eMachines M6810 Laptop (2.00 GHz Athlon 64 3200+ Mobile, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

by eMachines

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002LGP9M
• Item model number: M6810
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,552 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 6, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Basics:
Not so large that they’re prohibitively cumbersome or so small that they’re prohibitively expensive, Gateway’s newest eMachines blend sensible styling with today’s most desirable amenities and enough power for all but the most demanding notebook users. This model, the eMachines M6810 Notebook PC, sports state-of-the-art 64-bit power, wireless connectivity and a movie-friendly widescreen display. If you want a larger hard drive and DVD burning capabilities, you’ll want to check out the slightly pricier eMachines M6811, but the eMachines M6810 is nevertheless a solid and affordable choice for those seeking a notebook equally adept for entertainment and multimedia pursuits as it is for business.

Processor:
At the heart of any computer lies the CPU (processor), a massive array of miniature transistors that governs the speed and power of the entire unit. Some of today’s notebooks are equipped with high-end CPU’s on par with those found in top-of-the-line desktop PCs, while others are quick enough only for basic duties such as word processing, email and the like. The eMachines M6810 is equipped with an extremely powerful AMD Athlon 64 3400 Mobile Processor running at 2.2 GHz and featuring 1 GB of Level 2 cache for enhanced data access speed. This is one of the new breed of "64-bit" processors, which differ from traditional 32-bit processors in that they deliver substantially faster, more capable computing. There is, however, one catch -- in order to take full advantage of the capabilities of a 64-bit processor, you need to use a 64-bit operating system and 64-bit applications. Unfortunately, few 64-bit apps currently exist. Nevertheless, 64-bit processors are fully backward compatible with today’s 32-bit software and do provide some performance increase. Ultimately, a 64-bit processor is a good idea for anyone looking toward the future.

Memory:
Computers typically store information on their hard drive, but they keep frequently and recently accessed data in Random Access Memory (RAM) for faster retrieval. More RAM means more efficient computing, superior multitasking and less strain on your hard drive. The eMachines M6810 incorporates 512 MB of RAM of PC2700 DDR RAM, expandable to 1.2 GB. This is an average RAM allotment and speed in midlevel and high-end notebooks.

Video:
CPU’s are usually so busy doing basic calculations that they need help translating visual output to the viewing screen. This is the duty of the graphics card (or graphics controller). This system’s graphics controller is an ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 with 64 MB of dedicated video RAM. Dedicated video memory is far preferable to "shared" video memory, where the graphics controller appropriates a portion of the main system memory. With 64 MB of video memory at your bidding, you’ll have no problem accurately displaying 2D graphics and many 3D apps as well. Serious gamers and 3D artisans who absolutely need ultra-fluid, top-level visuals for today’s most challenging 3D applications may want to upgrade this component, though most notebook veterans should be quite satisfied as is.

Display:
Some of today’s largest notebooks are equipped with massive 17-inch displays, while many super-compact "ultra-lights" sport substantially smaller 12-inch displays. The eMachines M6810 features a midsize 15.4-inch display in the same widescreen format favored by moviemakers.

Hard Disk:
While the unit’s 60 GB hard disk isn’t particularly large by desktop standards, it’s considered quite adequate in a notebook and therefore satisfactory for those who need to operate a broad range of applications and also keep a small library of space-gobbling music and/or multimedia files.

Optical Drive:
An optical drive is essential in today’s computing environment. A "CD-ROM" drive allows you to install CD-based applications and play music CDs. A "CD-RW" drive adds CD "burning", so you can also backup your important files to long-lasting discs and create personalized music CDs. With a DVD-ROM drive you can watch DVD movies. And with a DVD-RW drive, you can "write" home movies to durable discs and archive files to DVD (DVDs boast more than seven times the storage capacity of a CD). Some drives allow you to do a combination of all of these tasks. This system features a CD-RW/DVD drive through which you can play and burn CDs and play DVDs.

Audio:
The eMachines M6810 is equipped with an integrated audio chip, built-in stereo speakers, a microphone jack and headphone/audio out.

Keyboard and Controls:
You’ll control your notebook via a standard mobile keyboard and a touchpad with vertical scroll zone.

