The Gateway 9310X: I guess it was time for me to buy the cow!
Written: Apr 10 '05 (Updated Apr 12 '05)
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Pros: Performance, looks, room to grow, tons of features, BTX fans
Cons: Tower weighs a lot, blinking blue light
The Bottom Line: If you like video and picture editing or just like to play system straining games, the 9310X from Gateway is a great choice!
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| christian921's Full Review: Gateway 9310X PC Desktop |
I have been taking advantage of my boss. I have been assigned a lap top for some time now that I have slowly turned into my own. Well, that was up to a few weeks ago anyway. My proverbial plug has been pulled. I was getting the milk for free, now the farmer wants me to buy the cow. I choose the 9310X from Gateway.
The Geeky Stuff
When it comes to computers there are a lot of dry facts to consider. Fodder for some, dry for others but here are the stats of a stock 9310X with my personal options in parenthesis.
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Operating System: Windows XP Home w/ SP2 (I choose XP Professional w/ SP2)
Included App Software: Office Basic 2003 (I declined, already owned Office Pro)
Also comes with Norton AntiVirus for 90 days.
Processor: Pentium 4 w/ HT 3.2 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache
Chipset: Intel 915G with DDR2
RAM: 512MB PC3200 400MHz DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel,2x256MB modules
Floppy: None (I added a 3 ½ inch)
Hard Drive: 160 GB 7200RPM (I choose to upgrade to 200MB 7200RPM)
Optical: 16x Double Layer Multi Format DVD Writer DVD R RW/CD-RR/RW (I took this and an additional and faster CD-R R/RW drive)
Warranty: 3 year no on site parts and labor (I took the 1 year)
Case: Gateway 7 Bay Tower w/ BTX Technology
Controller: Integrated Ultra ATA Controller
Expansion Slots: (1) PCI-E x16 Expansion Slot, (1) PCI-E x1, (3) PCI in which 2 are available for use. (I have 2 slots, extra optical drive and 8 in 1 media reader)
External Ports: (7) USB 2.0 (6 in back and 1 in front in the media card reader), (2) IEEE 1394 Firewire Ports, Parallel, Serial and (2) PS/2
Monitor: FPD1750 17" Silver LCD Flat Panel Display 17" viewable **limited time offer
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 6600G with 128MB, DVI, VGA & TV-Out
Keyboard and Mouse: Gateway Premium Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
Sound System: Integrated Intel 7.1 High Definition audio
Speakers: None (I got the 2 speaker Gateway system)
Modem: 56K PCI data/fax modem
PCI Adapter: Integrated IEEE 1394 (FireWire) PCI Card
Network: Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Dims: 16.8 High by 8 wide by 17.5 deep. This unit weighs 38 pounds.
I was looking for a system with leading edge technology that would last for a couple years before being too outdated to be useful. I use my computer to write with, of course, edit pictures, and I also wanted to try video editing. That is why I choose to go with such a tech heavy system.
How the Gizmos work
First I will mention that I ordered this on line and Gateway did a heck of a job packaging the computer for shipment. Though none of the interior boxes were marked they unpacked in a sensible order (keyboard and cables on top, CPU on bottom). This made unpacking and setting up my 9310X very easy. There is also an included chart for the less electronic savvy to follow for hooking up the system.
The included 17 inch flat panel monitor includes a stand has a small footprint so that it does not take up too much room on your desk top. On the front of the Gateway brand monitor you will find the usual controls to adjust picture quality. It is trimmed in silver and has a clean, modern style to it. The picture quality is very good. I was impressed with the picture and I would recommend it!
The included peripherals like the keyboard and mouse are very nice too. The 9310X comes with a wireless Gateway set. The keyboard has several hot keys that are preprogrammed for different functions like volume control, document/ video editing and internet cues. The keyboard is 8 1/2 inches by 20 making it about average for size. It will fit on any standard size tray. The wireless mouse is a two button palm shaped devise with a scroll wheel. The mouse is heavier then I expected and takes a little time getting used to. The buttons are stiff and wheel does not spin easily. I am sure after a little time they will get broken in and it will be fine. If I could I would have like to have a lighter mouse though. Both devises are black trimmed in silver and take two AA batteries that are included.
