The Bottom Line
Pros
- Excellent Price
- Strong 3D Graphics
- Lots of Peripheral Expansion Options
Cons
- Battery Extends Out Rear of Laptop Rather Than Flush
- Heavy Use of Glossy Plastics That Show Smudges and Scratches Easily
Description
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Dual Core Mobile Processor
- 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory
- 200GB 7200rpm SATA Drive with 16MB Cache
- 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) Wide LCD Display with 1.3MP Webcam
- NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS Graphics with 512MB Memory
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless
- Three USB 2.0, FireWire, eSATA, HDMI, ExpressCard/54, 5-in-1 Card Reader
- 15.8" x 11.8" x 1.7" @ 9.2 lbs.
- Vista Home Premium 64-bit, Works, Power2Go, Norton Internet Security 2008
Guide Review - Gateway P-7811FX Gaming Desktop Replacement Laptop PC
8/14/08 - Gateway's P-7811FX is their first laptop computer to use the new Intel Centrino 2 chipset. This comprises one of the new Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processors based on the Montevino design and the PM45 chipset. This adds a number of key new features including the use of DDR3 memory. This combination gives it performance on par with their P-173FX but with better energy usage and quicker memory access.
Another new feature to the P-7811FX is use the the latest mobile graphics from NVIDIA. This time it uses the GeForce 9800M GTS with 512MB of memory. It isn't a huge improvement over the older 8800M GTS but it is a step up. With this chip, the laptop has the ability to play the latest PC games up to the full 1920x1200 resolution of the LCD display. Of course, it is also possible to hook it up to an external monitor with the built-in HDMI connector.
In order to keep the costs of the P-7811FX down, Gateway has elected to go with a single 200GB 7200rpm hard drive rather than s dual drive RAID setup. This means that the data access is slower than the more expensive P-173FX, but it still performs very well compared to traditional notebook drives thanks to its fast spin rate and 16MB of internal cache. An eSATA port is included for use with high performance external drives.
Battery life on the P-7811FX is improved thanks to the new Centrino 2 technology. It gains a good 20% more runtime compared to the P-173FX model. Of course, Gateway's FX design still uses the large battery pack that extends out of the back of the case making it a bit more difficult to carry and not as clean in the design.
Gateway has certainly done a superb job with the P-7811FX. The best part is that the systems price makes it one of the most affordable laptops capable of PC gaming.
