Gateway FX P-7901

Hello,

I've been lurking the forums for awhile looking for a gaming laptop. I really like P-7XXX's, but they're only available in US. Then I saw this last week in one of our local stores:

[URL="http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10126072&catid=']http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10126072&catid=[/URL]

Just want to know your thoughts on this one.

Thanks

 

I haven't heard of this model! It isn't yet on the Gateway website!

So this means those are the new models!

I'd wait until some reviews about it appear.

 

There's also a P-7902:

http://www.pricebat.ca/Gateway-P-79...B-17IN-WXGA-GTX260M-Vista-Premium.p_10100205/

Not available in the US yet, either.

 

It lists a 260M, that would be the first substantial video card upgrade since the first model was introduced and would be great news for low priced gaming. I hope its true, even though I probably wouldn't upgrade yet, because it shows that performance is moving ahead and getting cheaper for high end cards, low end gaming has come along way in the last 2 years but for around $1000 nothing cheaper and more powerful has come out.

 

The Quad Core support is always a plus! Hope they have these systems in US soon for low prices as well.

 

it's equivalent to 1650 USD.. a bit pricey compared to other P-7 series in the US..

and the screen resolution was a turn off

oh well, atleast we got P-7 series locally now, that's a good start

 

Yeah i was kind of hoping for 1599 with a 1920x1200 or 1680x1050 screen for the quad core.

But 1650 isnt bad, just the screen res is disappointing. Wonder when gateway is going to drop the full line up of 79xx series on the US

 

Just a hunch, but maybe October when Windows 7 hits retail? Or shortly after.

 

Screen res to 19x12 would be great. Im guessing that yes it will be after windows 7 releases in October. I also think that it will be with the new 32n processors.

Dropping the prices of the quads out now by a lot.

 

not bad for the this price except the screen res.
also need better driver support from gateway.

 

Wouldn't 1400x900 work better ? u should always play in native resolution, right ? I never had higher resolution screen so don't know why everyone wants it.

 

Native resolution usually provides a sharper image at that same resolution compared to the higher resolution monitor. The reason for wanting higher resolution is most do not use this strictly for games and also some 3D apps can run fine at the higher resolution.

 

I hook to an external monitor while gaming so Notebook res doesnt matter too much

Also i REALLY like that orange thing near the hand rest. I wonder what that is?

 

Get a sager/clevo! at that price point you can get more with a sager... and in my opinion the q9000 was pretty much obsolete before it hit the market, especially for a "gaming" notebook. Higher clocked dual core will be much more beneficial and it won't be long before we see notebook versions of the i7..

 

I was at FS today and saw the 7901. While it may have better guts, I prefer my 7805u exterior much better.

It has the annoying "tall" return key with two keys separating the right pinky from the return key (hp notebooks are like this). This is annoying because I'm used to moving my pinky only 2 keys over to press return, not 3 keys over.

Also, I believe the back of the lcd has some graphics that are textured onto the plastic. The smooth back is preferred for those who plan on using their laptops for work as well, a cheap laptop skin to cover whatever graphics so it doesn't scream gamer.

 

GTX 260M is a rebadged 9800M :/ not really an upgrade: link

 

Not entirely true, the 9800m GTS in the current Gateway FX models (78XX) only has 64 pipes, while for the GTX 260m in the newer/unreleased Gateway models (79XX) has 112pipes. So the GTX 260m is better than the 9800m GTS actually, don't trust notebookcheck - their tests are not the best out there, I trust Toms Hardware.

Besides that off-topic discussion, Gateway needs to get on the ball - where's the US version of the new 79XX models? I don't want rebranded 7805u's. The 7809u and 7807u's are just rebranded 7805u's with better processors (with the same 9800m GTS), I want the 79XX models fools!

 

I love how it looks on the outside, me wants

 

the 1920x1200 res is nice for photoshop and the like.. but for just browsing the net everything is a bit small for the most part. 14x9 is sorta small for intensive programs but great for everyday use.

So you know it's a trade off i guess. 14x9 looks like poo on this monitor though so yeah...

 

All that GPU power on a so-so screen. Gateway should know better. They should have at least put a 1680x1050.

 

People need to stop riding this horse. The screen resolution is fine at 1440 X 900. The higher resolution only gives you sharper images - that's it. You don't get higher frames (you actually lose frames), you get tiny icons only bifocals can see, and it's highly retarded in my opinion for such a high resolution on a 17" screen. You actually can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on anything lower than 40" on a HDTV, let alone a 17".

