Customer Reviews

Gateway LX.W430X.001 P801U 17" Notebook PC

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, I did not buy this from Amazon. This model (P-7805u. They changed the ad after the fact, probably after they saw my review) was specifically manufactured for sale at BBuy, and that store has this laptop for much cheaper than you can find it online. That is all I will say about that.

Second, this is marketed as a "gaming" laptop, but it's really supposed to be considered a desktop replacement - meaning offering comparable strength to a decently powered desktop PC. IN this regard, the laptop more than succeeds, blowing away even my media server which was already a powerful device in of itself. What really sets this laptop aside from its competitors has got to be the fact that it combines all that is great about hardware into one package: A decently sized, quite speedy hard drive (7200RPMs, which is the fastest you can get for a laptop hard drive). But wait, there's more...because you can add another hard drive and set up a RAID 0 or 1, effectively turning this into a super sized file server. This is the first laptop I've seen that is capable of this - and in fact, the instruction book even tells you how and why to do it. It ENCOURAGES you to do it. Either for file access efficiency or security/redundancy. I think this is fantastic.

Filling out the order is 4GB of RAM standard, upgradeable to 8GB, I believe. For a laptop I can't imagine needing anywhere near that much, but it's nice to have the option. The 4 GB is more than enough for all but the most intensive of applications. Speaking of intensive applications, between the HDD seek, processor power, and RAM allocation, there's almost nothing this laptop can't handle. You can test this theory by running the Windows Experience Index test and seeing what the results are; this is the ONLY laptop at BBuy that scored over a 5.0 (5.2 was the final score). That means it did extremely well in all categories, which I'm telling you is rare. Even my media server didn't score that high (4.6) and it's no slouch either!

The OS is Vista Home Premium 64 Bit, but the laptop could easily run Ultimate 64 if you cared to go that route. The main difference and deciding factor is whether or not you'll be using the laptop for business purposes. If not, Home Premium is more than enough. What people need to know about the OS: It's actually two sides, one for 64 bit applications and core, one for legacy applications under 32 and prior. If your applications provide a 64-bit version, you'll want to opt for that, but most applications stick with 32-bit as it's easier to manage and troubleshoot. If you've always been using standard Windows you're probably new to the 64-bit OS; in which case, you'll be learning the OS all over again with this one. There are functions inherent to 64-bit Vista that must be adjusted to - nothing too extreme, but it's just a learning experience. Various sites (Google is your friend) out on the Interwebs can help you with this transition. If you're not trying to learn a new OS, you could always get the 32 bit version, wipe the drive and install it. You just will not benefit from any additional memory.

The video was also a standout, being the only laptop at BBuy that featured 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution. Side note: if the monitor does not support the resolution in parentheses, it doesn't support 1080p no matter who tells you what. That shouldn't really affect you much if you don't watch movies and TV on your laptop, because it includes an HDMI output port, allowing you to send the high resolution signal to a supported TV. This is excellent, and I believe laptops are getting into the habit of including this as a standard feature. What you'll want to be minded of: 99% of hotels do not and will not upgrade their TVs to support HDMI, so traveling will yield no benefits for you.

It makes no nevermind, because the laptop is so darn heavy you probably won't want to travel much with it if at all. Being a desktop replacement, you won't get much power out of it when it's not on the cable, and it's got a 9-cell battery. Expect no more than 3.5 hours of standard power under the lightest of conditions. Most of that is eaten up by the processor and video card, honestly.

Summary: This is a great laptop if you understand what it is that you are getting. If you expect to get something this inexpensive that can perform like an Alienware, you will be sorely disappointed. There's a reason those computers are so expensive, just like there is a reason this is priced significantly lower. This is lower because the processor, while powerful, isn't the "Extreme" model which is better suited for the workload, but less efficient on power resources. If you're looking to have a "mobile desktop", this is the unit for you.

I am so pleased that I purchased this laptop. The screen is beautiful. I love the resolution (WUXGA - 1920x1200). Games like Titan Quest, Sacred 2, Warcraft III, DOOM 3, etc. run flawlessly. With 4-GB of RAM, 320-GB 7200RPM Hard Drive, NVIDIA 9800M GTS with 1-GB dedicated DDR3 video memory, and the P8600 Intel CPU, this is a terrific value compared to the much higher priced other performance laptops.

While playing games it can get warm. It is not an issue as long as there is adequate airspace below the laptop (where the air intake vents are). I have not had any heat related problems.

For regular usage, battery life has been good. I get almost four hours of photo editing and wireless web browsing. I have not tested battery life while gaming. I would expect shorter battery life under heavy gaming.

The only "cons" I have are:
- It's a fingerprint magnet. I wish laptop manufacturers would get away from these glossy surfaces.
- The USB port on the right side is too close to where the mouse is. This can be handled by getting a mouse with a very small USB receiver which would stay out of the way.

