- Strong 3D Graphics
- 45nm Quad Core Processor
- eSATA Port For High Performance External Storage
- Uses Slower DDR2 Memory
- Case Could Use Better Cooling
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Quad Core Processor
- 6GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
- 640GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 18x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner with LabelFlash
- NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT Graphics Card with 512MB Memory
- Intel HDA 7.1 Audio with Stereo Speakers
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet
- Six USB 2.0, Two FireWire, eSATA, 15-in-1 Card Reader
- Vista Home Premium 64-bit, Works, Power2Go
8/7/08 - Gateway has put together an outstanding package with its FX4710 desktop system. No matter what task that is thrown at it, it handles them without any issues thanks to its nice balance of components at a very reasonable price.
Quad core processors aren't extremely new to the mainstream desktop market, but Gateway has decided to use the new 45nm Q9300 model over the previous Q6600 that many companies still use. This gives it increase performance thanks to its higher clock speed and internal cache. This lets it power through applications such as desktop video. The 6GB of DDR2 memory certainly helps the system from running into memory related slowdowns. It is just too bad that Gateway used a slower PC2-5300 memory instead of faster PC2-6400 that could have given it a bit more speed.
Storage is very strong on the FX4710. Gateway uses a slightly larger 640GB hard drive that gives it some additional space and performance over the traditional 500GB drives found in comparable systems. Gateway has also decided to include an eSATA port on the system for those wanting additional external storage without any sacrifice in performance.
Gaming is smooth even at high resolutions with the FX4710 thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT graphics card that features 512MB of memory. It can easily handle the latest Direct X 10 games at resolutions up to 1920x1200 without much of an issue. This is definitely a step up from similar priced systems targeted at gamers.
The only other real issue with the FX4710 has to be with the case cooling. The processor and graphics card can generate a lot of heat which the existing layout and fans can have trouble with. This gets the case a bit hotter than desired but is still functional.