The tower is big. It is bigger then any other tower I have owned but I wanted there to be room for expansion if I choose to. The silver case is very attractive and clean looking. The two optical drives are on top (DVD R/RW & CD RW, DVD player & CD R/ RW). Below them is the 3 ½ inch floppy followed by the 8 in 1 media card reader. The media card reader allows you to take any memory card from any devise and plug it into the 9310X for up and downloads. Below the media reader is the blue back lit Gateway power button. Near the bottom is the BTX intake fan, 2 firewire ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports and mic and earphone jacks.
On the backside of the CPU tower you will find all your normal hardware hook ups. There is a quick release lever for the case cover as well as your TV in and out connections (this allows you to hook up video such as TV). There are 6 additional USB 2.0 ports as well. The connections are color coded to help you hooking up your system as well.
Personal Impressions
I was excited about the possibilities with 9310X. There were a lot of things I wanted to do with this computer. I enjoy picture editing and want to learn to do video editing.
After hooking everything up which only took about a half an hour I fired my 9310X up for the first time. Aside form not having plugged the monitor cable into the monitor everything was fine. I spent some time setting XP Professional up and then fired up my DSL line. The Gateway computer found everything that I had hooked up to it and everything worked as I was hoping it would.
I have only contacted Tech support once for a software issue. I had no problems hooking the system up and everything has worked perfectly for me. I really have not had a reason to contact them. Tech is available online via Gateway’s site and over the phone though so they are there to help when you need them. There is also an extensive self help guide on Gateway’s site to help you and your new computer have a more meaningful relationship.
I had concerns with some of these new high speed, high performance machines burning up CPUs. People I know have had problems with this do to the lack of adequate airflow over the board. Gateway solved this problem with the BTX cooling system. They align the boards internally and have two large fans controlling airflow around them. One in the front pushes fresh, cool air in while the one in the rear pulls out the heated air to vent. The fans are whisper quiet. I have heard those other high flow fans blowing before and it gets on my nerves after a while. The 9310X is quiet as a mouse. So quiet in fact that I was worried that the fans were not working. I grabbed a flashlight and looked. They were spinning just fine.
The optical drives work very well. If you like to burn DVDs or CDs you will be pleased with the drives. They are as high performance as the rest of the 9310X, I have not had any issues at all with any of the drives. The only one I can not fully evaluate is the 8 in 1 media drive as I only have Smart Cards. I do not have any other type of mass media devises.
The 9310X is blazing fast. This is the fastest computer I have ever used, honestly. The 3.2Ghz Pentium 4 is amazing. Top that with the Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology of this computer and you have computer with overdrive! HT allows your computer to run more than one application at the same time without losing system performance. You can burn a DVD while uploading a CD (if you have both drives). I have been very impressed with the speed of the 9310X.
The only short comings that I have with the 9310 are pretty minor. It is heavy. The 9310X weighs 38 pounds without any additional drives. That is pretty stout so be sure you plan on where you are placing the 9310 because you are not going to want to move it very often. The other point is the power button. When the 9310 is hibernating (in sleep mode) a blue light flashes brightly. It is distracting if you have the computer in the family room. You will need to depress the power button half way in to wake the 9310 up. If you press the button in too far you will do a hard shut down. These are very minor points in an otherwise super system,
This is my second Gateway and I have had very good luck and support from Gateway in the past. That had a lot to do with my decision to get another one. The price tag is hefty but I still feel like I got a fair deal for the performance that the 9310X has to give. If you are looking for a near cutting edge computer I would suggest the 9310X. To date it has performed flawlessly and is extremely stable. The features and the reliability are important to me and that is why I have been so happy with the 9310X.
An Update:
It was mentioned that I should add some content to compare this Gateway product to other manufactures. So you know I am not a computer expert. I can’t even pretend to be! I don’t know what half of those stats mean up there. I know the basics but I have no idea what PCI is. I am just a common user telling you my experience with this product. As I understand Epinions to be, that is what it is all about. Real life experiences. I know what makes a computer go fast but I don’t know why. I don’t know anything about the other manufactures that make similar systems. I know about the 9310X.
I would recommend visiting other reviews and manufactures websites. Find what is important to you and choose the system that seems to best the best value to you. I do recommend the 9310X. It is an outstanding system for what I want and I have been very happy with it
Thanks for reading!
Christian921
*This information was taken directly from Gateway’s website.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1825
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: 701-800
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
christian921
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Member: Christian Stanley
Location: A country mile north of Omaha, NE USA
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me:
I loved you even before I met you.
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