Unofficial Gateway M-152/3XL

Gateway M-152/153XL

Well I have been thinking about it for a while and I think that we need our own “Unofficial Thread”, just a place to find all the pertinent information related to this laptop and to post any questions or ask for help rather than creating a new thread.

I will also be posting some testing and upgrades or modifications that I myself will do and I encourage any other owners to do the same.
I am hoping that eventually this can be made into a sticky as I will be updating this frequently.

My Story – I had been considering getting a new laptop for several months. I currently have a T60 supplied from work which I take home and use every night for online school, browsing, and light gaming. I decided that I wanted one for myself so I could leave my laptop at work when not on call, I work in Level 2 Tech Support, so I don’t have to wear a back pack while riding. First I was looking at the Alienware M15X, it just looks so cool and was so powerful, but also expensive. As it turns out, nothing but trouble as well. I also looked into getting a new T61 but decided I wanted something with a little more graphic power.

Finally I found this website and the review for the Gateway M-152XL. Quite simply the best bang for buck laptop out there. So after a week of thinking seriously about this laptop I placed my order. I managed to get a red one for $1050 shipped + tax. After I ordered it I realized that my T60 was a 14” not a 15” so this laptop is a little bigger than I had originally wanted, my fault. All in all I love this laptop; it is very fast and very well built.

Pics













Pros

• Good looks
• Very solid construction
• Great CPU/GPU, configuration
• Great price
• Good keyboard
• HDMI video out, 3 USB ports, power plug located at the back of the laptop
• Good battery life
• Bright screen

Cons

• Runs a little warm
• Screen Resolution Max 1280 x 800
• I don’t care for the hard click touchpad mouse buttons; I like the soft style of the Lenovo, and no trackpoint.
• Limited vertical viewing angles
• DVD drive runs loud when installing a program
• Touchpad scroll works sporadically

That being said, I would recommend this laptop to anyone looking for a laptop which meets the user’s needs. I also have some benchmark and performance info to post up which I will add later.

Linux/Mac OSx

I tired Ubuntu Hardy Heron and liked it for the most part; it detected all of my hardware except the screen brightness function keys. I was able to find some code to use to dim the screen so if anyone else is having this issue let me know and I can post the code. Or if you have found out how to get the function keys to work please post.

Here is a command to use in the terminal to reduce screen brightness.

sudo -s
0 > /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness

Ubuntu Brightness info provided by Lakjin

Brightness control via FN + Up/Down Arrow keys FIX. Confirmed to work
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...93#post4178093

FN+F8 still isnt working properly but now the FN + Up/Down Keys work!

I also attempted to install Mac OS Leopard and was pretty close to success but I am missing which configuration to select during install and haven’t completed this yet and have set it to the back burner.

Now I have Mandriva and Fedora 9 downloaded and will be trying them out soon.

Clean Vista install Highly recommended

I removed all of the bloatware and cleaned and tweaked Vista following this guide; Vista Tweaks

I noticed a marked improvement in performance. I chose to run Avira Anti-virus and Malwarewbytes Anti-malware found here; Free Software

I completed my 32 bit Vista clean install by using the factory provided Vista OEM disk, everything went well as I had saved all the needed drivers to a USB stick and followed the Clean Install which I have linked below. I would certainly recommend this. I also was able to delete my recover partition. I am just waiting for a 64 bit iso to finish downloading and I will do another clean install.

Here is a link to the Gateway support How-to Clean Install. Gateway

Performance

So far all I have is my HD tune and WPrime bench PC Mark 05 keeps freezing.



Pretty Impressive WPrime!!



Cooling

Notebook Cooling - I just picked up the Belkin and like it so far and will review it soon
Lakjin's review of the Belkin Notebook Cooling Pad
Another cooler reviewed by Lakjin

Useful Links

Gateway M-152XL
Gateway drivers
Undervolting - I haven’t had much luck with this yet on my Gateway but will be giving it another go after my clean install.
Review - Great review and a lot of information in this thread
Clean Vista Install
Gateway Recovery Center - Provided by Lakjin

 

I tried Ubuntu, Sabayon, Mandriva, Fedora, Crunchbang distros on the 152XL.

