Is there anything wrong with Gateway? There is usually not much about Gateway computers on this forum.

The following system is on sale for less than $700. I've been pricing a Dell, and with all of this the Dell is much more expensive. This also comes with 6GB of memory.


Gateway Desktop with Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q6600

Premium multimedia keyboard, USB optical mouse

Amplified stereo speakers

Software: Microsoft Works 9, Money Essentials and more

Intel® Core™2 Quad processor Q6600
Featuring 4 processing cores, 1066MHz frontside bus, 2 x 4MB L2 cache and 2.4GHz processor speed per core.
4 complete execution cores in 1 processor

Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost

6GB DDR2 memory
For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media. Also supports DVD-RAM and Labelflash direct-disc labeling.

640GB Serial ATA II hard drive (7200 rpm)
Provides enough storage for all of your data at fast read/write speeds.

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
With up to 256MB shared graphics memory for quality video performance.

15-in-1 media reader with Smart copy button
Supports CompactFlash I/II, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, MultiMediaCard Plus, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, xD-Picture Card, SmartMedia and Microdrive.
Also supports miniSD, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC) and MultiMediaCard Mobile with optional adapters (not included).
2 IEEE 1394 ports and 6 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
Both front and rear accessible allow fast digital data transfer and easy peripheral connectivity.

Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector
Along with a high-speed V.92 modem gets your connected to the Internet.

Amplified USB stereo speakers provide high-definition audio (8-speaker support).

Multimedia keyboard and USB optical 2-button wheel mouse included.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled

Software package included with Microsoft Money Essentials. 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student also included.


Thanks for any responses!

Please. I just have to know what's up with Gateway.

Anyone??

Gateway has a rep of building cheap machines out of cheap parts. Chances are you'll be fine, but I wouldn't expect the machine to last as long as a comparable Dell or HP machine.

In addition to what Kerowo said, the 6gb in some of those Gateway systems seems a bit misleading for most people. It makes the system sound very high-specced (as most consumer builds have maxed out at 4gb - until the newer i7 systems, at least) but can make you overlook some of the other components. I'm pretty sure that's why they do it.

Your system, for example, has the GMA3100 onboard and no dedicated GPU. Although it should cope fine with poker, I think for general use I'd much rather buy a slightly more balanced system with a dedicated card and only 4gb RAM. If you're buying a separate card (now or in future), of course, you might ignore this - but Kerowo's point about component quality still stands.

Other than that, it seems like a sweet enough price to me - but I'm in the UK and we get fleeced on tech prices in comparison to you guys. Everything seems cheap!

Gateway is now owned by Acer.