The official P-7811FX lounge

^
This notebook will trounce your PC. It's definitely worth the buy if you want a portable gaming solution.

I believe your TV will adjust automatically if you play games on the laptop (@ 1280x720). Other than that, I'm not entirely sure.

 

wow you really know how to make a guy feel welcome around here. i'm happy to share all the benchmark results our reviewer found. we don't just look at a system and say "oh it looks fast".

 

Sorry. I was just jumping from thread to thread and it was getting annoying how everyone was just following one or two people complaining about how the BIOS doesn't have RAID enabled and the like.

I love your magazine. I subscribe to it and it has provided me with useful information countless number of times.

I think your review should be fleshed out a little more with a graph to just show that it's a gaming laptop and not a casual laptop.

Again, I apologize for my unfriendly demeanor.

 

no worries. i understand the desire to have the benchmarks shown. we're in the middle of reviewing a whole bunch of new gaming systems for an upcoming issue and we'll try to figure out the best way to get the benchmark chart online

 

computershopper how come you didn't get the "test" model that other reviewing sites got... the test model is misleading (probably purposely done by gateway) and shows the laptop with a fingerprint reader and bluetooth, as if this were available in retail versions. So its better that you didn't get it but I'm just wondering why you didn't. The reason I'm asking is because I'm trying to get my hands on the "test" version so that I can have these small additions for my own use .

 

Was in the BB at West Rd today at noon. BB mgr looked it up on their site - no problem. They showed 5 units loaded and in transit on the truck due there at 6 PM today. Zero scheduled for the Woodlands!?? 5 in transit for Conroe BB. My store mgr called at 5:30 to confirm reciept and availablity. Purchased at 6:45 with 4 year full damage and defect warranty. Done.

You should have no problem calling any BB in Houston and asking for manager to do a search for p 7811. Their screen should pull up every store in the area and indicate which and how many are in transit. From there you can call the store and do a "phone order (coded as purchased from internet for store pu)" which will allow the manager to save one for you.

Good luck!

 

WTF - Dook, I have to admit that avatar is a ringer - where do you come up with this **it!?

 

Its a tough crowd. Remember we like Gateways. By definition that means we are willing to go for the underdog, the sleeper, the best regardless of the fact it doesnt say SONY on it.

You'll get used to it, and BTW we are glad you are here (even if the reviewer got the price wrong and went light on details). Thanks for taking a chance and welcome.

 

"Mfr. Est. Price: $1,399"

Sorry but where did you get that price?!

 

All the 7811 reviews seem to have this. I'm going to guess and say they got it from the manufacturer

 

Just throwing it out there ... Bestbuy has sold stuff before over the MSRP.

Not sure about laptop since I have only checked their pricing on AVR and LCD/Plasmas.

 

That price includes Fingerprint and BT wtf?!

 

LOL. Thanks. Things just pop into my warped little mind and I search the web for ways to materialize said things into avatars.

 

LOL! nice!


I am glad to see this thread still ticking. I have mine on hold for pickup on the 15th in the morning! I am stoked!

 

There is no bluetooth.
There is no fingerprint reader.

The price is $1449.99. The REAL price is ~$1540-$1600 after taxes.

The cake is a lie.

 

Hey man what do you mean???I thought the final price is $1449(VAT included, all taxes included, that's the price i pay at the store)!

tell me i'm right!please

I'm from romania and i am transfering the mouney for the laptop to an account of a frend who is in the states now and he'll send me the peace by post(so i am not sure how much i have to send him......)the less the better )

 

We pay tax separately here - never included and we dont call it VAT. Plan on choking up another 6 to 8.5% depending on your sales tax area (google the municipality where your buddy will buy if you have to know exactly).

