Gateway PC keeps it cool

Gateway on Friday unveiled a PC designed to stay cool even when handling applications that use a lot of power.

The 700GR computer features Intel's balanced technology extended, or BTX, architecture, in which its key components are aligned in a wind tunnel. Two large fans provide up to three times the airflow of a traditional PC, keeping parts such as the processor, chipset, memory and graphics cards from getting overheated, Gateway said.

Since the fans are larger than normal, they spin 40 percent slower, reducing the overall noise level, Gateway said.

"Right now, the hottest PC trends--namely gaming and digital-media hobbies--are the ones that require the most power to enjoy and create the most heat inside the PC," Ed Fisher, Gateway's senior vice president of product planning, said in a statement.

Gateway has recently announced new deals with retailers like Best Buy and CompUSA to push its computing products through retail chains, in addition to its direct-sales operation. The deals followed Gateway's acquisition of PC maker eMachines in March and the shuttering of its own chain of retail stores.

The 700GR, which costs about $1,200, is based on Intel's 915G chipset, designed for multimedia applications like games and high-definition audio. It comes with a 250GB hard drive with an 8MB cache, an 8-in-1 media card reader and a multiformat drive that uses double-layer DVD technology that can burn up to 8.4GB of data. The PC comes loaded with Windows XP Home Edition.