Gateway Reliable?

This is my first time purchasing a Gateway computer and I was wondering how reliable their laptops are. How long does their typical notebook last? How is the quality of build/materials/tech support?

I'm interested in the Gateway MX3410 [AMD Turion 64 X2, nVIDIA GeForce Go 6100 IGP (128Mb shared), 80GB (4200rpm) HD, 512Mb DDR2, 14.1" glossy display, 5.3lbs]. It's selling for about $850 CAN right now at Futureshop (is this a good deal?). Also, I will probably wait until Futureshop puts it on sale for $799 (which is very likely).

Does anyone have this particular notebook, or a similar model? Can you give me your opinion of it?

Thanks a lot

 

I don't know about their 14" laptops. They seem okay, but Gateway has had problems with their 15.4" models. If you do decide it's worth a try (and most people do say Gateways have a nice feel), do get the service plan just in case
Now, if you are looking for a nice reliable desktop, Gateway is the way to go. They have great experience in that part. Notebooks are so-so.

 

*shudder*

I'm not going to give you a lot of positive comments on the build or the repair center. Customer service was OK, though.

 

I guess I could elaborate. I had an eMachines (now owned by Gateway) laptop and it had a known defect *and* was a lemon. It was a 20 month nightmare that I wish I had never had to go through. It seemed that every time it was sent out for repair, it came back with physical cosmetic damage as well as new problems (leaving stuff unhooked, etc.). You could do a search on the eMachines forum if you want more info.

I wasn't impressed. The first repair was 10 days into ownership.

 

OK thanks for the replies.

Would you say that Gateway's build quality is around the same as Compaq's previous generation Presario V2000z notebooks? I'll probably still get it if it isn't (it's the cheapest dual-core laptop I've seen so far), but I'm very worried becuase I don't have enough money to buy the service plan.

In your opinion, should I get a cheaper notebook with a non-dual-core processor (lets say AMD Mobile Sempron 3400+) but with better build quality and reliability?

 

It is on par with the V2000 according to a review I read a while back.
By the looks of your avatar, it is the updated version of the 14". Gateway wouldn't update it if it weren't for the better
Gateway does give a 1 year standard warranty with every product. That and BestBuy will allow returns within 14 days of purchase. I say just try it out at BestBuy and if you like it, take it home.. Then evaluate if you think that it is worth keeping.. Realize though, if you choose to return it, you may be charged with a restocking fee (5%-15% from what I hear), but I don't know, I've never returned a product to BestBuy.
It is an awesome deal on such a laptop. Good luck on your decision

 

it should be noted that emachines and gateway were different companies, and that emachines uses a different ODM for their notebooks than gateway does (they genreally use Arima)

 

OK thanks a lot!

I think I will try it out. Having owned (and returned - build qaulity was quite bad) Compaq Presario V2000z, I don't think I can do any worse.
The laptop is also reasonably light (5.26lbs) and should be easy to lug around.
I have returned other products to Best Buy without any charge, but I'm not too sure about its policy on computers.

 

5.26 lbs for a 14" is light?

(written from a 4.6 lbs 14.1" laptop)

 

I'd consider it relatively light as well. AMD notebooks are commonly heavier than Centrino, so 5.2lbs isn't bad in my book

 

The last time my eMachines went in for repair (April 06) it went to Arima and that's where they put in a Gateway motherboard and bios. So I'm not so sure that they are separate any more.

Also to consider is that Gateway/eMachines is losing one of their largest clients for service soon - Best Buy is building that Geek Squad City in KY and my local Geek Squad guy (after helping me with MONTHS of run around from eMachines/DEX/Arima/Gateway) said that they were really scrambling to cover all their bases because of losing Best Buy's business. This could potentially affect the stability of the customer service you'll get from Gateway, should you need it. Just another angle to look at.