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You can't use any card that has a colored mana symbol that your general doesn't possess. Therefore, Artifacts are game.

Rules are at www.mtgcommander.net

alright thanks i wasn't sure because artifacts didn't have a colored symbol at all but what if your general doesn't have colorless mana in its cost?

[QUOTE=thegathered]alright thanks i wasn't sure because artifacts didn't have a colored symbol at all but what if your general doesn't have colorless mana in its cost?[/QUOTE]

Bonzai820s answer still applies

recent update of the rules however allows you to use mana symbols found on your general anywhere other then in the flavor text (I think) and not just in his casting cost. This is called color identity if I'm not mistaken. You can find an article about it on starcity.
For instance using memnarch as general allows you to use blue cards.

That's right. If it's in the Casting Cost or is affiliated with an ability of the General.

I forgot that they changed the rules, sorry.

i actually knew that but with some legendary guys like Adun Oakenshield he doesn't have a single colorless mana on the card so would you be able to use artifacts with him? im not using him xD but im just curious whether it would work that way or not

i have a ? what about activated abilities that does not share a color with the general.

Here is my basic explaination:

"No card can be present in an EDH deck that contains a mana symbol in it's color identity that is not also present in the color identity of the General assigned to that specific EDH deck."

The color identity of any single card (including the General) is represented by any and all colored mana symbols present within the card's casting cost as well as present in any cost of subsequent activated abilities.

Therefore, if Memnarch is the General, his color identity, as well as the color identity of the deck he leads, is limited to colorless mana symbols and blue mana symbols.

If Karn, Silver Golem is the General, his color identity, as well as the color identity of the deck he leads is limited to colorless mana. In this situation Memnarch is an illegal addition to the deck and cannot be played even if you have no intention on activating his ability.

One final example, if Ertai, the Corrupted is the General of your deck, it is limited to Black, Blue, and White mana symbols. Therefore, Memnarch IS legal, but cards such as Progenitus are illegal for obvious reasons (casting cost) as well as cards such as Bringer of the White Dawn for reasons not so obvious (his alternate casting cost is 1 of each colored mana).

Well, I hope that is a better formulated explaination.

[QUOTE=thegathered]i actually knew that but with some legendary guys like Adun Oakenshield he doesn't have a single colorless mana on the card so would you be able to use artifacts with him?[/QUOTE]

Colorless is not a color; :mana1: is not a colored mana symbol.

You can run "purely colorless" artifacts (those with no colored mana symbols in their mana cost rules text, and that don't have abilities that make them colored) in any Commander (EDH) deck because it is impossible for such artifacts to violate this rule:

903.5c A card can’t be included in a Commander deck if it has any colors that aren’t part of the commander’s color identity or if it has any mana symbols in its mana cost or rules text that aren’t of a color in the commander’s color identity.

Similarly, you could run All is Dust in any EDH deck.