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Gateway's back-to-school desktops also black, shiny

Gateway announces its back-to-school PCs

Rich Brown Former Senior Editorial Director - Home and Wellness
Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.
Expertise Smart home, Windows PCs, cooking (sometimes), woodworking tools (getting there...)
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Rich Brown
2 min read

In addition to HP's announcement, Gateway also took the covers off two new back to school desktops today. And also like HP, Gateway does its own part to ensure piano black uniformity across the Windows ecosystem.

Gateway

Gateway SX2800-01

The SX2800-01 is a $499, fixed-configuration, slim tower with an impressive configuration. Comprised of a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad chip, 4GB of RAM, 64-bit Vista, and a 640GB hard drive, the SX2800-01 is one of the most affordable quad-core system we've seen. You have to spend $550 with HP for a SlimLine with a quad-core chip, or $460 for a quad-core Inspiron 537s from Dell, but both come up short in their other specs. Gateway has impressed us with its configuration acumen even since it pulled back its build-to-order business; and by its specs, the SX2800-01 seems to demonstrate further proof that Gateway's all-ready-made PCs are worth your attention. Offering a fully featured quad-core PC at $499 also takes another chunk out of the already feeble Nettop argument.

Gateway

Gateway DX4820-02 and DX4300-03

You'll find the mainstream Gateway desktops at various retailers. The $749 DX4300-03 features a 2.4GHz quad-core AMD Phenom II X4 configuration, and the pricier $899.99 DX4820-02 has a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad chip. Other specs vary between the two, with a 1TB hard drive and a 512MB ATI Radeon HD4650 3D card in the DX4300-03, while the DX4820-02 comes bundled with a 23-inch Gateway LCD. Again, these systems compete well at their various price points against HP and Dell. We also like the look of Gateway's new DX4000-series chassis, which has a much cleaner feel than the older version did.

Gateway didn't mention a Windows 7 upgrade program for its systems, although we know the SX2800-1 and the DX4300-03 are Best Buy-models, and Best Buy itself is offering a free Windows 7 upgrade voucher starting tomorrow, June 26. The systems discussed here go on sale by Monday, June 28, so with Best Buy at least, you're OS upgrade worries are covered.