 

Here is my review.
Great looking. wish the plastiic case wasnt glossy as it will scratch easily.
Features as advertised.
Fan noise problem is not one. does pulse a little at times but not loudly.
Screen flex is accpetable.
Very little bloatware but Norton 360 needs to be deleted ASAP because otherwise it will Not go away after your splash screen and vista load. you must allow it to go to the first stage of acceptance of the buying process before you can even cancel it or open another window!!!
Computer shopper did a sloppy review - messed up price, ddr2 vs. ddr3 ram and looked like consumer reports review instead of a critical performance review on this bargain bad boy.
5.2 Vista Experience Rating - lots of 5.9's but score is limited by lowest scores - HDD and CPU. - still that is great.
Screen is great - but get out some glasses cause letters are small.
Crysis plays at 29 to 32 FPS smoothly out of the box with computer set to highest settings and crysis on auto pilot - nvidia letting appliccation control settings. played for one hour and then the screen went from full to a 1/4 sized box (too tired to find out why - safety minimization due to heat or I pushed a button and didnt know how to remaximize).
Then I went to bed, happy.

 

Good thing I go to school in delaware (no sales tax in the whole state).

 

I went to Best Buy just awhile ago and they didn't have a floor model out yet and had only one box in their little cage thing-one of the employees told me they'd probably have more next week, and I imagine they would, especially if they advertise the new model in their next weekly ad (I'd imagine they would since it's a BB exclusive model and everything).

Another thing I saw at Best Buy was a 320 GB 2.5" Hard Drive for about $199. Forgot the brand but it was the same speed as the one on the Gateway already. What I want to know though is whether or not it's possible to install a second HDD if it has higher memory capacity than the first one. Most of the models that come pre-packed with two HDDs seem to have two of the same size (although it could just be a cost-reducing thing).

Looked it up, seems to be this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8909586&type=product&id=1213047091665

Also, again I ask would installation require anything like extra parts or anything complex that might be better handled by Geek Squad or just someone more experienced with upgrading?

Also, I again ask, specifically for those who have already bought one of these, if they've taken a look inside to see which features should be easily upgradable. If everything is upgradable, well that will earn this laptop many more points with me over the Toshiba X305.

Edit: With minimum system requirements for somewhat older games like F.E.A.R., I'm assuming I should usually ignore the CPU requirements (for F.E.A.R. it's 2.4 GHz for Vista, 1.7 GHz for XP) since the game may have come out before Dual Core processors became standard. My desktop has a 2.1 GHz Dual Core and runs F.E.A.R. fine-so I'm guessing this is the case.

 

What CPU can be but into this Laptop?

What tweaks can be done in bios to increase performance?

Will the new NVIDIA drivers drastically improve performance over stock drivers?

Thanks,

RE

 

Just in case nobody saw my post at the bottom of the last page.

Also, I've done a bit of research, although it's a bit early into it so I still have many questions.

I read about needing a "caddy" to hold the hard drive-so I'd need to know if the P-7811FX already has a second caddy or if I'd need to order one or something-and then there would be the issue of how difficult it would be to install the second caddy plus how difficult it would be to then install the second hard drive. Also, there's the issue of the software end of installing a second hard drive. Does the second hard drive need to have the OS installed on it as well, or could the OS be used on one and have the other simply be an alternate drive? I'm completely new to this, and I've never actually dealt with upgrading an HDD let alone adding a new one, even on my desktop.

Update: Okay, I found what seems to be a fairly good tutorial, albeit a bit congested with stuff regarding replacing a hard drive as opposed to adding a second one. Seems maybe some of my fears are not warranted.

http://www.pcmech.com/article/installing-a-hard-drive-step-by-step/

However, I think this tutorial is geared toward desktop installation-so I may need to continue my search and find one specifically regarding Notebooks.

 

in this picture in this thread, you can see that the 7811 has a double wide hard drive bay, to accomodate the hard drive that comes with it, and another hard drive if you so choose to install one. installation is cakewalk, 4 philips screws and pop up the piece of plastic. the 7811 should come with another hard drive caddy. an OS does NOT need to be installed on the second hard drive, unless you plan on dual-booting. the os should recognize the hard drive automatically.