Connectivity and Expansion:
The eMachines M6810 offers a wide variety of ways to keep in touch, including a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email access, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port for high-speed wired network and Internet, and an integrated 802.11g wireless connection for cord-free e-communication at home, at the office or on the road via a local public hotspot. Other key amenities include four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play devices such as external drives and digital cameras, an IEEE 1394 FireWire port (commonly used for quick data uploads from digital camcorders), and a handy 6-in-1 card reader for reading memory cards from high-tech gadgets such as digital cameras, PDA’s and the like.

Operating System and Software:
Gateway has fitted the unit with today’s most popular operating system, Microsoft’s Windows XP Home Edition. Other applications include Microsoft’s Works 7.0 productivity suite, Microsoft’s Money 2004 financial center, and an array of multimedia and Internet utilities.

Dimensions and Weight:
Notebook computers are manufactured in a wide variety of sizes and weights. Many of today’s most powerful notebooks are also the largest, weighing ten or twelve lbs or more and therefore too big and bulky for extensive, continuous traveling. These are often referred to as "desktop replacements". On the other extreme are "thin and lights" or "ultra-portables", super-miniaturized units that generally aren’t as powerful as their larger brethren but weigh as little as two lbs and fit comfortably inside a large purse. At 7.5 lbs and 14 by 10.4 by 1.6 inches, the eMachines M6810 is of medium size.

Power:
The unit is equipped with an 8-cell Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 64-bit cpu, ready for tomorrow, real graphics chipset, September 7, 2004

By 

FERNANDO CASSIA "-Writer and Computer Geek-" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: eMachines M6810 Laptop (2.00 GHz Athlon 64 3200+ Mobile, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I was looking to buy a Pentium 4 notebook with a large (15.4) LCD screen in "wxga" (widescreen) format, but when I found this one.... I think I don't need to keep looking any further.

eMachines was an independent company, now owned by Gateway. They always made great machines based on AMD processors, and this seems to be no exception.

The 64-bit Athlon64 cpu delivers roughly the same power as a 3.2 Ghz P4, and not only that, it can run today's 32-bit applications as well as tomorrow's Windows for AMD64 (currently in beta) and today's 64-bit SUSE Linux 9.1 (which includes a fully ported 64 bit kernel).

The video chipset is a "real" one, using dedicated video memory instead of "shared ram".

The screen seems lovely for DVD playback, and the HD space is enough even for splitting in two and installing XP + Linux in a dual-boot configuration.

Good-bye P4 notebooks...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good notebook, November 7, 2004

By 

D. Jennings (Clarksville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: eMachines M6810 Laptop (2.00 GHz Athlon 64 3200+ Mobile, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

My friend owns this notebook, but I have helped him set it up. He purchased it used through an auction site and ended up paying it the same price as other retailers.

The performance (AMD Athlon 64 at 2GHz, 512MB RAM)is quite nice, and is able to play some serious games due to the plentiful graphics chipset within. The speakers on the unit resembles the same placement as the Compaq/HP notebook variants, and the machine is quite nice to look at.

However, there are shortcomings. The LCD seems dull to look at, and after adjusting the color tones and brightness, it still looks dull. The notebook he had also had traces of cut hair on it, we joked at this, since our group never recommends purchasing items from the auction site (for such reason). The fan is noisy, but not too noisy. It makes a "unique" sound when the fan runs at full speed.

The machine is nice, but the screen (in his model) is dull in color, and if calibrated, not very bright at all.

If parent company Gateway stays afloat, eMachines can continue selling great value notebooks.

3.0 out of 5 stars Buggy.. Good Tech Support.. But Buggy, May 20, 2005

By 

Guy C. Wolford "Insane Musician Type" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: eMachines M6810 Laptop (2.00 GHz Athlon 64 3200+ Mobile, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I've had my M6810 since August 2004 and it has been out for service twice. The first time was for a defect with the manufacturing of the housing, the flanges that hold the screen to the base cracked and broke. The second time, the monitor developed vertical colored lines due to another hardware problem. Both times, the tech support representatives were EXCELLENT. They fixed both problems quickly and with NO HASSLE at all. My computer is now having a problem with shutting down for no reason, I am attributing this to a thermal failure. But I expect their tech support to be just as helpful as they were before. The computer itself is a pleasure to use. I upgraded the operating system to XP professional and removed all of the extraneous programs that arent for a power user. But this computer runs stably.. if I could just keep the technical glitches from happening.. it would be a perfect computer.