This Gateway Computer is Zoooooming!
Written: Nov 15 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: speedy, lots of memory, upgradeable, 32-bit operating system, value priced
Cons: energy-saving feature is annoying; mouse not as comfortable as I would like
The Bottom Line: This is an excellent computer at a value price. I'm delighted with it!
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Gateway GT5674 PC Desktop |
My old computer was slowing down to the point of absurdity. I would wait and wait for document screens to change ... and forget the internet. Nothing worked to increase the computer's efficiency, so I had to visit the possibility of purchasing a new machine. I did have a false start (more about that later), but I am now the proud owner of a Gateway Desktop Computer - Model # GT5674.
Description
This is an attractive computer with its black and silver case. The tower is also a compact size at 15.6" high x 7.2" wide x 16.1" deep. It weighs 23.4 pounds. Note that this system does not come with a monitor or printer. It does include a mouse, keyboard and speakers. All the pieces are primarily black and coordinate well together.
The machine has an AMD 2.2 GHz Phenom Quad-Core Processor 9500. It comes with 3gb of DDR2 memory and has a 500gb hard drive. It also has a 32-bit Windows Vista operating system.
Other bells and whistles include a DVD/CD drive with double-layer support and will support LabelFlash direct-disc labels. Along the top front of the tower is a 15-in-1 built-in media card reader and 2 USB 2.0 slots (4 more USB 2.0 slots are on the back of the tower). It has built-in Ethernet, too. Video consists of NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE graphics with 128mb of video memory.
The 15-in-1 card reader handles the following media: Smart Media, Compact Flash 1/II, Secure Digital, Mini Secure Digital, xD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, MicroDrive, MultiMedia Card (MMC), Reduced Size-MMC, MMCplus and MMCmobile.
On the front of the tower is a bay that will hold a Portable Media Drive. To the right of the bay are two jacks: one for a microphone and one for a headset. A nice feature is that there is a sliding door that conceals this area if desired.
The software isn't much: Microsoft Works 9.0, Microsoft Money Essentials, Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 (trial period only), Norton Internet Security (60-day live updates), Adobe Reader, Gateway BigFix, and the Google toolbar with Google desktop search.
If you want a full description of the machine's specifications, please look at the end of this review for the details.
Set-up
The box contained the computer tower, USB optical wheel mouse (wired), a keyboard, and amplified USB stereo speakers (the speakers are very compact). There was also an illustrated quick set-up guide.
This Gateway computer was incredibly easy to install. It's literally a case of connecting a few color-coded cables. I plugged my computer into a UPS backup system for full protection.
When the computer is turned on, the Gateway BigFix software prompts you to create backup recovery discs. I have not been able to do so. I have tried a variety of media, including formatted and unformatted discs ... and nothing works. The computer will not create the recovery discs. I'm not impressed with the BigFix software. (Best Buy told me that they routinely remove it if someone hires them to optimize their computer system.)
My Experiences
I have been using this Gateway computer regularly for four months and am very happy with it. It was an excellent buy! This system is fast and quickly responds to any command. Better yet, I haven't had a single problem with the Vista operating system. I was nervous about Vista, and now feel so comfortable using it that I would buy another computer with it as the operating system.
I primarily use this machine for writing and web design work. Typical program use includes MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, MS Publisher, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Acrobat Reader, a calendar downloaded from the internet, and an FTP program. I'm also a frequent internet visitor, lots of research. And, of course, I play a few games on Pogo.com to relax the brain between tasks. This computer has handled all of these software programs, including the internet, very well. It's also great to be able to have multiple programs and screens open, to switch between them, and have the computer easily reply to each request.
One of the first things I did was remove the Norton software and install McAfee Security Center virus protection. My cable provider offers McAfee for free, so it made sense. McAfee works great with this machine. I also downloaded the free version of Super Anti Spyware, and it is working well (no conflicts).
I'm delighted that my ViewSonic 19" LCD monitor works with this Gateway computer. I love that ViewSonic monitor, and it also looks great with the computer since it also has the black and silver colored construction. (It's a bonus when different pieces of hardware look good together.)
I started using my favorite Logitech cordless keyboard and mouse. The cordless mouse cursor jumped erratically across the computer screen. Nothing I did made the mouse behave (everything from changing batteries, settings, checking driver updates, to swapping the mouse pad), so I am now using the optical wheel mouse that came with the system. The Gateway mouse is clunky, and the buttons are stiff to comfortably push. Also, the USB mouse cord was not long enough to reach the back of the tower, so it's plugged into one of the front USB ports (I'm not happy about that). At some point I will buy another mouse; I just haven't decided which way to go.
The Logitech cordless keyboard started out well, and I was happy using it. Through my own fault the keyboard started having difficulties. A few spilled drops of soda made one of the keys sticky (I cleaned it and could live with it) and then a cat new to the household pushed the keyboard to the floor a few times. The cordless keyboard developed problems after the drops. So now I'm using the Gateway keyboard that came with the computer, and I really like the feel of it. The keys click well, and there are built-in buttons to control media features. The keyboard also has a built-in wrist support of a soft material that is also durable.
