- Very Strong 3D Graphics
- RAID Array Boosts Drive Performance and Storage
- Lots of Peripheral Expansion Options
- Battery Extends Out Rear of Laptop Rather Than Flush
- Heavy Use of Glossy Plastics That Show Smudges and Scratches Easily
- Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 Dual Core Mobile Processor
- 4GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
- Two 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drives in RAID 0 Array
- 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) Wide LCD Display with 1.3MP Webcam
- NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS Graphics with 512MB Memory
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
- Three USB 2.0, FireWire, eSATA, HDMI, Express/54, Fingerprint Reader, 5-in-1 Card Reader
- 15.8" x 11.8" x 1.7" @ 9.2 lbs.
- Vista Ultimate 64-bit, Power2Go, Norton Internet Security 2008
7/21/08 - Mobile PC gaming with notebooks has been problematic. Much of the hardware requires a fair amount of power and a hefty price tag. Gateway's P-173XL FX looks to change this by use some more affordable parts that still provide a solid gaming experience. The cornerstone of this is the GeForce 8800M GTS graphics processor. This chip does an outstanding job of providing sufficient performance to play even modern games at the LCD panels 1920x1200 resolution. It may not have the horsepower to add in filtering effects, but it does get the job done.
The P-173XL FX also offers a high level of performance in its storage thanks to the use of dual 200GB 7200rpm hard drives. On their own, they offer some decent performance but Gateway has links the two together in a RAID 0 array that makes for a larger single storage device that has performance much more in line with that of a desktop drive than a traditional notebook setup. This provides quick access to data and level loading while gaming. Additional high performance storage can be added through a eSATA port with an external drive.
Battery life on the P-173XL FX is very strong thanks to a very high capacity battery. The problem with this battery is that rather than being flush with the case, it sticks out of the rear panel of the chassis by about an inch. This makes the P-173XL FX a bit more awkward to transport. The chassis design also uses a fair amount of glossy plastics that are attractive at first but quickly show smudges, fingerprints and scratches quite easily.
The end result of the P-173XL is a highly affordable system that is quite capable as a PC gaming notebook that is much more affordable that many specialty resellers gaming specific systems.
