Gateway M-6864 FX Review

I threw this up (barfed?) on my blog and it was getting a bunch of traffic - which in my blog's case means people were actually finding the site besides me and a couple of buddies - so I figured y'all might like it.

I'll post pix and a vale comparison against the Alienware m15x base model later if people want to see it.

Yah, its a bit old now but at $750 on sale its a pretty nice rig IMO.

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Gateway has been on a roll since being acquired by Acer last year. Acer's aggressive pricing for decent specifications combined with Gateway's newfound sense of style makes the Gateway M-6864FX its $750 to $999 street price a notebook of interest.

Hardware Highlights:

Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2 GHz CPU
AMD RADEON Mobility 2600 with 512 MB of RAM
14.1" WXGA High-Definition Display With 1280 x 800 Resolution
200 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
4 GB DDR2 System Memory
LabelFlash Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
As part of Gateway's FX line of performance gaming computers the jersey cow print box is ditched in favor of the line's black and copper orange motif. Open it to reveal the FX wrapped in protective foam plastic cocoon. Its 5200mAh battery, 32/64 recovery disc, manuals, marketing materials and power adapter are in a tidy little box.

Carbon fiber print, glossy black, gun metal gray and a copper orange sets the FX apart from other notebooks in this price range. This notebook really stands out (it is also available in non FX trim in gloss black or garnet red). The high gloss finish collects finger prints quickly. Hinge tension works in place of an LCD latch mechanism. The gun metal trim around the keyboard includes media control buttons and capacitive volume control - this arrangement is very similar to its big brother Gateway P-7811FX. Above the high-gloss screen sits a 1.3 Megapixel webcam and microphone.

Its 15.4" display is bright with excellent contrast and color saturation. This screen is very easy on the eyes. At 1280*800 most people should be OK with the text size and amount of usable screen real estate. For example, there is room for one page (web or Word) with the Vista Sidebar still visible.

The keyboard is lovely. Keys are nicely sized and have good travel and dampening. There is a bit of keyboard flex but even for a heavy handed typist the performance is tolerable. On the right side of the keyboard you find dedicated Home, PgDn, PgUp, and End buttons. This keyboard takes very little getting used to. The WASD keys have orange arrows corresponding to the direction is keys in most first person shooter games and that is a nice touch.

Gateway has equipped the FX with a very good touchpad. Out of the box it required no fussing with control panels. Buttons are firm and rattle free and the vertical scrolling zone is spot-on. Wireless and disk activity LEDs line the bottom of the touchpad.

The weight and size of the FX are both good. At only 6.3 lb. and just 1.5" thick you won’t find carrying this unit around taxing. Width is 14" and length is 10" - not a thin and light but not a brick either. Considering the FX's inherent gaming ability this is a very good form factor.

First Boot

Unlike most computers these days the FX was fully responsive during the first 30 minutes of operation. Typically there is just so much going on that a new computer is almost unusable. THere may be two reasons for this. First, with 4 GB of RAM there should be less disk caching/thrashing. Second, Gateway's OS load is optimized for the FX. For example the sidebar is off by default but there is still some junk - Wild Tangent games and various Internet offers. With Gears of War featured on the FX line and the title's dismal sales it is hard to understand why Gateway and Epic did not team up to bundle the game with this series of computers. Overall the first boot impression was positive, you may wish to use the included Vista disc to perform a clean install but it wasn't absolutely necessary.

Performance

FX uses Intel's Core 2 Duo T5750 CPU which has a 2 Megabyte level two cache and uses the now dated 667 MHz FSB. Other features include support for EMT64 (duh, FX ships with Vista 64), Enhanced Intel Speed Step (to reduce energy consumption) and Execute Disable Bit (to prevent some forms of malicious code). Noticeable in its absence is Virtualization support. With the dual core CPU and 4 GB of 667 MHz RAM performance is good scoring a respectable 1 minute 9 seconds in SuperPi and in 40.799 seconds in wPrime. It also scored 5163 in PCMark05 - a very good result for a sub $1,000.00 notebook. Gateway has wisely elected to offer the FX with a socketed CPU (Socket P) so that users can upgrade in the future.