The only problem I had was in Crunchbang with the restricted driver not being able to be installed (got a 404 error).

Currently running Ubuntu 8.04.

To disable touchpad on Linux systems, if there is no option to disable under a "Mouse" menu (like in ubuntu) download qsynaptics. Confirmed to work for the 152XL (atlesat on Mandriva)

 

Good information Lakjin, I know you have been busy over in the Linux sub forum.

Thank you

 

For the brightness thing...

The following methods did not fix my problem, the Fn + F8 key still only controls two levels of brightness, instead of the proper 3:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=767374&highlight=brightness+fix
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=767219&highlight=brightness POST #6 and #17

 

Brightness control via FN + Up/Down Arrow keys FIX. Confirmed to work
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4178093#post4178093

FN+F8 still isnt working properly but now the FN + Up/Down Keys work!

 

Awesome stuff Lak, I will edit the thread later to combine your fixes up into the Linux section.

Thanks!

 

So...ya...
This notebook doesnt seem very popular. Amidond, did you ever call up gateway and see if they will replaced your 152XL with a 153XL?

 

Yeah it's just you and me bud. I did call them and they didn't budge on and exchange or refund. I guess since the best price for the new one is $200 more than I paid for mine.

I am working through my clean install now so I will be adding some more technical stuff to this thread this weekend.

 

After a clean vista install, people can install gateway recovery center if they want. direction here

 

THe ATI cards still confuse me, Which Nvdia card does it compare to?

 

I think, from reading here, it seems to be about between the 8600M GT DDR2 and 8600M GT DDR3, before overclocking.

Theoretically, if you can overclock your particular chip from it's standard 500/600 to 700/750, you'd basically be equivalent to the HD 2600XT, which is a few rungs up the ladder better than the 8600M GT, and judging from some specs out there, it gets kinda' near 9600M GT territory.

Then again - I mean synthetic benchmarks - ya gotta take them with a grain of salt. It's like judging a car's road-course performance based on 1/4 mile times and skidpad times - nothing is ever the same: grip, tires, surface, track temp, etc... long story short, there are bunches of variables, but the HD 2600 seems to be a decent card for mid-level gaming.

T

 

This may be of some help as well.

 

You have pretty much got it right.

The best part about the HD 2600 is that it is very over clockable. The bad part? ATI has sub-par drivers when compared to nvidia =(

 

how dependable are gateway laptops in general? I was looking at the Gateway P-173X FX But the low price makes me suspicious.

 

Alright, I finished my clean install and am working on getting all my stuff set up. Really seems to be running a little more crisp.

Oh and the Gateway CD included is a clean install, minus the fact that the CD key portion was automated and skipped during the install.

 

btw amidond, if you have not got extended warranty, you might want to consider getting it from squaretrade.com

for my laptop, insured for up to 1000 (the price i paid for it) i can get 3 years for 49.99. add 75 bucks more for accidental.

If i want to ensure it up to 1299 (the "real" price) its just 67 for 3 years, i dont know about accidental. the best i like about squaretrade is 1) they have a 5 day repair guarantee and 2) they willing to just out right write you a check of the value of your laptop...so you could just buy a brand new, and improved, incase your laptop ever broke. I have not personally tried them tho, but they seem to have good reviews.

use coupon FIFTYOFF

and i recently found out that gateway will ship you for free app, drivers and os backup cds...i have them coming in the mail atm. i dont NEED them, but i got them just in case.

@directeuphorium
I would suggest waiting until the refresh comes. its almost here. then look into the new gateway notebook.
and concerning how good/bad gateway, as a brand, are?
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk87/Lakjin/140124148_o.jpg
just keep in mind tho, different lines and products will differ in quality amungst gateway machines. the FXs seem to be decently built.

 

when are the refreshes expected? I know soon but have the models been announced?

 

Alright, I finished my clean install and Vista is running like a champ. Now all I need to do is find a 64 bit ISO. I will be posting some testing results.

I downloaded PC Mark 05 but after I install it and run the program it just loads the splash screen and hangs there for about 5-10 minutes until Vista alerts me to the fact that the program has quit responding.

Any ideas?

Alright I will check this out.

