- Strong Pentium 4 Processor
- Includes 17" CRT Monitor
- No AGP/PCI-Express Slot
- Lacks CD/DVD Burner
- Only 256MB of Memory
- Intel Pentium 4 519 (3.06GHz) Processor
- 256MB PC3200 DDR Memory
- 40GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 48x CD-ROM
- Intel Hi-Definition Audio
- Intel GMA 900 Graphics with 128MB Shared Memory
- v/92 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet
- 17" VX750 CRT Monitor
- Six USB 2.0 and One FireWire Ports
- Windows XP Home, MS Works 8, Norton Anti-Virus
4/26/05 - Gateway's 5310S is a very interesting system. It offers some very significant tradeoffs for those looking at budget desktop PCs.
While most budget systems tend to use the Celeron D line of processors, the 5310S instead uses the much more powerful Pentium 4 519. This gives the 5301S the ability to run much more processor intensive applications such as desktop video. To cut costs down, Gateway only installs 256MB of PC3200 DDR memory in the system. This is really the minimum required to run Windows XP. Memory intensive applications will cause the system to slow down.
Storage is very disappointing for the 5310S. While the system uses the new Serial ATA interface, it only comes with a 40GB hard drive. That is just half the size of the average budget desktop. It also only ships with a 48x CD-ROM standard. This means that it does not have the ability to create music or data CDs or even playback DVDs.
Graphics are a bit of an improvement. The new Intel GMA 900 graphics processor does handle 3D graphics better than the older Extreme 2, but it is still limited in most 3D applications. There are no AGP or PCI-Express graphics slots for future upgrades. Gateway does include a CRT monitor with the system that makes it more functional out of the box.
Overall, the Gateway 5310S offers a strong base system, but it lacks the standard features such as graphics expansion or a DVD-burner that would be used by applications that would take advantage of the processor.