Just be sure to install the hard drive with the power off.

 

I may not know much about installing new computer components, but I do know that it's a good idea to have the power turned off when I do it. Although there are a few people out there who are either too stupid to know this thing that should be common sense, or are just being too absent-minded to remember to turn the thing off before starting. I'm more likely to fall into the latter category-although if I buy the new laptop and the new hard drive at once I may just install the thing before I even turn it on to begin with-if that's possible, anyway.

As far as I've been reading there's been no warnings about installing "uneven" hard drive combos so I'm guessing it's perfectly alright to do.

Also, I definitely want to hear some confirmation from actual P-7811 FX owners before I make a more-or-less final decision on it. The key thing of course is confirmation of the second caddy. I'd also like to hear about the overall upgradability of the model as well-as I mentioned earlier.

My desktop has a 320 GB hard drive, so it's kind of interesting that the second hard drive on my laptop would end up being the same size. Ultimately, it would send things over the top in terms of being a desktop replacement because then EVERY aspect of the thing would be superior to my current desktop.

 

the 7811 uses the same chassis as the 6860 and 6831, so it has a second hard drive caddy. i have 2 320 gb hard drives running in raid 0 right now. for hard drives, if you arent after a 7200 rpm one, i highly recommend the western digital WD3200BEVT 5400 rpm model... here

 

Does anyone know where I can find the original Gateway drivers for the P-7811FX? They seem to be non-existant on Gateway's website.

 

Not sure where they are but I think Dook said BB exclusives are in a "special" spot and you need to use your serial number. This driver thing may creep me out to the point of not purchasing. I hate any secretive, hidden, exclusive, I'm special attitude. All it does is hamper legitimate users. I'm gettin' worked up just talking about it.

 

Indeed. Just put in your serial number and the drivers will pop up. I just checked the "browse downloads" section and the 7811 is not on the list as of yet.

 

Now that I think of it, I'm usually scrounging around for drivers anyway but still, it's the principal of the thing ... it's un-American!

 

I just picked one of these up today, here's what i think so far.

pros:

1. easy to get rid of all the bloat that comes pre-installed even for a first time vista user.
2. no problems installing any applications on the 64 bit vista
3. drove my 52" 1080p lcd through hdmi flawlessly
4. ran all the games i've tried over 100 fps (besides cs 1.6 which is limited by the refresh rate) i've tried cs 1.6, cs source, tribes 2, and warcraft 3. they're old but i wouldn't be happy if i couldn't play these games perfectly.
5. nvidia's scaling with fixed aspect-ratio is awesome for games like warcraft 6 that don't support wide screen resolutions. this setting stops the game from stretching and adds black bars.
7. i love the native 1920x1200 native resolution
9. arrow keys & full num bad

cons:

1. fn key where the control button should be, minor annoyance
2. battery sticks out the back a little, any suggestions on backpacks for this laptop?
3. the switch to toggle on/off the airport card seems pretty cheap and it's easy to hit accidentally.
4. i notice some screen ghosting when playing fps, mostly in cs 1.6 but if i was really serious about this game i'd be playing on a crt.
5. cdrom drive ejects way to easily. it will eject without even hitting the button; if the side closest to the front of the laptop gets pushed/bumped the drive will eject. anyone else having this problem, it's really annoying?

i'd give this laptop a 8.7/10, the hardware is doing everything i hoped for but there's some minor annoyances that will probably frustrate me for years. undoubtedly the best bang for buck laptop that you can buy as a gaming laptop/desktop replacement.

 

Another thing I'm curious about, and what's crazy is I can't find any information about this at all.

What sound card does it use? Is it capable of 5.1 surround sound? Does it even have an actual sound card to begin with?

