMac weighs 50 pounds (about 65 pounds boxed), shipping can be a big factor.

Vendors are listed in alphabetical order. Buying through some of these links benefits Low End Mac. Buying at these prices benefits you.

Profiles

USB 1.1, 1 GB maximum RAM

eMac 2002 (700/800 MHz): 700/800 MHz, 128/256 MB PC100 RAM, GeForce2 MX 3D graphics, supports AirPort.
eMac 2003 (800 MHz/1 GHz): 800 MHz/1 GHz, 128/256 MB PC133 RAM, Radeon 7500 graphics, supports AirPort Extreme.

USB 2.0, 2 GB maximum RAM

eMac 2004 (1 GHz CD/1.25 GHz): 1/1.25 GHz, 256 MB PC2700 RAM, Radeon 9200 graphics, supports AirPort Extreme.
eMac 2005 (1.42 GHz): 1.42 GHz, 256/512 MB PC2700 RAM (2 GB max), Radeon 9600 graphics, supports AirPort Extreme. Good for gaming.

Note: The CD and "no CD" eMacs do not include a modem, nor does Apple offer the modem separately. If you wish to use one of these eMacs with dialup access, you'll need to buy an external USB modem. (Apple now sells one for US$49.)

Models are sorted by CPU speed. We have noted whether a mouse and keyboard are included or not when the dealer has included this information.

Adopt a Mac

Ground shipping may add $30 or more.

1.25 GHz Combo, 512/40, keyboard, mouse, OS X 10.4 installed, $119

DV Warehouse

Ground shipping may add $67 or more.

700 MHz CD, 256/40, keyboard, mouse, $139
1 GHz CD, 512/40, keyboard, mouse, $149
1.25 GHz Combo, 512/40, keyboard, mouse, $229
1.42 GHz Combo, 512/80, keyboard, mouse, $349
AirPort Card, $39
AirPort Extreme Card, $58

Mac of All Trades

Ground shipping may add $40 or more. Mac of all Trades has the highest product turnover among dealers we track.

1 GHz Combo, 512/40, keyboard, mouse, $99.99
1.42 GHz Combo, 512/80, keyboard, mouse, $149.99

Mac-Pro

Ground shipping may add $49 or more.

1.25 GHz Combo, 512/40, $239.77
1.42 GHz SD, 512/160, $497.77

MacResource

Ground shipping may add $30 or more.

700 MHz CD, 128/40, $249.99 (add $20 for CD-RW, $70 for Combo, $120 for SD)
800 MHz CD, 128/40, $299.99 (add $20 for CD-RW, $50 for Combo, $85 for SD)
1 GHz Combo, 256/40, $369.99 (add $65 for SD)
1.25 GHz Combo, 256/40, $399.99 (add $65 for SD)

MegaMacs

Ground shipping can add $47 or more. 30 day warranty.

700 MHz CD-RW, 512/40, $134.99
1 GHz SD, 512/80, $199.99

Power Max

Free shipping on orders over $100. USB keyboards from $26, and lots of mice, many below $20. Power Max has the broadest selection of used Macs among dealers we track.

700 MHz CD-RW, 384/40, no keyboard, $189 shipped
700 MHz Combo, 256/40, no keyboard, $249 shipped
800 MHz SD, 256/60, no keyboard, $309 shipped
1 GHz Combo, 128/60, no keyboard, $259 shipped
1 GHz SD, 256/80, no keyboard, $289 shipped
1.25 GHz Combo, 512/40, no keyboard, $269 shipped
1.25 GHz SD, 512/40, no keyboard, $339 shipped
lots of other configurations listed

Wegener Media

Ground shipping may add $35 or more. 60 day warranty. Keyboard and mouse not included, $18.99 extra.

700 MHz CD, 256/40, $99.99
700 MHz CD-RW, 256/40, $144.99
700 MHz Combo, 256/40, $164.99
800 MHz CD, 256/40, $159.99
1 GHz CD, 256/40, $189.99
1.25 GHz Combo, 256/40, $289.99
1.25 GHz SD, 256/60, $359.99
tilt/swivel base, $9.99 with eMac purchase

We Love Macs

Ground shipping may add $70 or more.

700 MHz CD-RW, 256/40, keyboard, mouse, $349.95
800 MHz CD, 256/40, keyboard, mouse, $399.95
800 MHz SD, 256/40, keyboard, mouse, $479.95
1 GHz Combo, 256/40, keyboard, mouse, $479.95
1.25 GHz SD, 256/40, keyboard, mouse, $549.95

We also track prices of Intel iMacs, G5 iMacs, G4 iMacs, G3 iMacs, and Mac minis.

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