Gateway Select 1100-Everything You Want A Computer To Be
Written: May 29 '01
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Pros: I have not had a problem..enough said
Cons: It doesn't come in 14K gold
The Bottom Line: I think if you want a reliable product that will give you speed, memory, and fun this is the machine!
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| bwyckoff1's Full Review: Gateway Select 1100 Deluxe |
Why did I wait for several months to review my brand new computer? Ah! It was the fact that on every other computer I rushed to review there came a rash of plagues upon my head. Quietly I turned on the midnight oil and sat down at my small desk to pen this review- hoping the evil god of computers lets me squeak by with this wonderful new computer system from Gateway Computers.
The model I chose was the Gateway Select 1100PC. I have run it through its paces since March and knock on wood it seems to be a winner.
I had originally chose laptop computers and swore I would never own a desktop, but after calamities from the Dell Corporation I chose Gateway. Why? Gateway has a shop near my home where I was allowed to touch, and operate all the different models. After much deliberation, I felt having an actual store to return to in case of a technical problem could be a lifesaver and was a clear advantage in my book. Although they have computers to try at the store, the actual purchase and delivery of the computer is from their main warehouse. This can be expensive as the extra delivery charge was over one hundred dollars in my case, but should be added to the advertised prices you see in the media.
I chose this particular model because of the speed, the memory, and the fact that it accompanied a flat screen, which was the main feature I needed. I own an antique school desk that is very small and needed the computer to fit on top so the advantage of a smaller monitor was something that was a priority to me. The addition of the flat screen monitor adds about 900 dollars to the price of the computer. I adore it. It not only fits my desk, the visibility of the larger screen is wonderful. No more squinting to see the fine print. I adore the set up on the monitor. It allows you to adjust the brightness right from a small dial. The look is modern, sleek and compact. The disadvantage of getting the flat screen monitor was that Gateway then requires the mid-tower case to get it powered up. I would have preferred the micro –tower, but the system became a matter of compromising on some desired features and trading off for others.
The computer itself has run trouble free for the duration of its usage. The computer came with an AMD Athlon 1100 MHZ and 128 MB Memory. This is more than enough for a typical home use set-up. It also had the option of adding a CD burner. This was about 100 dollars extra. I found that with telephone modem connections the transfer of songs over the Internet was much too slow. I think unless you have a DSL hook-up you should forget the CD burner.
The computer has a very nice feature called the GoBack. It allows you to fix your PC and return to a time when it was working properly. It resets itself to a previous time period and allows you to go back and fix any problems that exist. For example- if there is a virus that has caused havoc on your system, you can reset the computer to yesterday’s time and the computer will react as if it was yesterday. At that point, you can run the anti-virus software and be back online before you know it.
The sound system is very nice. There are two small Boston Acoustic speakers that are operated simply with the turn of a small dial. The sound is very nice and easily adjusted. It cannot compete with a Bose radio system, but for a computer home set up-it is great. The computer also has the capability of turning on different radio stations throughout the world. A nifty feature.
The software included is comprised of the Microsoft ME edition. They provide Norton Antivirus, Quicken 2001 Edition, Works Suite, which includes both MS Word and Encarta. They also gave a free one-year to AOL.
The guarantee is a 1 year Onsite/ 3 years on Parts and Labor. I have not had the opportunity to use this feature as everything has worked nicely since I purchased the unit. I am hoping things stay that way. I will say my parents also own a gateway and had an issue or two and the customer service treated them very well, including calling them up the next day to make sure all was well with the system. I think that speaks volumes for the company.
All things considered, I am going to give the Gateway computer corporation a big thumbs up on this product. Is this saying a lot? I am an IBM stockholder, so from me this is quite the compliment.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2,300
Operating System: Windows
Processor: AMD Athlon (K7)
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): Under 4
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Epinions.com ID:
bwyckoff1
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Member: Barb wyckoff
Location: New York
Reviews written: 337
Trusted by: 259 members
About Me:
Film Critic-Painter-Writer- Professional Artist
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