Some people need to lay off the kool aid already. When getting a laptop, you already are subjecting yourself in lowering your standards. For the same price of a laptop, you can get a desktop that's 10x better than it. With a laptop, you are getting half the graphical speed (and pipes), slower CPU, and less upgradability. Gateway and a few other pop out affordable "gaming laptops" but in order to make it affordable - corners have to be cut.

You can argue about this all day long but the numbers don't lie. A lower resolution (let's say 1024 x 768) compared to a higher resolution (lets say your 1650x1080), the lower resolution is going to produce more frames hands down, sometimes even triple the amount that high resolution can't provide. Plus AA was invented for a reason wasn't it? So that you can sharpen images at lower resolution right or was it for bragging rights? If I wanted a high resolution screen, I'll hook the laptop to my HDTV and experience a REAL high resolution screen. Go ahead and lie but 1080p look LOADS better on my 47" HDTV than a tiny 17" (I know the truth hurts but so does my eyes on a 1080p 17" screen).

Simply put, some of us have bills, a family to provide for, Rent, a mortgage to pay for, loans, setting college funds aside for our kids, and various other things are on our plate. Some of us hard working individuals who don't have money growing on trees and instead have a budget. Gateway and a few other laptop makers (MSI, Asus, etc.) understand this and try to provide a laptop that looks great on paper in regards to specs for a Gamer but even more so a price that is unbelievably affordable! There are other laptop makers out there who are more than willing to take your thousands of dollars to create your [dream] computer, some of us just don't have that kind of money laying around.

So don't diss a computer maker like Gateway simply because they don't suit your need of a ridiculously high resolution on a tiny 17" screen. Again, number don't lie and I'm not talking about frames this time, the FX sells out in stores and online faster than any laptop I know. I wanted the P-7805u at Best Buy and it was sold out within a few hours of being on the shelf every time they received a batch in. Numbers don't lie and the Gateway FX laptops are selling well and aren't going away anytime soon. The 79XX series is something I'll be keeping my eye on and so will others and it WILL sell well, no doubt about that !

 

Sorry I have to chime in on that. Yes for gaming 1440x900 is fine but then don't dis us with 20/10 vision, at least with my glasses on. I see the 1920x1200. fine and it does not hurt my eyes. I went with a 1080P 25" monitor for home so I can sit back a bit and wear the glasses as I wear them for distance.

A good 1920x1200 should only add about $100 or less to the overal cost, I'd personally opt for the 100 more for a say P-7901-uHD. I am not a heavy gamer but I can tell you RealFlight 4.5 just looks awesome on the 25" 1080P, so if I am going to game at home you know what I am going to use.........

 

The point you're stabbing me for was just an example. In order to keep the laptop at an affordable price, computer manufacturers have to take shortcuts and the first thing is they usually ALWAYS go for a lower screen resolution. People act as if it's a poison and the laptop is not going to do good due to it not having a high resolution screen. An affordable GAMING laptop does not require such a royalty is my point and you already reiterated what I agree on. If you plan on using your laptop at home and want a higher resolution, might as well hook it up to an external display (HDTV or Monitor). Despite that argument and opinions set aside, even with a lower resolution screen - it's still going to sell, Gateway's FX models for some odd reason sell well and are popular. The 79XX models are not going to be any different...

OFFTOPIC: I'm still going to stand by what I mentioned before that you are not going to be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on anything below 40". I'm sure you like your 26" monitor but if you were able to have a 720p and 1080p right next to each other, it's going to be REALLY HARD to tell them apart. Anything smaller than that size get's harder and harder, especially when you jump to 1200p on a 17"... it's just overkill and not needed.

With my opinion: I think with me wanting to max out my settings and see high frames while lowering my resolution (I game at 1024 x 768 on my desktop currently), maybe that's why I don't see the point of high resolution (remember, my opinion). I also use AA within games, which was invented for a reason, and FORCE it via the Nvidia control panel on some games.

 

Sorry but I have a XT5000T with a 1440x900 and went to this and 1920x1200 both at 17". So your argument is mute here as I can easilly see the difference. Agreed it will sell at the lower res and does but a higher res option would be nice. Remember here I say OPTION! Both resolutions have their place..............

Also remember unlike a TV where you sit back a computer display you sit on top of usually. So yes usually a TV requires a larger screen to tell the difference............

