Gateway MC7803u

Beautiful outside, a little slow inside

THE MC7803U delivers stunning good looks and plenty of multimedia features.This 16-inch system appeals to buyers who take their media on the road, and at $999.99, the price is right.

The 7.1-pound MC7803u featutes a burgundy lid (or you can opt for black); the chrome stripe down the center is split by a leather-looking strip insert. The 16-inch, 16-to -9 widescreen is ensconced behind edge-to-edge glass. We love the multimedia buttons and full size, backlit keyboard.

The MC7803u is equipped with a generous 320GB hard drive, a 1.3- megapixel Webcam, a 5-in-1 card reader, an ExpressCard/54 slot. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, an HDMI port, and an 8x DVD burnet. The LCD's resolution on out test unit was 1,920x1,080, but final units will have 1,366x768. Our
test system reproduced good colors and video motion, as well as clean sound, but the audio lacked depth.

The 4GB of DDR2 RAM is a plus, and the 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 is solidly midrange.The MC7803u scored a subpar 2,202 on Futuremarks PCMark Vantage, and its showing on Cinebench 10 (2,153) is below average. It needed a long 13 minutes and 33 seconds to finish out WME 9 trial.
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 CPU (with 512MB of dedicated VRAM) delivered playable frame tales. On F.E.A.R at 1,024x768, we saw 47fps, but when we upped
the resolution and effects for Company of Heroes, the system managed only 10.2fps. The eight-cell battery lasted a good 2 hours and 15 minutes on our DVD rundown test.



The Gateway MC7803u isn't the most powerful multimedia laptop on the market. But its style rivals the best in its class, and the 16-inch screen and attractive price make it a good fit for enthusiasts. —Jamie Bsales

www.gateway.com

Computer Shopper January 2009

Read More ..

Gateway P-7811FX

Gateway P-7811FX
Gateway's first Montevina notebook is here. I recently got my hands on the P-7811FX, complete with Intel Centrino 2 technology and an Intel COre 2 Duo P8400 processor. This notebook also has a good balance of multimedia features, including a 1.3MP Webcam, 5-in-1 media card reader, and 802.11 Draft-N. There's also a blacklit panel for easy access to multimedia controls.
Gateway markets this laptop as offering the latest high-performance technology at an affordable price. I'd say this claim is true. The P-7811FX's scores compare to those of the Alienware Area-51 m15x. Of course, the hardware between the two notebooks varies, as does the price. Of course, the hardware between the two notebooks varies, as does the price. The P-7811FX costs less than half of the Area-51 m15x, which cost $4,789 at the time of my review.
Centrino 2 offers a big improvement in terms of efficiency. Although the P-7811FX's P8400 processor is slightly slower than the Area-51 m15x's X9000, you get better performance (on certain tasks) and significant efficiency enhancements: The X9000 has a TDP of 44W TDP, compared to the P8400's 25W TDP.
This notebook not only pack some power but also looks good. The vibrant 17-inch screen displayed crisp graphics, while the copper accents surrounding the keyboard caught my co-worker's eye. I also liked the look of the raised, distinctive keys.
bye Jeniffer Johnson

Specs: CPU: 2.26GHz Intel COre 2 Duo P4800; Memory: 4GB DDR3-800 (dual-channel); HDD: 200GB at 7,200rpm; GPU:Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB of GDDR3; OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP1.
www.gateway.com

Read More ..

Gateway P-172X FX

Gateway P-172X FX
Gamer delivers fast speeds for low price

POUND FOR POUND, the $1,999 Gateway P-172X FX is one of the best gaming notebook bargains you'll find. It's not the fastest or the cheapest, but its excellent performance-to-price ratio makes it hard to beat.
With its shiny black plastic chassis, orange accents, and faux-carbon-fiber trim, the hefty 9.2-pounds P-172X FX looks virtually identical to its predecessor, the P-171XL FX. Movies are joy to watch on the P-172X FX's 117-inch, 1,920x1,200-resolution wide-screen display, which offers well-saturated colors,crisp text, and good black levels. The system comes with a standard slot-loading DVD burner, though the addition of a Blu-ray burner would have been nice, considering the screen is HD friendly. The notebook's keyboard and touch pad are comfortable to use, though we find it odd that the pad is skewed a bit to the left.
The highest-end option in Gateway's P-Series notebook line, which starts at a low $799, the P-172X fX is not configurable. Fortunately, the company stocks the system with some nice component, including a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo T8300 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 512MB nVidia GeFOrce 8800M GTS graphics chip. Those parts added up to impressive performance on our gaming, productivity, and multimedia benchmark tests, especially in light of the notebook's price. Granted, we saw better scores from Alienware's excellent Area-51 m51x, but that system cost over $2,000 more than the P-172X FX.
The system's nine-cell battery lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes on our demanding DVD-rundown test, which is a good score for its class. - S.M.
source: Computer Shopper September 2008.

www.gateway.com

Read More ..

Gateway M-1626

Gateway M-1626
Budget model looks good, but performance lags



THE $849.99 GATEWAY M-1626 offers a sleek design and good features for a low price, but performance issues put it behind other notebooks in its class.
The retail-only M-1626 looks rather dapper with its metallic case and 15.4-inch glossy screen, which is clear and appropriately bright. We're also enamored with the softy, springy keyboard. The system's built-in speakers, however, are on the weak side.
Examining the sides of the case, you'll find a good selection of ports, slots, and jacks for a budget system, including three USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI output. You also get an on/off switch for the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio and a Kensington lock slot. The only notable omission is a FireWire jack.
Considering that the M-1626's specs-4GB of RAM, 2GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 CPU and discrete graphics-are slightly above those of other budget notebooks, its scores on our benchmark tests were on the disappointing side. (3D performance was expecially poor.) That said, like most low-cost laptops, the M-1626 should handle basic productivity and media tasks with ease. What's more, its 250GB hard drive offers plenty of storage space.
Weighing in at 6 pounds, the M-1626 isn't especially travel-friendly, and we were disappointed by its battery life: The notebook lasted just 1 hour and 10 minutes in our DVD-rundown test-a poor result, even for a budget midsize system.


source: Computer Shopper August 2008.
www.gateway.com

Read More ..