eMachines T3025

Equipped with a 2.17-GHz Athlon XP 3000+ CPU and 512MB of DDR333 memory, the T3025 earned a respectable score of 129 on our PC WorldBench 4 test suite, about average for its configurations. Our system also sported a roomy 160GB hard drive. EMachines received strong scores from our readers in our most recent survey for service and reliability.

Our review system came bundled with EMachines' 17-inch E17T LCD, which displayed sharp and legible text on our test screens. Colors on DVD movies and games were acceptable, but they lacked the punch and vibrancy we've seen on monitors such as the E171FP that accompanies the similarly priced Dell Dimension 4600. The T3025 relies on integrated graphics, which share memory with the CPU to perform graphics tasks, and this put a damper on the system's overall performance in our test games: It achieved frame rates significantly below those of value models that use a dedicated graphics card.

The silver-and-gray minitower case has room inside for a modest number of upgrades, including an AGP slot for upgrading the graphics. Our review model had an available internal drive bay for an extra hard drive; an open memory socket for an extra module of 512MB 333DDR memory; and two PCI slots. Installing an upgrade involves undoing the three screws that hold the case cover on. To access the drive bay, you'll have to push aside the bundled wiring, but the memory socket and PCI slots are unobstructed. The T3025 we tested had no available externally accessible bays; the chassis's two such bays held the system's two optical drives, a 48X/24X/48X CD-RW drive and a 16X DVD-ROM drive.

In addition to integrated graphics, the T3025 has integrated audio that supports up to six channels of surround sound; unfortunately, our system came with a mediocre set of EMachines SP-30A speakers. This two-speaker set (which lacks a subwoofer) wheezed its way through our audio tests, delivering dull bass and brassy trebles. We had to ratchet up the volume setting to full blast before we could adequately hear the soundtrack of a DVD movie and vocal music. EMachines doesn't offer a better alternative, so you should factor in the extra cost of better speakers if sound is important to you.

EMachines' documentation includes a large, diagrammed setup poster and a concise user's manual with clear instructions and helpful illustrations for upgrading components.

Upshot: The T3025 offers home users plenty of performance in a basic machine; it would be a good buy if not for its disappointing 17-inch LCD.

Mick Lockey