Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

Gateway

Spring 2010 retail desktop review roundup: $500 to $600

The results are in for the budget desktop segment of our spring 2010 retail laptop and desktop review roundup, and kudos to Gateway, whose $549 Gateway DX4831-01e earned 3.5 stars and an Editors' Choice award as well as our overall recommendation for the category. HP's Pavilion p6310y came in second place with a three star review. Dell's Inspiron i545-1125NBK pulls up the rear with two stars.

You can see all the systems in the $500 to $600 category here.

Why did we like the Gateway so much? It offers the best combination of price, performance, and features … Read more

Get a quad-core desktop PC for $348

A couple weeks ago I posted a Gateway quad-core desktop PC for $279.99--a pretty killer deal by all rights, which is probably why it sold out almost instantly. Hopefully today's will last a little longer.

Update: Uh, no, guess it didn't. These quad-cores are obviously very popular items. It's beyond my control, I'm afraid, but I apologize once again for the quick sellout.

Update No. 2: Back in stock! For the moment, at least...

An outfit called BuyDakota (by way of Buy.com) has a much-better equipped Gateway SX2802-01 quad-core desktop PC for $347.99 shipped.… Read more

Gateway updates desktop lineup, revamps high-end case

Gateway has a handful of systems to announce this morning. The $559 slim tower SX2840-01 and the $849 DX4831-03 are updates to systems we've seen previously. The $1,699 FX6831-03 and the $1,299 FX6831-01 bear the familiar FX moniker, indicating Gateway's high-end desktops, but they feature a brand new case.

We're most excited for the SX2840-01, the newest version of the versatile SX2800-01 slim tower that destroyed its budget PC competition in the latter half of 2009. This new model features Windows 7 Home Premium, a 2.93GHz Intel Core i3 530 CPU, 6GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM, and a 1TB hard drive packed into an expandable yet tidy case. The previous version was equally at home in your living room as it was on your desk, thanks to an HDMI video output and best-in-class performance. Our review of the new model should post by the end of the day, so stay tuned.

The DX4831-03 is a relatively standard-looking midtower. It's Gateway's first desktop with Intel's new 3.2GHz Core i5 650 chip, alongside a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT220 graphics card, 6GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM, and a Blu-ray drive. Blu-ray is relatively uncommon at this price, and the specs in general sound like this system would make a decent all-arounder, although gamers will likely want a better 3D card.… Read more

Get a quad-core desktop PC for $279.99 shipped

Finally ready to replace that old Windows XP box? Here's your chance to score a seriously powerful system for a seriously low price: Buy.com has the Gateway DX4200-09 quad-core desktop for $279.99 shipped.

I know what you're thinking: too good to be true. But I'd say this system has only two shortcomings, both of them minor.

First, it's a refurb with the typical 90-day warranty. You know my thinking on that: any problem that might have existed with the system has been fixed, so in some ways it's actually better than new.

Second, … Read more

Perhaps it's time for optical drives again: The Gateway 11.6-inch EC14D

One of the more notable moments at CES this year for me wasn't a flashy new notebook announcement or a weird concept device demonstration. It was a quiet reveal at the Acer/Gateway suite of the upcoming Gateway EC14D, an 11.6-inch dual-core ULV mininotebook that has a DVD drive. It's a big deal, for several reasons.

Many readers have written in regarding laptop purchases they'd like to make, and it seems that the capability to play DVDs still ranks high on many lists. A laptop is often an entertainment purchase, and DVDs are still more widespread … Read more

Acer embraces new Intel Core i3 and Core i5 Processors

Jumping right in with Intel's new CPUs, Acer (parent of the Acer, Gateway, and eMachines brands) is showing off a couple of new large-format laptops, starting at $600.

The new Acer Aspire AS5740 and AS7740 lines are designed as speedy multimedia machines, with wide-screen 15.6 and 17.3-inch displays and Blu-ray and ATI graphics in some configurations.

While we may spend most of our time talking about low-end Atom processors, the Intel Core i3-330M (2.13GHz) and Core i5-430M (2.26GHz) are the next step in mainstream computing, and should eventually eclipse the Core 2 Duo chips found … Read more

Gateway adds $299 LT21 Netbook with the Intel Atom N450

Acer/Gateway is smartly combining Intel's new Atom N450 Netbook processor with our preferred Netbook price: $299. The new Gateway LT21 is a 10-inch 1,024x600-pixel Netbook, with a large six-cell battery in either "Extended" (5600mAh) or "Standard" (4400mAh) designs, for up to a purported 10 hours of battery life.

Other than the inclusion of 802.11n Wi-Fi (in select models), and some basic multitouch gestures on the touch pad, this is a standard off-the-shelf 10-inch Netbook. The new design tweaks include a larger keyboard than previous Gateway models, which reminds us of the flat-topped, … Read more

Lenovo announces two more IdeaCentre desktops

In addition to the sharp IdeaCentre A300, Lenovo also announced two more straightforward PCs, both due out later this quarter.

The IdeaCentre K320 is Lenovo's first foray into a performance-oriented tower system in the U.S. The spare Intel Core i3-based K320 will start at $600 when it launches on January 31, but with options including a Blu-ray burner, an ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics card, and an Intel Core i7 860 CPU, you can get the price up to $1,999.

The K320 could be competitive with the right configuration, but we're skeptical of the IdeaCentre C315. At $650 when it launches on March 1, this Intel Atom 330-based Nettop might cost $100 less than Gateway's recent ZX4800-02, but the Lenovo's performance will be significantly slower, with few discernible benefits other than its lower price to make up the difference. The Gateway's 750GB hard drive is beefier than the C315's 640GB upgrade option, and both offer touch software and a DVD burner. The Lenovo offers an ATI Radeon 4530 graphics chip as an option as well, but the default model boasts only an outdated Intel GMA 950 video chip. … Read more

Laptop leaks usher in CES

As inevitable as bad Wi-Fi and long taxi lines in Vegas, pre-CES leaks are unavoidable. This year, many laptops from big-name PC makers have leaked early, mostly thanks to online retailers surfacing the products before the official release dates. These leaks have largely surfaced via sites such as Engadget and Gizmodo, assisted by a tendency for some of these laptops to actually stealth-surface at retail outlets before anyone's noticed.

Keep in mind, this list is only part of what you'll see at CES in the laptops category--there are still plenty of surprises in store. At the same time, … Read more