Gateway M320XL (Pentium M 735 1.7 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB HDD)

CNET editors' review

• Reviewed by:
  Stephanie Bruzzese
• Edited by:
  Justin Jaffe
• Reviewed on: 09/13/2004
• Updated on: 11/24/2009

Editors' note: In early September 2005, Gateway changed the names of many of its laptops. Read our explanation to learn how to make sense of the new names and where to find CNET's reviews of Gateway laptops. (10/6/05)

Gateway gives its tired thin-and-light laptop design a makeover, with the new M320. Gone are the boxy touch pad, the square mouse buttons, and the wasted wrist-rest space. Their absence allows for a thinner, lighter case with some thoughtful touches, such as a handy four-in-one card reader for flash memory cards and a rubbery wrist-rest coating that helps keep your hands in place when you're typing. Though available in a number of configurations, the M320 we tested included a number of decent components, such as a fast, 1.7GHz Pentium M processor; a big, 80GB hard drive; and a versatile DVD+/-RW drive. Despite a lower-end Intel 855GME graphics chip, the system pulled respectable scores in CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks, beating most thin-and-light competitors while running neck and neck with the formidable IBM ThinkPad T42. Unfortunately, things weren't as rosy in our Labs' battery-drain tests--the M320 placed last, with a meager 150-minute lifetime. In light of this disappointing battery score, we have a hard time justifying the M320's $1,800 price (as of September 2004); dollar for dollar, the slightly more expensive ThinkPad T42 offers more value.Weighing just 5.5 pounds and measuring 12.9 inches wide, 10.5 inches deep, and 1 inch high, the Gateway M320 is among the smallest thin-and-light laptops, coming in 0.2 pound less than the weight of the diminutive IBM ThinkPad T42. Still, the M320's full-size design elements make it feel large. Its bright 14.1-inch screen is big enough for long work stints, though the 1,024x768 native resolution doesn't make for extremely detailed graphics. The system's keyboard, touch pad, and mouse buttons are also on the bigger side. Like the HP Pavilion zt3000, the right side of the M320's touch pad is also conveniently cordoned off for scrolling. We wish the M320 included the zt3000 touch pad's on/off button since our thumbs kept grazing the pad while typing, resulting in an unwanted game of cursor hide-and-seek.

The M320 has integrated 802.11b/g wireless capabilities, which you can activate using the keyboard's function keys; a useful line of blue LED status lights below the touch pad show you when Wi-Fi is on, when you're plugged into AC power, and additional system stats. We love the wrist rest's rubbery coating, which provides a sure feel under typing hands. And the integrated DVD+/-RW drive is a fairly uncommon feature in a system this light.

The Gateway M320 includes all of the ports and slots you'll need. The left edge features three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, one Type II PC Card slot, and a four-in-one card reader that supports Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, as well as MultiMedia and Secure Digital cards. The back edge offers one VGA port, along with RJ-11 and RJ-45 jacks for a 56Kbps modem and Ethernet, respectively. Finally, the right edge includes another USB 2.0 port, one each of headphone and microphone jacks, and a hardware volume wheel.

Gateway sells the M320 to everyone from bargain-hunting corporations to peripatetic consumers, so the system is available in a variety of configurations to suit many tastes. Processor choices range from the lower-end and less-expensive 1.3GHz Celeron M to the faster Pentium M at 1.5GHz and 1.7GHz. Memory starts at 256MB and maxes out at 512GB, though you can also add more memory postpurchase. Standard-speed, 4,200rpm hard drives are available in 40GB, 60GB, and 80GB capacities. There's only one screen size available, however--a 15-incher, featuring a low, 1,024x768 native resolution. Secondary drive options include DVD/CD-RW and the cutting-edge DVD+/-RW. Every M320 comes with an integrated 802.11b/g wireless mini-PCI card.

While we like the M320's overall makeup, we're bummed by its graphics chip: the Intel 855GME, which borrows up to 64MB of video RAM from main memory. The chip didn't hurt the system in CNET Labs' mobile-performance benchmarks, but we've known it to falter in the face of demanding graphics tasks. We wish Gateway offered a better chip choice, such as the 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9700.

Due to its dual home and business purpose, you can buy the M320 with either Windows XP Home or XP Professional. Gateway bundles enough software to get you started; it includes the Microsoft Works mini office suite, Ahead Software's Nero Burning ROM for CD and DVD burning, and CyberLink's PowerDVD for DVD viewing. You can also buy dozens of optional titles on Gateway's Web site.

Mobile application performance
We tested the Gateway M320XL, the most powerful configuration of the M320, equipped with a 1.7GHz Pentium M. Its performance was about 12 percent faster than that of most of the other notebooks we've tested with the same processor; however, the M320XL's performance was virtually identical to that of two newer systems, the IBM ThinkPad T42 and the WinBook W360. That said, all three systems are solid, and the Gateway M320XL gets the job done with office, productivity, and content-creation apps.

Performance analysis written by CNET Labs assistant lab manager Eric Franklin.

To measure mobile application performance and battery life, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's MobileMark 2002. MobileMark measures both application performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5.0).

System configurations:

Gateway M320XL
Windows XP Professional; 1.7GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Intel Extreme Graphics 2 855GM (up to 64MB); Hitachi Travelstar 80GN 80GB 4,200rpm

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