-
"A great computer" on by chiefton8
Pros: Fast, sharp screen, great multitasker
Cons: Had audio card issues once...
Summary: I am a fanatical multitasker, and this comptuer has withstood all i have thrown at it thus far. i can have as many as 10 different programs running simultaneously and it doesn't slow down (2.0 ghz core 2 duo, 2 gb ram, 100 gb 7200rpm HD, 256 mg nvidia geforce go gs). i do a lot of photoshop work, and use protein 3D viewers for work, as well as some video editing on the side so i think i've put it through some hard work. overall i am very satisfied with this high end computer.
the only down side is i once had sound card issues. for some reason it just stopped working, i reinstalled the drivers, then it stopped working again, i reinstalled, etc. for a couple of times. after that episode, i haven't had any more problems with it, so hopefully it will remain that way (honestly i believe musicmatch jukebox to be the culprit, not the computer itself).
overall, highly recommended. -
"Simply Amazing laptop" on by dwoo53
Pros: Extremely fast with the duo 2 chip. Handles anything thrown at it and never hesitates. Screen res is crystal clear at 1680x1050. gaming is incredible. Very Thin for what is in it.
Cons: can get a litle warm but nothing to serious,
Summary: The only reason it gets a 9 out of 10 is that it can get a little heavy with the case,adapter,and notebook. Other than that this machine is simply amazing. I have used/owned many computers/laptops and this has been by far the best i have come across, especially for the money. first it has the core duo 2 chip which mine is at 2.16. i have 2gigs of ram at 667mghz and 256mb geforce go card. i am an intense gamer and this thing eats everything i play. just to name a few games that i play.... battlefield 2:special forces, counter strike:source, guild wars/GW factions, and age of empires 3. anyone of these games are a breeze to play in. no lag, fps is very high in all games. I also am a DJ and have many production/dj programs installed such as reason 3.0,abelton live 5.0,wavelab,soundforge,sony acid,digital performer,traktor 2.5 and traktor 3.0,nuendo,cubase, and the list goes on. I have a home desktop designed for my work and this laptop blows that away. if you want to get an excellent all around laptop, this is the one for you.
-
"BEST BANG FOR BUCK" on by David Fawcett
Pros: Major Brand, excellent price, excellent quality
Cons: Doesn't offer better video card & too much in load up
Summary: Recently (May 07) I decided to take a closer look at my NX860XL and compare apples to apples to all that matters "Hardware” to a similar Toshiba and Dell XPS and included those finding too. All prices were taken directly from the respective web sites.
----------------------------------------
Gateway NX860XL (as I got mine)
CPU 2.16GHz, 667MHz, 4MB L2
2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
100GB 7200rpm Serial ATA HDrive
17.1" WUXGA TFT Active Matrix (1920x 1200)
nVidia 7900 GS 256MB Graphics Card (for Sonic-C)
8x Multi-Format Double Layer DVD
Warranty Total Protection
4yr Parts/Labor/Onsite
____________________________________
DELL, XPS-M1710
(Configured same as my Gateway)
But did offer a graphics card upgrade to 7950GTX for $400
______________________________________
TOSHIBA -P100-S9772----- $ value difference in what was different
CPU (2.0 GHz)-----Minus 170.00
Mem 2048MB-----SAME memory
160 GB 5400rpm HD-----About equal value, I rather have speed
Widescreen SXGA
1680x1050 -----Minus 25.00
nVidia 7900 GTX
512MB Graphics-----Plus 300.00
8x Multi-Format Double Layer DVD ------SAME
1-Yr basic-----Minus 325.00
___________________________________
BOTTOM LINE PRICE---------$$$$$$$$$$$$
Gateway NX860XL Price-----------$2,451.81
Toshiba P100-S9772----------------$3,125.13
Toshiba after Apple to Apple Price-$3,345.13
Dell XPS Apple to Apple Price----$3,270.22
Net price difference Toshiba--------$ 893.32
Net price difference Dell------------$ 818.41
Sure, I wish Gateway offered a higher end video card, but the 7900 GS is still pretty good, AND once you take all the factors into consideration, the better video is not worth the $8-900 price difference or even $6-700 if you do not want the extended warranty (Crazy to have anything less than a 2 year full warranty on a laptop, I can fix my Desktop, but not a laptop)
To me, the bottom line is you are going to pay around $800 more for a cool looking Dell or $900 more for a Toshiba with a better video card. So if a better video card means that much to you to pay the extra BIG BUCKS go ahead, but there was no way I was going to pay $1,200 more for a Dell or the $900 more for the Toshiba, JUST for the better video card and cooler looking case.
I would like to give this laptop a 9.5 instead of a 10 for the two cons I mentioned. The 7900GS is the best card Gateway offers and the laptop come with too much crap that auto starts when you get it. Put most of the crap is easy to get rid of and once you compare what a great price the gateway is, apples to apples, I rather give it a 10 than a 9.... -
"Dunno why I've not read more about this great Laptop" on by Tim_212
Pros: Powerful, good graphics card, Nice overall desktop replacement
Cons: Could use a larger HD? Not many cons
Summary: I have owned this machine for about a month and I am VERY happy with it. It was larger than I expected but this is a good thing. I'd read about this model in PC gaming magazine where they gave it a good review. It is not an alienware monster gaming rig but it's not a wuss either. And despite looking around quite a bit I haven't found a laptop with the great combination of price vs features that the Gateway NX860XL has. Other laptops all had either smaller screens, less powerfull graphics cards or some other tradeoff.
Also I'd been leery of Gateway's reliabilty in the past but recent reports have indicated that Gateway has gotten it's act together and this laptop surely backs that up.
I am surprised that aside from the generally positive reviews here that there've not been more reviews period about this fine machine. Gateway outta fire it's PR firm and get someone who'll do a better job getting the word out! This is a great all around laptop that has the muscle for most games and can put out a mean spead sheet also. It's a good deal -
"Had to return -bad drive" on by wildmanb
Pros: Excellent sound, solid case,good graphics card
Cons: Hard drive was a slouch, poor screen quality
Summary: When I first got the notebook looked like a mac.( when I was using it people thought it was a mac). Hard drive locked up ran a slow 16ms, picture on video was blurry,and wasn't any faster than my aging Dell XPS extreme edition. Gateway wanted to send me upgrade drive, didn't want the hassle and would have cost me 150.00 dollars more.(isn't the drive under warranty?). So I sent it back and ordered me an new P4 Alienware notebook today. For a 7200 processer 80 gig serial 7200 drive and a 7900 gs video card, should be very fast. Ran like a couputer over 3 years old.
Write a Review
