The Bottom Line
- Strong Pentium 4 Processor
- Smaller 80GB Hard Drive
- No FireWire Ports
- Automatically Selected Recommend Upgrades
Description
- Intel Pentium 4 524 (3.0GHz) Processor
- 512MB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
- 80GB 7200rpm 2MB SATA Hard Drive
- 16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- Intel HD Audio with Stereo Speakers
- ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Integrated Graphics with 128MB Shared Memory
- v.90 56Kbps Modem and 10/100 Ethernet
- Six USB 2.0 Ports and 9-in-1 Media Reader
- Windows XP Home, MS Works 8.5 and McAfee Internet Suite
Guide Review - Gateway DX210S
4/13/06 - Gateways DX210S is definitely a step up from the DX110X in a few areas. Most notably is the Intel Pentium 4 524 processor that is probably one of the fastest to be found in a budget class desktop computer system. It should let it power through most applications without too much problem. It is matched up with 512MB of PC2-4200 DDR2 memory that is standard for most budget systems.
The increase in processor performance comes at a cost of storage space. The DX210S features a 80GB hard drive, roughly half the size of most budget desktop system drives. This should still be enough space for those who don't use the system too heavily for digital media files. It also has a 16X DVD+/-RW dual layer burner for creating data, music and movie DVDs and CDs that can offload much of the storage from the drive.
Graphics wise, the DX210S uses the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 integrated graphics that is better than some previous chipsets but still falls short for most 3D graphics performance. Thankfully the DX210S does come with a 16x PCI Express graphics cards slot for potential upgrades.
There are a couple of things consumers should be aware of. First is Gateways online ordering site. Gateway by default auto selects their recommended upgrades that will add a significant cost to the system. Second, it lacks any FireWire ports that users may need to transfer video from digital camcorders.
