Gateway

Gateway updates NV budget laptop series

While current parent company Acer seems to play down the Gateway brand these days, we still think it happens to make a few very nice laptops. We always loved the 17-inch FX series of budget gaming laptops (now mysteriously discontinued, for reasons Gateway reps claim they don't themselves understand), and we recently awarded a rare Editors' Choice nod to the 17-inch NV7915u--a $600 desktop replacement.

Gateway is now updating that NV series with new versions of the 15.6-inch NV5 and the 17.3-inch NV7. One configuration of the 15-inch models includes a Blu-ray drive and an Intel Core i3 processor for $799, but prices start at $529. Some 17-inch models will include ATI Radeon discrete graphics.

Gateway says "models in the line will be available at retailers nationwide over the coming weeks," but we're not sure exactly which configurations will be available from which retailers (Best Buy currently carries some of the current NV laptops).

After the jump, more details on Gateway's flagship new 15-inch Blu-ray NV model. … Read more

Core wars: Multicore gaming PC shootout

Now that AMD and Intel both have six-core desktop CPUs, what will become of still-fast quad-core CPUs? For guidance, we turn to the recent crop of $1,000-to-$2,000 performance desktops.

We've compared five systems in recent desktop reviews, each with either a quad-core or a six-core CPU. The full list is as follows, with links to each respective reviews:

Dell Studio XPS SX8100-1986NBC ($1,149): 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 860, ATI Radeon HD 5770 Gateway FX6831-01 ($1,299); 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 860, ATI RAdeon HD 5850 HP Pavilion Elite 190T ($2,105): 3.36GHz … Read more

How new Blu-ray players killed the Nettop

We haven't been kind to Nettops since they emerged in the PC market in 2008. Their one intriguing scenario involved connecting a small form factor Nettop to your HDTV as a Windows-based set-top box.

In that kind of setup, you could access every major online video service, from Amazon Video on Demand to YouTube, and play video files stored on your home network or on the Nettop itself. Throw in the DVD player built into the system, a cable box if you must, and we'd challenge you to find a program, a movie, or a Web-based video clip … Read more

Gateway gaming PC a midrange bargain

If you're in the market for a midrange gaming desktop, we encourage you to take a look at our review of Gateway's FX6831-01. This $1,299 PC hit the market in the beginning of the year, but even four months later it offers better price performance than PCs from mainstream and boutique competition alike.

The Gateway's highlights are its Intel Core i7 860 quad-core CPU, a 1GB Radeon HD 5850 graphics card, a 1.5TB hard drive, and 8GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM. Those specs turned in satisfactory performance on our application tests, but also the … Read more

Spring 2010 retail high-end laptop roundup

To ring the closing bell on our spring 2010 roundup of retail laptops, we're taking a look some high-end laptops you'll find on store shelves. These are a relative rarity, as brick-and-mortar outlets such as Best Buy tend to focus on Netbooks and budget systems, leaving little room for more expensive products.

But if you're ready to drop $1,000 or more on a laptop, and want that hands-on instant gratification you get from buying retail, there are a few options to consider. Not surprisingly, we were generally pleased with all the laptops in this price category. They offered appropriate high-end components and features for their high-end prices, with Blu-ray drives and gamer-friendly graphics cards (but not in every system).

Our overall favorite was the The Sony Vaio VPCF115FM/B, which packs in Blu-ray, decent graphics, a 1080p screen, and a superpowerful Intel Core i7 processor, all for $1,349.

The Dell Adamo XPSis a notable outlier, as its one of only a handful of $2,000 laptops we can even think of anymore. It deserves serious credit for taking some major design risks, and it is certainly a cool conversation piece, but poor battery life keeps it from being a great on-the-go laptop.

Note: For our roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here.

Check out details of each system below:… Read more

Spring 2010 retail mainstream laptop roundup

To bring you our spring 2010 roundup of retail laptops, we've been testing and reviewing boxed versions of popular PCs--from entry-level systems starting at $329 to massive $2,000 gaming monsters. These are very much like the laptops you'd configure and buy online from Dell or HP, but these models are fixed configurations, have slightly different names, and are often a better deal compared to building the same system online.

In the "Mainstream" category, covering laptops from $600-$999, we found a lot of variety. While there were a couple of clunkers in this group, mostly because they charged mainstream prices for budget components, we were please to find a couple of real winners as well.

In the end, we couldn't pick a single favorite, so instead we have dual recommendations. The Toshiba Satellite E205-S1904is a sequel to one of our favorite laptops from last year, the Toshiba E105. As part of Best Buy's Blue Label program, it's a custom model that is one of the first notebook computers to include Intel's Wireless Display technology.

We also quite liked the Samsung R580, which packed in a high-end CPU, discrete graphics, and a Blu-ray drive, all for under $900.

Note: For our roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here.

Check out details of each system below:… Read more

Spring 2010 retail budget laptop roundup

We've been scouring the shelves of big retail stores to find boxed versions of popular PCs--from entry-level systems starting at $329 to massive $2,000 gaming monsters--and putting them all in our spring 2010 roundup of retail laptops.

In the "Budget" category, we looked at off-the-shelf models that cost up to $599 (not including Netbooks). We saw a wide variety of components, from single-core Athlon CPUs to Intel's new Core i3.

Though most of these laptops were not particularly inspiring (but as budget laptops, you can't really blame them), we did discover one hidden gem: the Gateway NV7915u. It is a $599 17-inch desktop replacement with an Intel Core i3 CPU and a 500GB hard drive, which makes it an especially good bang for your buck--so much so that we made it an Editor's Choice pick. We also liked the Asus K60I, which knocked the CPU down to an old Intel Pentium dual-core T4400 but had a cool design and good battery life.

Note: For our roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here.

Check out details of each system below:… Read more

COMPUSA.com has the Gateway DX4300-11 Desktop PC for $629.99, after $70 Instant savings.

Save $70 on the Gateway DX4300-11 Desktop PC from COMPUSA.com >> Regular price is $699.99 >> Sale price is $629.99 >> Savings $70 (10%) >> Click here for deal

Spring 2010 midrange retail desktop roundup

With the budget desktops wrapped up a few weeks ago, we've shifted our attention to reviewing the midrange desktops available at retail locations around the country. We covered five systems this time, with the price ranging from $649 to $879. Click here for the full list.

Though we pretty much hated Dell's budget desktop offerings, we have a much better opinion of its one midrange PC. The Inspiron i580-5108NBC was one of the fastest systems in the midrange group thanks to its 3.2Ghz Intel Core i5 CPU. It also had the best assortment of desktop-oriented features, including … Read more