There are better performing gaming laptops out there but they are nearly twice the price.

I looked long and hard to find a gaming laptop that would not break the bank and I am not disappointed in the 7801u! This computer plays Crisis at full resolution for hours on end. There are a few things that I do not like about the laptop, finger prints, flimsy top covering, no blue tooth, or blue ray but what do you expect for 1299.00. For the price you cant go wrong its the best deal out there. One other thing to note is the laptop is so large that I have had a hard time finding a good carry bag to transport it in, I finally ended up with a Sony product that it will barely fit into. Take the plunge you wont be disappointed with this laptop. Owned for one month....

I bought this back in 2009 for $1299 like the rest of these people. Having owned this for two years I can say that this is the best high end value laptop I have ever bought. When I look to upgrade at some point, I will look again at the FX series. The biggest cons that I can see are the heat, the battery life, the weight/size and only three USB ports. If you consider this to be a mobile desk top replacement instead of a laptop, only the USB ports is an issue. Also if you do travel, the screws can come out of the case and need to be replaced. The performance is incredible for the price. I am very happy.

For the price, a really good gaming laptop. CPU could be a little faster, but gotta keep these laptops from overheating. Easy to add a second hard drive. Gateway support is problematic like anybodys I guess, so be careful before you update drivers, sometimes they cause problems and you have to roll back. But I am real happy with this. Active online forum for Gateway laptop people at forum.notebookreviewDOTCOM to keep you company.

I bought this laptop about a year ago, and I was pleased with it for a while. The LCD alone is probably worth finding one of these. My understanding is that Gateway stopped putting these LCDs in its laptops. One drawback with this computer was the lack of Bluetooth (solved with one of those little USB buttons). And Vista. The battery projecting out the back isn't great either. You do get a full-size keyboard, number pad, and a good mix of outputs (one more USB would've been nice).
After I built a new desktop system for my home, I used the Gateway less and less, so I rejuvenated it. I swapped out the HDD for a 250GB OCZ Vertex SSD and installed Windows 7 on it. It's like night and day: I use it all the time to the detriment of my desktop. I'll probably keep this laptop until the motherboard gives up the ghost. If you're thinking of replacing your laptop because you think it's too slow, look into a solid-state drive. They're expensive, but still less than replacing a solid desktop replacement-type notebook.

First and foremost, if you go into this purchase expecting it to compete with a high-end Alienware gaming laptop you'll be disappointed. Its best to think of this rig as a portable desktop replacement rather than a true laptop. It's big, its heavy and its sucks up power like nobodys business. This isn't the rig you'll want to do double duty for class note taking and portable gaming.

But, having said that you can't beat this system for LAN tournament use or anywhere you need a system that you can pack up and go with very little set-up time. The LX has no issues with running games like CoD4 and WaW at maxed settings. Games like Crysis will require medium settings but given that you're playing on a 17" screen it'll look more than acceptable anyhow. Despite what some other reviews have said, I haven't had any issues with heat. I've played Fallout 3 for several hours straight and it ran just as buttery smooth as when I started it. I will say that the cooling fan can be annoyingly loud at times but you have to take a few tradeoffs for such portability so I learned to ignore it.

One of the nice things about this rig is that there was very little superflous garbage on the HD when I bought it. The ever present Norton trial was quickly deleted (a notorious system hog) along with a few other trial programs that I would never use. All told said junk was removed in under 10 minutes (Best Buy will do it for [...] bucks under the guise of "tuning" the system for gaming....lol).

All told I'm quite happy with my purchase. Just try to decide beforehand how you will be using your system. If you need a rig that will operate on battery power for most of the time then stay far away. If you are looking for desktop capability with an easy to move form factor then whip out the credit card and grab this before they sell out.

I tried to buy this at Best Buy, but they dicked me around till I gave up. I came here and got it for maybe $200 more, but it was well worth it. I got it quickly, which says a lot over here in Iraq, and in good condition. I use it for movies and games, and it works better than anyone else's laptop that is over here. Although it runs a little hot at times, I got a cooler for it and don't have that problem anymore. Honestly, this is a sweet buy!

WARNING: Never buy a Gateway computer expecting that your warranty will be honored by Gateway. In the past Gateway has sold their warranty support to corporations like MPC which have then filed bankruptcy and gone out of business leaving Gateway customers with nowhere to turn for service and parts for their computers and accessories that are still under warranty.

For the most part I thought my Gateway laptop was a good deal. That was until the LCD on it failed while it was still under warranty and I found out that Gateway wouldn't replace it because they sold the warranty service to a company that is no longer in business. If you feel like gambling that they won't do the same thing to you go ahead and buy this item. Personally I am not that big of a gambler.