 

There is a MAJOR difference between 1920x1200 and 1400x900, even if it is on a 17" or a 15" screen (like my Lenovo T61p work laptop)...there is no doubt denying it, unless you srsly have bad vision. I own a 7811, and a friend recently bought a 7809 couple weeks ago. We both play TF2, and there is a difference. And as you stated, the only difference is sharpness...but that is the point! Why would one go from a 720p to a 1080p TV...for its "additional sharpness." FYI, a person with a 1920x1200 can obviously play his games at 1440x900 if he so fit to do so, and still look the same if some one only had a 1440x900 (due to the very low pixel pitch).

 

Actually the 1440x900 on a 1920x1200 will look worse than 1440x900 on a native 1440x900 screen. LCD screens are horrible at scaling and cause the image to become blurry.

I prefer to game at 1440x900 due to all of the extras i can turn on at that resolution and have the games really come alive. But for productivity i prefer 3+ 1920x1200 screens so i can have all my work accessable

 

You need your eyes checked if you can't tell the diff between 1440x900 and 1920x1200 on a 17" screen!

 

I don't understand why a person would choose to get a resolution that the included graphics card can't push on a "gaming" computer unless they only watch blu-ray or need the space for productivity reasons. But that same person shouldn't be looking at a gaming oriented computer but a workstation... Even if this computer can push "most" games at 1900x1200 it either comes at the cost of eye candy, the game is old and looks subpar anyway, or it performs admirably but will not be able to do the same with games from a year from now and someone looking for the best deal and cutting costs most likely will keep it at least a year.

In my opinion and I don't think I'm wrong (but nobody ever does) a game looks better at 1440x900 with all eye-candy and 2xaa on a 1440x900 res screen than a 1900x1200 screen at that res because of scaling issues. Now that same game will be sharper looking at 1900x1200 but if it comes at the cost of shadow detail or post processing it most likely is not worth it.... I'm not arguing that 1900x1200 doesn't looks better but the fact is the 9800gts or gtx260m (if the specs are correct) isn't powerful enough for that resolution.

I have a 22" desktop monitor and it runs at 1680x1050 and it looks great and I don't think that resolution is considered low or cheap or crappy in the desktop world...and I'm sure why it is considered such for a budget computer, maybe the screen helps keep it budget.

I personally think gateway should focus on high quality lcd's regardless of the resolution, because the one on my FX laptop looks like crap unless viewed perfectly head on.

The fact is gateway is marketing these computers as low cost gaming machines and they usually don't allow us to choose options, they configure a competitive system, produce a large amount of them and release it to retailers. And if they continue the same path they are on now they will change the configuration slightly in a month, change the model number slightly, so its likely there will be a high-res model soon.

 

*Clapping* Bravo my friend, you took the words right out of my mouth.
I personally would take a 1440 x 900 screen and be able to max out the settings/eye candy and use AA (which sharpens the image by the way) than a 1900 x 1200 screen to have lower frames and HAVE to lower a few settings just to have a sharper picture (as mentioned by nofxman32, old games/subpar games don't count and Source games don't count either). I also agree that the 260m GTX and 9800m GTS is not powerful enough to push every setting to the highest on a 1900 X 1200 screen without some sacrifices/settings lowered (like shadow detail and what not).

Despite this talk, Gateway's have been selling well without a high resolution display for a reason, it's price is phenomenal for what you get. You can cry to the moon it needs a high resolution display, the sales numbers don't lie, the Gateway FX laptops sell like hot cakes- I'm sorry but it's true. The 79XX series is going to sell well also, if you want a high resolution display, there's ebay that sell the high resolution display you can replace for the extra cost you are happy to spend. Not everyone has a money tree in the back yard and are on a budget and even though some people don't look at it that way, Gateway and a few other laptop makers do understand this [and have a heart]. If the computer looks great in specs and has a great low price, it IS going to sell!

 

There are people that bought some of the previous FX series and received a 1900x1200 screen (I quit keeping up so not sure it was an entire series or just part of one) and one point you could pick up a slightly more expensive configuration on Gateway's website albeit for a premium just not at retailers. So I wold bet that in the near future you will be able to pick one of these up with a high-res screen if thats a deal buster for anyone.

 

So long as gateway can get the price under 1500 dollars (preferably under 1400) i'm fine with what ever display they put in it. I'll be spending enough on a new SSD, and QX9300 that upgrading the panel myself really wont be that big of an expense

 

I hope you guys understand what the concept for anti-aliasing. The reason behind AA it the get a sharper image on a lower screen resolution, so it is "virtual high resolution." And we all know that anything virtual is worse than having it native.

