AMD 64 Notebook eMachines M6805 - Please comment

[MC]

I am looking for opinions regarding this notebook:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1069301995506&skuId=6249703
(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

 

[Strings.]

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.

 

[General Schvantzkoph]

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.

 

[Thunder PC]

|I am looking for opinions regarding this notebook:
|
|
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1069301995506&skuId=6249703
| (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.

 

[Thunder PC]

|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.

 

[rstlne]

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.]

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.

 

[Strings.]

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

 

[Strings.]

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

 

[Thunder PC]

| 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.
|
| | >
| > | > |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.
| >
| >
|
|

 

[Thunder PC]

| 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.
|

Or buy a voodoo and pay twice for the same machine you get from eMachine
...... exactly the same. An Arima W730-K8.

 

[Thunder PC]

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

The m6805 is made by Arima in Taiwan.

 

[Strings.]

I did say "most" are from China.
I fix the darn things day in day out and I can tell you they are all
different under the shell.
You can buy the same model dell for example and the shell is exact but the
insides totally different. I tried last week to put one system together for
a client from three broken ones at his office and was frustrated to find
even the keyboards would not attach at the same place inside.
Some have poor China capacitors some Taiwan caps (so so) some the very good
ones are Japanese
The ram quality and brands are different the batteries vary wildly in
quality and life. The secondary chips like clock generators, eprom chips,
cmos, mosfets and so on are all different.
I do end assemble of Asus laptops they are great and I know Asus boards were
at one time in Compaq's.
We sell them here but if you are Joe average get a laptop for the quality of
service first manufacture last.
Service Service Service

 

[Strings.]

Sony does that with monitor tubes as well they are all tested on a machine
for bad pixels and discoloration at the edges. The lower quality ones go to
OEMs and the Best are for Sony brands.
I think I hurt your feelings but all I meant to do was tell you what happens
in that factory does not mean all board are the same with the same parts of
the same quality.
regrets

 

[Thunder PC]

|I did say "most" are from China.
| I fix the darn things day in day out and I can tell you they are all
| different under the shell.
| You can buy the same model dell for example and the shell is exact but the
| insides totally different. I tried last week to put one system together
for
| a client from three broken ones at his office and was frustrated to find
| even the keyboards would not attach at the same place inside.
| Some have poor China capacitors some Taiwan caps (so so) some the very
good
| ones are Japanese
| The ram quality and brands are different the batteries vary wildly in
| quality and life. The secondary chips like clock generators, eprom chips,
| cmos, mosfets and so on are all different.
| I do end assemble of Asus laptops they are great and I know Asus boards
were
| at one time in Compaq's.
| We sell them here but if you are Joe average get a laptop for the quality
of
| service first manufacture last.
| Service Service Service
|

Back to the original topic, the m6805, made in Taiwan, is the same as a
$3000 voodoo ... inside and out. Yes, I have been inside both. The only
difference between the voodoo made at the same time the m6805 was? the
voodoo had hard drive and memory options. The eMachines did not. The "base"
voodoo made by Arima was IDENTICAL, yes IDENTICAL, to the m6805, except the
price tag.

 

[Thunder PC]

| Sony does that with monitor tubes as well they are all tested on a machine
| for bad pixels and discoloration at the edges. The lower quality ones go
to
| OEMs and the Best are for Sony brands.
| I think I hurt your feelings but all I meant to do was tell you what
happens
| in that factory does not mean all board are the same with the same parts
of
| the same quality.
| regrets
|
|

You didn't hurt my feelings. You should showed your lack of knowledge of
the OEM notebook sector. I am sorry you can't accept the fact you are wrong.

 

[Strings.]

OK your correct there are only a few laptop makers and they are all 99% the
same with only one quality of parts with the same capacitors the same PCB
the same ram same mosfets same TFT screens, same clock generator chips the
same LAN chips all the same. I am sure you laptop is just as good as you
think it is.
Sorry again your absolutely correct the exact same things have to come out
of the same factories why would manufactures change parts or quality for
different clients. I should have known that there is no excuse for my
thinking any different.