Seagate's Momentus ST9200420AS 200 GB HDD has a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, 16 MB buffer and SATA 3.0Gb/s interface. You sacrifice some storage capacity against other notebooks at this price, but the performance is worth it. It manages an average transfer rate of 51.3 MB/second. Optical recording is robust, the FX's 8x dual layer multi-DVD burner with LabelFlash is exactly what you would expect at this price point although Blu-Ray is starting to pop-up.

AMD/ATI's RADEON 2600 video system is positioned squarely in the mid-range performance segment. No match for the 8800/9800 chips in desktop replacement notebooks it's a great compromise that delivers excellent gaming performance. Games like Mass Effect run at 1280x800 with almost every setting dialed to maximum. Its 3DMark06 score was 3662 at the LCD panel's native resolution. Avivo HD support means that you can really take advantage of the FX's HDMI port. Viewing movies and watching games over HDMI worked great.

Ports on the FX are as follows; three USB 2.0, HDMI, microphone, headphone, Ethernet and modem handle the basics. A memory card slot accepts SD/MMC/MS and xD flash formats. An Expresscard type 54 slot is available too.

Heat and noise can become issues on small notebooks as they lack the material and space for internal airflow required to dissipate heat. Other notebooks based on this form factor such as the Gateway T-6321 struggled to stay cool. The FX experiences no such problem. It has a robust cooling system that combined with Intel's Speed Step and ATI's PowerPlay 7 keeps temperatures in check. Maximum temperature after fours hours of Mass Effect was recorded at the left side vent hole at 50oC/122oF. Plugged in and set to high performance the FX is comfortable to use on a lap. Fan noise is bearable.

Battery life was average for an Intel notebook. The included power unit is rated for 5200 mAh and 11.1 Volts. In normal use you can expect to achieve 2.5 to 3.0 hours using the default low power setting.

Wireless performance of the Intel 4965 A/G/N card is quite good. The FX has no problem finding networks on both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands and holding on to signals 50-100 feet from the source. In addition to the 4965 card the FX has an extra, empty mini PCI card slot. There isn't much choice right now if you want to populate the empty slot, but its good to have options.

Audio performance is acceptable. Speakers are tinny but loud - for playing games the lack of bass might be an issue (less boom). For light media playback and YouTube watching they are fine. Outputting via mini jack to a stereo system yields good results. Likewise HDMI output of audio sounds as good as your Hi-Fi allows.

Conclusion

Last January the P-6831FX was released to universal acclaim. It was the most powerful gaming notebook ever released in the sub-$1500 price point. It is now on its third iteration and still awaits a worthy competitor. Gateway must have realized that 17" notebooks are not for everyone hence the 15.4" FX. Although roughly half as powerful, it is still extremely compelling because of its smaller size and lower price (pretty close to half the cost when on sale).

But it isn't just the parts inside that make this attractive. The fit and finish is great - as good as you can get in a plastic chassis. The aesthetics are good too. Rather than plain and boring, the FX has a bold character. It might not be for everyone but that is always a risk when a product is designed to stand out. Gateway has done a great job of making the M-6864FX appealing to the senses. It looks nice, feels solid and does not get scorching hot during operation.

The war for the 2008 back to school shopping dollar is fierce. Montevina based notebooks are a little late, just starting to trickle out now. There should be a refresh of this FX notebook soon using newer components such as a 25 Watt TDP Penryn CPU and possibly the RADEON 3650 GPU - but you can never say for sure.

Pros:

Portable gaming performance in a small package
Terrific bang for the buck - FX strikes again
Attractive design - may not be to everyone's taste
Solid construction

Cons:

Finish attracts fingerprints
No Bluetooth
Verdict: Buy - in its own 15.4" way, this is every bit as desirable as the P-7811FX

 

good review,thx for sharing