It has been proven time and time again that AA on a lower resolution != better quality and performance than that of no AA on a higher resolution, but worse quality and performance. It is harder on the video card to do AA than to render @ a higher resolution. If you want proof on this, there are tons of articles on the web.

So a single line summary is...

1920x1200 w/o AA > 1440x900 w/ AA

Both in quality and performance.

Now if you want 1440x900, fine that is YOUR personal preference. My preference is 1920x1200. But don't say that you get better quality and performance on the lower resolution when using AA and other stuff...because you ain't.

 

I agree, I'd be happy if it's affordable but have some great specs - screen resolution doesn't matter to me either.

@ktr: What if I don't use AA, the lower resolution screen will allow me to MAX out my settings/eye candy in my game and give me better frames than a higher resolution screen can EVER do. A high resolution screen will produce less frames or you have to subject to lowering settings down that a lower resolution screen can easily handle (no one can deny either). I agree, a sharper image is the only thing a High resolution screen has over a lower resolution screen.

I believe the 7811 (Gateway's gamble that lost them money- proof of the [few]7805u,7807u,7808u,7809u being lower resolution) and a few [lucky] 7805u owners have been spoiled with a high resolution and now they EXPECT a high resolution screen is MANDATORY on EVERY laptop in the world. I still stand by that in order to make a laptop affordable, shorcuts have to be made and the lower resolution display is usually the first thing to pop on the computer of which alot of people can easily accept to use (whether that means for now or upgraded for a high resolution later.)

To direct back to your original/first post and above post in this thread (since it looks like we keep deviating off-topic), I know it's your preference of having a high resolution on the 79XX models (or laptops in general) but if it is a lower resolution doesn't mean it's condemned already. People are going to buy it and it will very well sell out like EVERY Gateway FX laptop, heck you might even buy one. You can simply pop out your high resolution display on your current Gateway FX model and put it in the 79xx model you purchase (like nofxman32 has mentioned) or buy a high resolution from ebay.

Personally I, and I'm probably speaking for everyone but a few, would take an affordable laptop and just upgrade the components myself (HDD, Ram, CPU, Screen, etc.) at a later date, could we at least agree on that ktr?

 

Then you are going against your initial argument than. Plus 1920x1200 can
do 1440x900 quite well with unnoticeable quality loss. Because 1920x1200
has about double the pixels per square inch, and the naked eye cannot
detect the difference. To see 1440x900 is like seeing 1920x1200 on a 34"
screen.

Or it can be that Gateway is increasing it's profit margin which we will
never know until Gateway tells us (which they won't). According to your
logic, your saying that Gateway Exec. allowed to to sell a product at a
loss. I don't think any public company would even consider doing something
like that, unless they see a long term gain (like Sony PS3 and Blu-ray).

Nah, not even considering a 79xx regardless of screen (I only mentioned it
if I was someone look for a new laptop). Why? Because it is not a big jump
as 68xx to the 78xx...from Santa Rosa to Montevina. Plus having a 260m is
point less at this time. Why again? Because the idea of having more shader
pipelines is for DX10 games, as shaders is the big thing of DX10. Game
devs are not even bothering about DX10 anymore. Plus DX11 is coming out
soon, making a the 260m outdated. Only if it had the i7 mobile CPU, and an
nvidia 300m series video card, I would consider it. But in the mean time,
the 260m is a powerful card that could render most of todays games @
1920x1200 just fine.

Of course I will agree with that...it applies to every computer in
general. Obviously your not going to buy a new computer every couple of
months.

 

Hey, can I just interupt this discussion for a second and ask a few questions??
Im here visiting Vancouver and since we in Europe dont have Gateway computers, I was going to buy the P7807 laptop with the 9800M GTS, which is pretty good, and then i saw the P7901 and P7902 laptops online which are even better... anyway, to cut the story short, what are the diferences between the two laptops, P7901 and P7902??
P.S. I really like the collors of the P7807 laptop an am wondering if it's the same for the P79XX's or is it a totlly diferent color, shape, model??
thanks...
I saw on pricebat and similar sites that it goes under the name ACER P 79 and can't tell which is which... can you help me out here?? I would very much appriciate it...
thanks!!

 

You might want to do some quick research on the 7801 & 2.