Also, a quick non-notebook-related question:

I just got an X-Box 360 controller and tried it out on Bioshock. It seems that a lot of the option menus are simplified when using that controller-particularly the graphics settings menu. Does the "High Detail" mode max out all the settings (aside from resolution?), or would I have to go to the menu in keyboard/mouse mode, max out the settings manually, then switch back to controller mode? Even if I did that, would the settings revert to just "High Detail"? The whole simplification of the menu system really irks me overall because many of the menus could still fairly easily be navigated either by the 360 controller or by allowing one to use the mouse in that particular mode.

I might just research this on my own, but I thought I'd ask here anyway.

 

It uses onboard sound and yes its capable of 5.1.

That's probably a good idea.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking of getting a Logitech 5.1 sound system since it'll be on sale next week-although it would really push my budget a bit high-plus I'm not sure exactly where in my bedroom I'd place all the speakers.

 

I did put in my serial number. It says "no downloads available" :/

 

What drivers in particular, are you looking to download?

 

So far the only ones I found were the Intel 5100(wireless), and the 9800M GTS. I still need one for the Marvell Yukon Ethernet controller (can't find the model number) and the audio drivers too I guess. Do motherboards need drivers? I guess I'd need those too.

 

Did you not make your Drivers and Software recovery CD?

 

I did, but that doesn't help me with Windows XP x64

 

Hell, you're not likely to find those on gateway.com anyway. You never said you were looking for XP 64 drivers.

 

Alright, well I found the Marvell Yukon. I think I'll archive a bunch of links for people trying to go the XP route like me.

For the records, I couldn't find drivers period on the gateway site, vista or xp, 32 or 64 bit. And I did put in my serial number.

 

Please do.

 

I don't suppose anyone has found a way to get audio to work on XP x64? I've got video drivers, LAN drivers, Wireless drivers, and I'm fairly sure, the right chipset drivers.

What is the name of the drivers under Vista? On my recovery disc, it says Conexant Audio and nothing else. But that's not helped me too much. I did manage to install some drivers for Conexant audio devices, but then they kind of disappeared on me in the device manager.

 

@Flowah, did you do a clean install or dual boot? Just wondering no point intended.

 

Clean install. BTW, just had my first encounter with Gateway support. Wow. Most terrible phone service I've ever encountered. First of all, their first number I tried was just a robot. Couldn't do anything. Asked for a non existant 10 digit serial number when my model clearly only has a 13 digit alphanumeric one. When I gave it my 13 digit serial, it just said "I can't understand you, visit our website" without even sending me to a live person.

I tried some other numbers and finally got a real person. The guy was absolutely retarded. He kept wanting needless information, like my phone number, email, address. Why the hell does he need that for an audio driver question. I don't like giving that info out to anyone if I don't need to. As soon as I asked about the model number of the onboard audio he just said it was outside the scope of his abilities. I asked if there was anyone else I could talk to and from then on he might have well just been another god**** audio recording. "I'm sorry sir but that is outside the scope of my abilities." x100

****ing worthless.

 

Flowah: I plan on purchasing one this weekend and want to go with XP 32-bit, can you post where you got your drivers or what the hardware is? Thx man.

 

Err... well I'm doing XP-64, to take advantage of the 4 gigs of RAM. You're content with just 3 recognized?

 

hi, i asked my sis bought me a 7811fx yesterday and shes getting it later, shell ship it to the philippines! i just have one question:
does it have a fingerprint scanner? cause the one i saw from engadget has one.
check this out http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/13/gateway-p-7811fx-gaming-laptop-unboxing-and-hands-on

 

NO fingerprint scanner.

 

So how exactly do you get 5.1 out of a laptop?? I used to use 3 3.5mm jacks on my old computer, but have no idea how it would work on a laptop.

 

I think the headphone jack also has an optical output capability that sends spdif 5.1 data to an appropriate receiver. You need to get a funky optical cable that has a hollow 3.5mm dummy plug to plug into the laptop.

Ira