Emachines blasts past 1GHz; adds AMD

Emachines has cleared the 1GHz mark in its new PC lineup.

The budget PC maker launched on Tuesday five new products, priced between US$399 and US$799 after rebates, all of which use at least 1GHz processors.

The latest lineup also includes a twist: a new desktop based on Advanced Micro Devices' Athlon XP 1600+ chip. The T1400 PC is Emachines' first to use an AMD chip in about a year and a half. The machine pairs the 1600+ chip with 256MB of SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive and a CD-rewritable drive for US$599 after a US$75 rebate.

Emachines, which normally offers several products at US$399, US$499, US$599 and US$699, used the AMD chip to keep the price down on the new T1400, executives said.

The T1400 PC fits into a specific price target in the middle of Emachines' lineup, flanked on either side by low-priced Intel Celeron machines and higher-priced Intel Pentium 4 models.

However, Gary Elsasser, Emachines' vice president of technology and platform development, said he'd "keep an open mind" with regard to expanding the company's use of Athlon XP chips in future computers.

Emachines' new entry-level PC is the T1115, priced at US$399 after a US$75 rebate. It contains a 1GHz Celeron, 128MB of SDRAM, a 20GB hard drive and a CD-ROM drive. The company's T1120 features a 1.2GHz Celeron, 256MB of SDRAM, a 40GB hard and a CD-RW drive. It will sell for US$499 after a US$75 rebate.

Emachines also launched a pair of new Pentium 4 desktop computers. The T4160 offers a 1.6GHz Pentium 4, 256MB of SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive and a CD-RW drive for $699 after a US$75 rebate. The T4165 adds a larger 60GB hard and an additional DVD-ROM drive. Its price is US$799 with no rebate available.

Meanwhile, Emachines announced plans for a T4200 with Intel's latest 2GHz Pentium 4 "Northwood" chip, 256MB of SDRAM, a 60GB hard drive and a CD-RW drive. The price hasn't been set, but the computer is scheduled to debut in February, the company said.

Irvine, Calif.-based Emachines is offering an additional US$100 mail-in rebate to customers who buy a new Emachines PC at the same time as purchasing a 17-inch eView 17r or MF 17c monitor for US$209 and US$249, respectively.

The 3-year-old company introduces a new PC lineup every quarter. Recently, it has been beefing up in areas such as service, support and sales, launching a new direct-sales effort.