With integrated graphics, serious 3D work isn't an option, but beyond the basic 945G chipset, you have a few video card options. They start with the Radeon X300 SE for an additional $70, and they top out at the midrange 256MB GeForce 6600 for $160. Our system included only a $20 DVI-out card that offers a digital hookup for an LCD monitor.
Gateway offers several display options. Our system came with a very bright, 15-inch LCD panel, which didn't particularly impress in terms of image quality. For an extra $50, you can trade up to a 17-inch LCD. The flimsy stereo speakers that came with our system are the only set available, and the Audigy 2 sound card (a $50 option) is the only third-party sound card offered, although it's certainly not a bad choice.
As with the other systems in this line, the E-6500 and the E-2500, Gateway offers a wide variety of sometimes confusing service options. The E-4500D is backed by the default three-year Desktop Value plan, which includes next-business-day onsite service and toll-free technical support. You can upgrade to five years of this kind of protection for $199 or choose the even more airtight Total Protection Plan ($348 for five years), which adds priority support, allowing you to skip those annoying toll-free phone menus.
Accidental damage protection, onsite system installation, personalized help desk (for third-party application support), and various online training and learning packages are available. The "Keep your hard drive" program, at $10 per year, allows companies to retain a faulty hard drive rather than send it back to Gateway for replacement and is particularly good for companies with sensitive data. Also important to business buyers is Gateway's dedication to what the company calls Professional Managed Desktops, guaranteeing at least a 12-month life cycle for platforms and adherence to Intel's Stable Image Platform, which dictates standardized hardware configurations.
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Half-Life 2 1,024x768 4xAA 8xAF |
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Dell Dimension 5100C
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2; 3.0GHz Intel Pentium D 830, 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945G chipset; 224MB (shared) integrated Intel 950G; Maxtor 6L160M0 160GB 7,200rpm SATA
Dell OptiPlex GX620
Windows XP Professional SP2; 3.6GHz Intel P4 660; Intel 945G chip set; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X600 SE (PCIe); Seagate ST380013AS 80GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Gateway E-4500D
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.8GHz Intel Pentium D 820, 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945G chipset; 128MB (shared) integrated Intel 945G; two Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 7,200rpm SATA
Gateway E-6500D
Windows XP Professional SP2; 3.0GHz Intel Pentium D 830, 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945G chipset; 128MB Nvidia GeForce 6600 (PCIe); two WDC WD2000JD-22HBB0 200GB 7,200rpm, Serial ATA
Gateway FX400XL
Windows XP Professional SP2; 3.0GHz Intel Pentium D 830, 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Intel 945GP chip set; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 (PCIe); Hitachi HDS722525VLSA80 250GB 7,200rpm SATA (two separate drives no RAID)
