I recently purchased a brand new computer from Gateway. I am an experienced computer user. I first owned a Packard Bell which I don't wish that torture on anyone. My second computer was one that I built myself with new parts purchased online from NeutronNet.com. I was very happy with the one that I built. I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable in the computer world. The only problem is that computer was three years old and quickly becoming obsolete with new speeds of processors coming out weekly. For my third computer ever I decided to go back into buying the whole package from a brand name company. Here is what I got and why.

I purchased the Gateway Performance Series desktop computer. It comes with a Pentium III 500mhz processor, a 19 inch monitor, a Boston acoustics sound system, DVD-ROM player, CD-WR player, 20 Gig hard drive, etc., etc. I also purchased a Hewlett Packard printer and a digital camera with the desktop. I figured if I'm shelling out this kind of dough I might as well be set with all the goods. Which brings me to the one drawback on this computer, the price. I paid slightly over $4000.00 for this setup. I had not anticipated paying that much when I started computer shopping but I decided to splurge. If you can swallow the price, here is what you are going to get.

I have been absolutely pleased with my new PC. This is my third month using it and I am totally satisfied. I run programs like Office 2000, Quicken, several publisher programs, and of course the internet. I have experienced no lag time or sluggish performance. All of my applications start, save, and exit quickly and without malfunction. If you are into gaming or you have kids who enjoy games the sound system, audio and video cards, and sheer power of this machine make it a gamer's delight. I admit I have started playing Baldur's Gate (which was named PC Game of the Year) and it is an experience. Too bad I don't have more free time.

I highly recommend this machine. I wish it were more affordable. I decided to go with Gateway simply because of their friendly staff (which didn't make me wait hours on the phone - amazing!), their good tech support (which luckily I haven't had to use - knock on wood), and the quality of their machine. If I had not gone with a Gateway I would have purchased a Dell computer. Dell is very comparable to Gateway. If you are looking to buy a new computer I would only look at these two companies. You could go with Compaq, Hewlett Packard, or ...Packard Bell but you ultimately get what you pay for.

Any families with children, gamers and internet surfers, or professionals who publish and spreadsheet would benefit from this machine. It is very versatile and powerful.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 4000.00
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 501-600
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 9-12