Off the top of my head, the 01 has a dual-core P8400 and I believe the 02 has a quad core (q9000 maybe).

The O2 has a 1440 x 900 screen while the 01 has a 1920 x 1200 screen.

The HDs may not be the same, either.

The 79xx's seem to be on the same chasis but have slightly different color scheme/logo.

Anyway,
to the board, too.

 

Mine linking where you found these at online... maybe my google-fu is weak today, but i cant find a 7902 anywhere online, and about the only place i've been able to find the 7901 is here.

Which shows me
1> That sometimes R is to popular for its own good
2> i suck at internet searches because i cant find anything about these 2 lappies

 

i found this...
http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=10556
and think it's the best i could find so far, for the price... just because of the CPU speed (2.53 GHz) and the GF 260M... i hope it's the same color scheme as the p78xx series because i like it...
why doesn0t Gateway just put the specs on the web?? double U-T-F??

 

I posted this a few pages back, that's the only difference between this and the other fx laptops...plus theres a squiggly line next to the touch pad where the others are plain

 

that's great!! thanks, you saved me!!
I saw the picture a few pages back, and it was "Forbidden" to me even when i logged on... wierd... well, it looks even better with the graphitti than the FX logo that's normally placed on the rest of the series...
I'll go over the 1440x900 res just because of the 260M anf 2.53 GHz
one more thing, does it have bluetooth??

 

Ah ok, so its just the dual core version of the laptop...

Thats not bad either, but i would rather have quad support (I's wants me a qx9300 )

Still not a bad laptop at all, should power through most everything pretty well. With the Nehelems maxing out at 2.0gHz i guess i'll stick with the currently available quads, and just update again when the 32nm CPU's hit. Should give me about 10ish months before my next laptop... choices choices

 

for the price i got on a 6831 ($635 from ebay) i wont even bother looking for another laptop for some time. i upgraded the cpu to a t8300 and 500gb drive, if i want more power from the gpu i simply overclock it.

 

I just ordered mine yesterday. Be here from NCIX in 5-10 days ^^. Tax+shipping included was just roughly around 1520 (price matched subtotal down to 1411) =D. I'll update more on it when I receive it ^^.
IMO best price/performance ratio I can find at the moment with ease (no haggling bartering shipping over borders and getting raped by ups/fedex cause all these companies seem to distrust usps for some stupid reason or just wont ship to canuks)
The screen looked fine to me when I took a look at the quadcore model at FS, and that's after getting used to my much larger desktop monitor. All in all, major upgrade from my last 14inch laptop from compaq. And now I can leave my desktop alone at home when I ship off to school. Since this thing should definitely be able to do some CAD work.

Just to throw a question out there since I don't really want to have to wait to pop the panels open/don't really want to do that so quickly, does anyone know if the GTX260m in this thing is used in a MXM slot? =o

 

I would be very surprised if it does use an MXM slot since none of the other FX laptops ever have. This is most likely the same motherboard in the 7805 and the like or a slightly revised one but my guess is the gpu is still soldered down and not removable or replaceable.

Edit: If anyone is looking at this computer for a cheap gaming machine Asus has introduced a new model (based off the g50 thats been floating around) it has a lower resolution screen but only 15.6", slower processor, but the same gpu and only cost $1050 making it a better deal in my opinion
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-G51VXRX05-Gaming-Laptop/
Hard to say if this computer will have overheating issues that I've seen mentioned around here with the previous model though.

 

The keyboard layout is different on the new 7900's, the return key is less wide and taller resulting in it being 3 key away from your pinky vs only 2 keys away on the 7800's. I don't know why manufacturer's are switching to this layout, as it is annoying. I was playing with it at the store and I kept hitting the "\" key instead of return key because of this layout.

 

Did they move the left Ctrl Key to the bottom left corner position?

That would be nice.

 

Oops, post deleted 'cause I wasn't paying attention.

Sorry.

 

I would like to have a quad core is the only reason to upgrade. I went to NCIX web site but couldn't find it there..........

 

Yep I'm wanting the quad core... i kinda wished something offered a decent cooling system with a quad and a 260GTS, because i would love to have the videocard down to a 27watt pull (nice chilly temps there) and i doubt i would ever have to laptops for many a year (due to the 6860 destroys the games i actually enjoy playing and will still run others for me to try out)

 

Wish I were a gamer again but little to no time. That and I am not a fan of first person shooters, never was either. I used to love Privateer back in those days and some other space sims, especially the Wing Commander series.......