6/14/08 - Gateway's FX series of desktop systems is geared towards looking for performance and especially at those wanting to do PC gaming. The series has gone through a variety of product updates but one of the most significant was the introduction of factory overclocking on certain XT models. They contain this tradition with the latest FX541FX. Let's take a look at what else it has to offer ...
Processor:
Gateway has really moved away from the build to order setup and now instead uses a model based preconfiguration setup. The FX541XT system only comes setup with the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 quad core desktop processor. This isn't the latest and greatest of the Intel Extreme processors, but it does provide very strong performance. Gateway does factory overclock the processor from the default 3.0GHz to a 3.66GHz clock rate.
Memory:
The FX541XT system is based around an older but well tested NVIDIA 680i chipset. This limits the system to using the older but much more affordable DDR2 memory technology. Gateway packs the system with 4GB of PC2-6400 DDR2 memory. It would be nicer to see higher rated memory but the system does perform admirably with this setup and for a lower cost than competing systems.
Hard Drives:
Many high performance desktops tend to tend towards the faster drives possible at the expense of storage capacity. This may give it very fast data access but highly limited space. Gateway has elected to balance out performance and storage capacity by instead using two 750GB 7200rpm Serial ATA hard drives. The two drives are then configured in a RAID 0 array to offer it higher performance through data striping.
CD/DVD Drives:
Most desktop systems just come with a single or double DVD burner setup. They may offer an upgrade to a Blu-ray drive. Gateway has made a HD-DVD/Blu-ray Combo drive and a dual layer DVD burner as the standard configuration. This means that the system can be used to watch HD-DVD or Blu-ray movies in addition to being able to read and write DVD and CD Media.
Graphics and Displays:
The FX series of desktops is about performance and particularly gaming performance. The FX541XT provides a good level of performance, but it isn't overwhelming. The system comes standard with two NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT graphics cards configured in an SLI setup. This will let it handle most of today's games at high resolution with filtering without issue. It doesn't have quite the same level of performance capability like those using the 9800 series graphics cards or doing a quad SLI setup.
Audio:
Since the system is designed for gaming, a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer audio card is standard. This let's the system handle the EAX HD extensions for added audio immersion in PC gaming. Speakers are generally a separate item that hs to be added onto a system purchase, but Gateway includes a Logitech Z-240 2.1 speaker setup with the FX541XT.
Software:
The Gateway FX541XT comes standard with the Vista Home Premium 32-bit operating system. This isn't an issue as the system uses just 4GB of memory but it does limit upgrading the memory without also upgrading to a 64-bit version. It also comes with MS Works for productivity software and Norton Internet Security for security.
Overall Impressions:
The big advantage of the Gateway FX541XT over the other companies performance gaming systems is the price. It is nearly half as much as some of the top of the line systems but still provides quite good performance. Of course you do end up with some parts that aren't quite as top of the line. It is one processor revision behind, it uses slower DDR2 memory and the 8800 series graphics cards.
Gateway makes up for this by including addition multimedia features that aren't standard on most gaming systems. For example, the system can watch HD-DVD or Blu-ray movies. It also comes equipped with a digital/analog TV tuner. This makes the FX541XT also double as a high performance multimedia platform or home theater PC. Now it isn't perfectly suited to such an environment, but it is rare that a home theater PC can also be used for gaming and vice versa.
Another advantage of the FX541XT is the fact that it comes equipped with many features that are not standard on high performance systems. Most high end systems do not include small things like media card readers. This is such a small cost to manufacturers, but it can be a huge deal for consumers who need such a feature. Gateway also includes some Logitech speakers with the system while most companies require buyers to purchase them as an add-on.
Overall, the Gateway FX541XT is a system that is probably good for someone who would like to do overclocking and have a high performance system without either putting together a system themselves or spending a huge fortune on one of the prestige systems on the market.
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