The eMachines T5254 personal computer offers pretty average computing power for a budget-conscious computer shopper. There is nothing spectacular about this machine, but the t5254 will get you through most of your normal, everyday computing tasks.
With 2 GB of DDR2 memory, you’ll be able to do some multi-tasking as well as run a good portion of the software out there. If you are into photo or video editing, like I am, then you may want to add another gigabyte or two or memory for better performance.
The hard drive has 320 GB, which is plenty for most people. If you are thinking about this computer in a family setting, then I recommend purchasing an external hard drive. That way, everyone can have their own space to store music, pictures, videos, etc. I purchased this computer for my young son, but I still use it occasionally when I don’t have my laptop accessible and I’ve added an external hard drive for my use.
Although the graphics card is integrated, it is Nvidia. Some of your main memory will be taken up for video, but they will be crisp. Unfortunately, the eMachine t5254 is not built for gaming. Sure, you can play basic games like Zuma, some of the Tycoon series and similar games, you will not be able to run games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft, or those huge, graphic intensive role-playing or action games. You can, however, upgrade the graphics by adding a better one with the available open PCI-E slot.
The biggest downside to the eMachine t5254 is the processor. It is an AMD Athlon™ BE-2350 Dual-Core Processor, one of the lower end of the AMD family. In a world of Intel’s Core 2 Duos and higher-end AMD’s X2 processors, computers running one processors tend not to be worth it anymore. You can usually find something with a little more power for a little more money.
Some other features and software the t5254 offers: a 15-n-1 media card reader and a DVD/CD burner. Pretty basic now days. For software you get the standard Microsoft WorksSuite and a 60-day trial version of the Home and Student version of Microsoft Office. You also get a 60-day trial version of Norton Antivirus software. Windows Vista Home Premium w/SP1 is the operating system that comes on the machine, but you should still upgrade Windows as soon as you get it hooked up to the Internet.
For around $400, you’ll be able to have a computer that can give you some average performance. I recommend the eMachine t5254 for one of the same reasons I purchased it: a first computer for someone who is just learning computers. My son is young and this was his first computer and while he loves it, I find that it is less superior than what I need. This is a good budget computer that can act as a backup computer or a medium-use secondary computer.
