Gateway P-7811FX

Remember Gateway’s spotted cow advertising campaign of the late 90’s? Gateway’s line-up of powerhouse, P-Series laptops is more likely to invoke images of sports cars, velociraptors and lightning bolts than of docile, lowing, barnyard animals. The Gateway P-7811FX is packed full of powerful hardware and promises top-notch performance for both gaming and resource-hungry application use. The Gateway P-7811FX will ensure that you’re playing all the latest games well into next year. Not looking to default on your mortgage? Cheaper than the Gateway P-173X FX Edition and the Dell XPS 1730, the Gateway P-7811FX is a great option for the frugal gamer or demanding user on the go.

Standout features

• New 2.26GHz Intel Centrino 2 Duo Processor P8400 (correct- both duo core and centrino)
• GeForce Go 9800M GTS video card
• 17-inch screen

Features

The Gateway P-7811FX has the same layout and chassis of the other laptops in Gateway’s P Series—a sporty, but not overstated design that will look right at home at both the casual business meeting and at a caffeine-fueled LAN party. The reflective black chassis is detailed with new-penny orange copper, and has silver racing stripes running along the lid. A bright orange “FX” logo on the lid announces to the world that this laptop is more than your average web-surfing and word-processing machine.

The high-resolution, 17-inch, widescreen display on the Gateway P-7811FX ensures an immersive gaming experience and provides plenty of space for multiple application use. The Gateway P-7811FX’s glossy panel excels at reducing glare, making it possible to comfortably play games or get work done in all but the most blinding of direct sunlight environments. A row of multimedia buttons are easy to access just above the full sized keyboard. The Gateway P-7811FX’s roomy touchpad allows you to navigate the desktop without repeatedly lifting and sliding your finger. The extra space provided by a large chassis permits a number pad too. Giant laptops can be a real chore to lug around, but there are advantages to larger machines. Between the large keyboard, number pad and large touchpad, long hour computing will be noticeably more comfortable than on a smaller 15-inch laptop.

The Gateway P-7811FX has an incredibly impressive hardware roster when you consider the price. The Gateway P-7811FX features a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor taken from Gateway’s Centrino platform. The GeForce Go 9800M GTS is a ridiculously fast option for a midlevel desktop replacement. The video card’s 512 MB will bolster frame rates and guarantee smooth HD video playback. 4 GB of RAM with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista means that multitasking won’t be a problem in the least— you’ll be able to play World of Warcraft, download TV shows, stream radio, chat with friends, and polish up your Flickr photos all at the same time… that is, if you can tolerate leaving your precious avatar unattended in the perilous wastes of Outland while you track down old Nick at Nite sitcoms. The Gateway P-7811FX’s 200GB hard drive won’t leave you enough space to complete your Golden Girls archive, but offers plenty of room for ordinary use and storage.

The Gateway P-7811FX pairs solid processing power with a superior video card. The Gateway P-7811FX’s modest 2.26GHz processor will support all of your day to day computing needs, but might leave you occasionally daydreaming about the 2.6GHz processor in the pricier Acer Aspire 8920-6671 or the whopping 2.8GHz nestled in Alienware’s dream machine, the Area-51 m17x. When it comes to gaming though, a mega-fast, self-aware processor isn’t going to give you the same performance edge that a good video card will. The GeForce 9800M GTS sits in the top tier of mobile graphics processing: it was designed to handle the graphic workload of hardware-melting games like Crysis and Company of Heroes. With the resolution at 1280x800, the Gateway P-7811FX handles Crysis on high settings at an average of 30 frames per second during less action intense sequences. Some choppiness and stuttering can be expected on Crysis in the game’s zero gravity areas. Call of Duty 4 is comfortably playable on maximum resolution and maximum graphics settings: you can expect upwards of 35fps on the Gateway P-7811FX. Turn down the settings or resolution, and frame rates in the 100’s are entirely possible. You can definitely get better gaming performance on the Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX or the Dell XPS M1730, but you’ll have to pay $500 to $1000 more to get that.

Value

In terms of best bang for the hard earned buck, the Gateway P-7811FX is a clear leader. The Gateway P-7811FX will cost you $1,399 for upper echelon performance. The GeForce 9800M GTS video card is the workhorse of The Gateway P-7811FX. It’s a high-end card that is just a bit faster than the GeForce 8800M series. The 200GB hard drive might strike you as a bit skimpy, but why not buy an external hard drive with the money you save on the Gateway P-7811FX versus, say, purchasing the ridiculously pricey Sager NP9262 outright?

Summary of Reviews from Across the Internet

Reviewers universally laud the Gateway P-7811FX as both a great desktop replacement laptop and as a great bargain. Multitaskers are very impressed with the 64-bit version of Windows and 4GB of RAM combination. The Gateway P-7811FX has an exceptionally long battery life for a gigantic multimedia laptop. A battery longevity of over two hours means you don’t have to worry when you watch movies without an electrical outlet nearby.

Although the Gateway P-7811FX runs quietly, many users have complained that the Gateway P-7811FX can get alarmingly hot during gaming sessions. Most laptops have five or more USB ports. The Gateway P-7811FX only has three.

Summary

If you’re serious about gaming or need mobile power in a laptop, the Gateway P-7811FX will be on your shortlist. With a GeForce Go 9800M GTS under the hood, the Gateway P-7811FX can satisfy your mobile gaming needs. Casual gamer with serious computing needs? The Gateway P-7811FX serves beautifully as a desktop replacement. The impressive hardware, and handsome 17-inch display and wide array of extras make the Gateway P-7811FX the ideal powerhouse laptop for the performance user on a budget.

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