Also does anyone know how to edit the thread title?

Thanks

 

To answer your question, I'm going to have to be a bit of a Lemming and say about as reliable as any other brand. To be honest, and to the dismay of the naysayers sure to follow up after this post, there really isn't ANY brand that lasts longer or is any more dependable than others. Every brand has their share of lemons and troubles. That's just the nature of mass worldwide production. In an attempt to hone in on your exact question concerning Gateway, I'll say this: I have had 4-5 Gateway models over the years and with the exception of the annoying-as-hell paint wear issue on the palm rest of the older MX models, none had any hardware irregularities that prevented me from using them on a daily basis.

 

Is it possible to change the OS on these laptops to something better?

For college I need Vista Business or better, and the M153XL only offers Vista home premium. Can I upgrade?

 

Yes. Right click on my computer, select properties and click Upgrade Windows Vista. This invokes Windows Anytime Upgrade.

 

No, I mean on the Gateway website, can I get Vista Business or Vista Ultimate on the M-153XL?

 

There is no option to upgrade on the website but maybe try talking to a representative about buying upgrade software.

 

How much do you think I could get gateway to cut the price down for a 153?

 

Maybe $100, I don't know though as its a new model, call them up and find out though.

 

Added some pics and does anyone know how to edit the thread title?

Also I am trying to undervolt my lappy following the guide. It worked fine on my thinkpad but this is my second time trying on my Gateway and my temps aren't dropping. They were not dropping when I tried on 32 bit Vista and it's not working now on 64 bit Vista. Also my GPU isn't showing up in HWMonitor.

Is anyone else having these problems.

 

You cant edit the thread title. only mods can.

you have a red notebook? LAME man. jk =P

 

any suggestions on what notebook cooler, under 30 bucks, is best for the M-152XL?

 

haha, Blue is actually my favorite color but I just wanted to try something different, instead of dark or silver.

Yeah I just bought the belkin one that is reviewed in the Cooling section, the white one with the single fan. I got it in black from Circuit City and so far it has been working great.

I am going to add some stats on a review in this thread eventually but I am running alot cooler and you can't even hear the fan. i would recommend it, couple points to note though, it doesn't have any extra hook ups though so you will be down to 2 USB ports and the rear leg doesn't lock into place.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=264313
=O

 

You know what for the first few hours I would have reviewed it the same way that you did. I did a stress test using Orthos and my temps were higher than normal! I was was like WTF! I unplugged the pad and my temps didn't come down though. That being said prior to turning on the fan it was idling at 30-40C which is about 10C higher than normal.

After a restart and letting it sit for a while I saw a 3-4C drop during a stress test with the fan on and it is idling during browsing at around 12-18C when before it was never below 20C. The palm rest over the HDD and the exhaust was also noticeably cooler.

That being said I haven' t been able to lower my temps at all with undervolting. I am not sure why as it worked fine on my Thinkpad. Only when using the cooling pad did I see any drop under load with Orthos.

 

Well I also got a 3-4 degree decrease in the cores and gpu "under stress" and i did mention that the palm rest was cooler but i didnt consider that a worthy buy.
im thinking of either of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=bytecc+cooler&x=0&y=0

i just need a way to get newegg to wave the shipping...lol

 

Let me know how that one works out.

I like this one the best though

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998051

I don't wanna drop $60 bucks on it if my Belkin keeps working well.

 

zalman is definitely king.

but if you are gunna buy it, i suggest nc-2000.
the nc-1000 is a tad bit small for widescreens. it will work fine, but i would prefer a nc-2000 to it.

but ya, im in your position. i odnt wanna pay that much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998492
wouldnt be a bad buy if the shipping wasnt so high.

 

Yeah that looks pretty nice, more stable than the Belkin for sure, lol.

 

Did you see what temperatures you got with belkin on linux?
i need to find some utility to kick in my laptop fans...they kicked in at 79!!! WOW.

 

I did see some of you threads over in the Linux forum about your laptop running hotter in Linux and mine does as well. I only just reinstalled Ubuntu tonight but I am getting some of the same problems you were, i.e. the Ubuntu splash screen takes forever to load unless I the space bar and my laptop runs hotter in Ubuntu.