The Gateway speakers are another story. I wasn't going to use them, but my old subwoofer and speakers died. The Gateway speakers are compact and look great. However, the sound is mediocre (volume is good). Anyone who listens to a lot of music or if they watch movies on the computer or are into gaming, then they'll want to invest in a new sound system.
I have a Samsung All-in-One laser printer/scanner/fax/photocopier plugged into this computer system. It is playing nice with Vista, and I'm very pleased with it.
I routinely use my Sandisk Cruzer Flash Drives in this computer - the 2gb and 8gb size. They work great. I also have a Canon digital camera that uses an SD media card. I have had no trouble downloading photos from this card onto the computer hard drive.
My one complaint about this computer is its energy-saving mode. After not using the computer for awhile, the computer powers down. If your computer is password protected, the computer returns to the password screen (though the programs/files you were using remain open and ready when you log back in). An electric-blue light begins to strobe (reminiscent of a disco). This flashing blue light remains on until the spacebar is tapped; then you are prompted to enter your password. This "power-down" interferes with how my UPS backup operates. Once the computer is booted back up, the computer sends warning text messages that the battery backup isn't properly connected. It's an annoyance. I finally turned off the energy-saving feature the other day and so far the computer is behaving nice with the UPS backup.
AMD 9500 Phenom Processor - potential problem
I was a bit concerned purchasing a computer with the Phenom 9500 processor. I had read reports that stated Phenom processors ending in double-00 might be affected by a bug requiring a patch to correct the problem. In techno-speak the processor has an erratum, which is a chip-level problem that involves the TLB (Translation Lookaside Buffer) logic for the L3 cache. In regular-people-speak ... this means that the problem can cause the computer to hang. However, certain very-specific circumstances have to be set into motion to trigger the problem. During my reading of the problem, it sounds as though those "very-specific circumstances" would not likely happen to the average-Joe user.
I'm happy to say that I have had no adverse experiences using this computer. I usually have a lot of open programs with multiple open windows, and I'm constantly switching between them ... plus I usually have the internet up and running as well as Outlook open. Everything works great.
The False Start - 32 bit system vs. 64 bit system
Before buying this computer, I had purchased another Gateway computer. However, I didn't realize the first Gateway computer used a Vista 64-bit operating system. Yikes! I experienced nothing but set-up headaches and more aggravation than there is room on this page to describe. Plus, it turns out that the Adobe family of products, which includes Photoshop and Dreamweaver, is certified for the Vista 32-bit operating system, but not the 64-bit Vista system. Not only that, but the 64-bit system doesn't support nearly as much software as the 32-bit system does. Needless to say, the 64-bit Vista system went back to the store for a full refund. I've included a link at the bottom of this review in case you want all the details about the 64-bit system.
Purchasing
I bought this computer from Best Buy. It normally retails for $649.00, and I paid $589.99. Plus I opened a Best Buy Reward Zone account (for free) and used it to earn points on the purchase, which saved me another $10.00.
Summary
This Gateway Desktop Computer was an excellent purchase. I'm very happy with the amount of power and technology I received for the price paid. Now I'm zoooooming along in fine style!
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Specifications
Processor: AMD Phenom 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor 9500
System Bus: 3600 MHz
Cache Memory: 2mb a die Level 3
System Memory (RAM): 3gb (expandable to 4gb)
Type of Memory (RAM): PC2-5300 DDR2
Hard Drive: Serial ATA II (7200 rpm)
Hard Drive Size: 500gb
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE
Video Memory: up to 128mb (shared)
Modem: 56 Kbps ITU V.92
Network Card: Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Recordable DVD Drive: Double-layer DVD plus-minus RW/CD-RW
Recordable DVD Drive Speeds: 8x DVD plus-R, 8x DVD-R DL; 18x8x16 DVD plus-RW; 18x6x16 DVD-RW; 12x DVD-RAM; 48x32x48 CD-RW
Direct Disc Labeling: Yes
Total Expansion Bays: 3 (3.5"), 2 (5.25"), 1 Portable Media Drive
Available Expansion Bays: 1 (3.5"), 1 5.25"), 1 Portable Media Drive
Total Expansion Slots: 1 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16, 4 DIMM
Available Expansion Slots: 2 PCI-E x1
USB 2.0 Ports: 6 (2 front, 4 rear)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1
Please read my other reviews:
Gateway Computer with 64-bit Vista Operating System
ViewSonic 19" LCD Monitor
Samsung All-in-One Laser Printer
Logitech S510 Cordless Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Sandisk Cruzer Flash Drive 8gb
Canon PowerShot A400 Digital Camera
APC UPS Emergency Backup System
Copyright 2008 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 589.99
Operating System: Windows
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