 

mine fixed that space bar thing automatically somehow. now it only does it very rarely.

does terminal also "freeze" on your sometimes? i.e. when you open it, it just shows a white screen and you ahve to make it force quit. then the only way to make it run again is to restart via CTRL ALT F2 -> ALT CTRL Del?

My laptop seems to be running at normal temps now, atleast for the CPU and HD. Its just that it seems the fans kick in WAY too late. 79C??? GOOD GOD

Have you gotten lm-sensors installed successfully? I am having hell of problems with them.

 

Ok, maybe it just has to do with alot of new packages being installed. I am getting alot of hang, not just with terminal but also with the COmpiz editor. I am running 64bit on a clean install. The wubi install I did a couple of weeks back actually ran alot smoother.

I am running a dual boot with Vista 64 bit as well though so I don't know what if any effect this is having.

 

Okay I bought the Vantec TX Ultra cooling pad...and I think i might keep it. I gotta do a few more evaluations, but it seemed to lower my CPU temps by 3-4C while playing dota; it also seems to idle 1C less. I still need to see how it effects my GPU, but i will have to get onto windows for that.

And it elevates the laptop in an excellent manner. It only cost 14 bucks. It fits the laptop perfectly, it has adjustable positions, and it can rotate 360 degrees. Its like that bytecc on new egg but about 10 bucks cheaper, only 1 fan, and no extra usb connections.

amid, what are ur idle temps? cpu, hdd, gpu respectively (on windows or ubuntu, either one)?

From your above thread...40C idle for the cpus? is that 40C each (which seems very high)? mine idle at 50C(the TZOO value, or w/e it is)! Do your HWMonitor temps look similar to my readings? ( http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk87/Lakjin/Idletempscopy.jpg) If not im gunna call up gateway...

 

I will check out that cooling pad. This one is nice and quiet but not very stable. The flip down support on the back really pisses me off. There is no locking mechanism.

Here are my default temps from when I first got the laptop. Your GPU temps seem normal. That would be my biggest complaint about this notebook is that it gets too hot.



Did you undervolt? I haven't been able to lower my temps at all. I just reinstalled 32 bit Vista. I didn't like how 64 bit was working. I am going to have to reinstall Ubuntu again tomorrow.

 

Okay ya, our temps seem to be similar.

Ya that is why i didnt keep the belkin either...it didnt fit the laptop well.

Im gunna pick up a lapcool2, lapcool3, and lapcool4 and see which ones work best.

No I didnt undervolt. Not yet.

 

Let me know how those work, I might return this Belkin, how loud is the one you have. The Belkin is whisper quiet.

 

the vantec I have right now is not loud at all. Cant hear it over the other things in the room. You would barely hear it, only if you were looking for it.

I contacted gateway about my notebook fans turning on at 79C in linux, and the tech tried to blame the problem on me...at which point i asked to talk to a supervisor lol. I should be called soon...

 

Amid, since you have the same machine as me, and you also have ubuntu/vista dual boot, can you see if the problem i am having, mentioned in http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=279536
is affecting you too?

 

I just reinstalled Vistax86 last night so now more Ubuntu. I am re downloading it as my iso is messed up. I will install Ubuntu later and see if I can duplicate the problem.

 

I think I fixed the problem by messing with the security permissions. I just hope i didnt create a big security hole.

 

Hi everyone... I apologize that my first post on this forum isnt much of a contribution... but I got my M-152XL last week and it is by far the best laptop I've used at this price point. Im quite happy with it. Now I was just wondering if anyone has tried overclocking the HD2600 in the Gateway. I did a quick search through the forum for ideas and I tired AtiTools and Rivatuner and they would either lock up my system or just crash it completely... I think someone suggested I use the MobilityModder to get the newest desktop driver and then trying to OC. Right now Im still using all the default Gateway drivers and such but I would greatly appreciate if someone would point me in the right direction.

 

sry i personally never tried OC, because i dont need it. The card it self is very overclockable, so thats not an issue. But how to do it on the 152XL? i dont know

 

There's some advice here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3704877&postcount=2

As they're probably similar, when I receive my M-6851, I'll begin playing with it, and will report results here.


T