Customer Reviews

Gateway NV7922u 17.3-Inch Laptop (Cherry Red)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I looked around for about two months for a new computer. When my search landed me on this one I was a little hesitant. But the features that come with it are great. When doing research the " new " intel i5 processor was the way to go. It runs fasted than expected. Better than the core 2 duo. Which I use on a daily basis. The 64bit system is great. The hard drive at 500gb is more than expected. Windows 7 very nice and I was a windows XP person. Hated vista. The screen size big at 17.3 inches and very clear. Hooks up easily to any TV with the HDMI port. Had no problems playing CD's and DVD's. I would suggest getting a wireless mouse and keyboard though. The laptop itself is light weight. A few minor problems when opening I had to let the computer run all programs before I could use it. If you are looking for a new computer I would highly recommend this one for the features and price. Shopped around for months and could not find one.

I've had this for 2 weeks now...and I think it is worth more than $679
Pros:
large 17" HD screen with beuatiful display
500G HDD
fast i5 core processor
wireless card
multiple USB ports
eSATA port
card reader
dual layer DVD burner
4G memmory
Win 7 OS

cons:
no bluetooth
no lightscribe
no bluray support
nuisance software preloaded
no sleep charge port

this laptop feels comfortable, even with its size. the sound is great.I would advise anyone to remove Norton from it and use McAfee or any other antivirus, because Norton slowed it down so much. Feel free to remove other bulkware. The recovery function from gateway is great to remove errors and return to factory settings.
Overall, the negatives about this computer pale in comparison to its positives. The main configuration aloows this machine to be relevant for at least 2-3 yrs without a major upgrade. The only processor stronger is the i7 which is not needed for routine computing. the turbo boost feature on the i5 compensates for that.I bought this because of its value for money after painstaking research. i seriously considered the HP dv7 series and the Toshiba L500 as well as sony vaio; put put together the screen size,components and extras and this comes out on top.

For several months I spent many hours a week researching notebooks, and like the person before me, I'm very happy I landed on this one. This is one great notebook, and you can't beat the price for what you get. Great big screen, good keyboard layout, blazing fast, quality build, I could go on and on. If you are looking for a notebook with top of the line specs and a big screen, you can't look any further. If you are out for a notebook that can also play the newest, graphics intensive games, this isn't for you.

*Update - I've been testing this notebook for gaming recently, and it seems to be holding its own. I've been using it for mostly older games, Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Source, Half Life 2, Sims 2. For these games, it plays amazingly well with all settings on high. A few downloaded demos of newer games went well, adjust the video settings and you may just be able to pull it off. Just wanted to throw this out there for those that are at least interested in casual gaming with this notebook.

I did some research on-line to find the best laptop for me and my usage. I settled on the Gateway NV7923u. I was looking for an i5 processor and 4GB of memory. You should be aware that I don't really do any on-line gaming or anything major from a cpu and/or graphics standpoint. Standard MS office tasks, web browsing, email, itunes, etc. Please note - this laptop does not have a blue-ray drive - just a DVD drive.

Overall I have been quite happy. The speed of the processor is very good and the turbo-boost certainly helps improve the speed. The graphics and screen clarity are excellent. I have been very happy with that too but the screen does show fingerprints easily. (and the screen display is quite shiny - but not a major issue for me)

On a side note I have been pleasantly surprised by Window 7. I never went to Vista but Windows 7 is a big improvement over XP in my opinion - at least from an ease of use standpoint.

Two minor complaints to be aware of.

- The first - and at the time biggest is - the lights above the keyboard (which can indicate wireless network is on, speakers are muted, disk drive active, etc) are not just lights. They are also switches for on/off of these capabilities. I accidentally was cleaning this location while the computer was on (it's very shiny but had a lot of dust on it) and I rubbed across the wireless symbol which turned it OFF. (I had no idea that this was the case and I couldn't through software turn it back on ANYWERE - including Control Panel, etc) Once I figured this out, it was no big deal but I have NEVER seen the lights on a laptop also being switches.

- The power cord attaches to the side of the laptop and easily falls out. (if you are not careful) It would be nice for the power cable to snap in more securely but this is a minor issue. (it bothers my wife more than me)

Anyway, overall this is a good laptop and a good value. I have been quite happy with it despite the minor issues listed above. Note - someone else pointed out that this laptop is actually manufactured by Acer - which is true. And there is very little written documentation sent with the laptop but there is Gateway software help that is loaded to help if you need it.

I, like many others, searched high and low for laptops. I looked here and I looked there. I went to Micro Center and still wasn't satisfied with the prices. To get a similar laptop from Hp or Dell, you're talking a grand easy. The weight isn't bad in my opinion, considering it's a 17.3 incher. The screen is amazing. The led backlight really makes the screen pop. The amazon website had listed a lower, incorrect, screen resolution. It is in fact 1600 x 1900 and looks great. The buttons are pretty quiet when pushed and having a normal keypad to the side is nice. It doesn't have firewire or an expresscard slot but really, who cares. Having USB 2.0 pretty much makes that obsolete in my opinion. Firewire is not freakishly better, also in my opinion. I have a strong anti-apple product mindset also so this computer is really nice for me as it is extremely fast. I have a dell 3.2 Ghz dual core desktop with 3gb of ram running xp professional and it's a snail compared to this thing. I run Traktor Scratch Pro on it and it runs flawlessly, not skipping a beat and when you check the cpu meter it's hardly registering any stress on this machine. It's also so quiet I honestly never notice it making noise, not even a little. Sometimes, if it's quiet around you, you'll notice a little toot but really this thing whispers. The heat hasn't been an issue at all as well. I'll have it running for hours watching streamed movies and then set it on my lap and it's lukewarm at best. I really have nothing bad to say about this laptop. It's got HDMI for your audio/video feed to your HD. It doesn't have s-video but seriously I checked and on amazon it costs like 1.50 approx. for a vga to s-video adapter cord if you really want that feature. I'll tell you though, with a screen this lovely and large I think you'll have no problem watching movies right off this puppy. The integrated webcam and mic work seamlessly with websites. The sound from the speakers is pretty decent and if you get the right programs, you can adjust the volume even louder and they still sound pretty good for a laptop. I still hook up my amplified pc speakers while I'm at home and my wife and I watch a movie on it. I read the other guys review where he mentions having a problem with the USB drives. I've had no such issue and I'm guessing he just got a lemon. It happens and is understandable. I haven't had to deal with customer service, knocking on wood, so I can't give that a review. The multi-touch is kind of neat. Basically makes it easy to zoom in/out on any page, text, pic, and/or etc.. It's got dvd multi recorder drive instead of blu-ray but this also doesn't matter to me at all. They're not amazing enough nor cheap enough for me to give two squats of a thought to it until such time as it is the standard for everyone. Plus you can find an external usb blu-ray for around a hundred. The touch sensitive feature buttons up top of the keyboard area are neat and work really well, very responsive. Overall I seriously give this computer a near perfect score for my purposes. I love it and I hope it keeps kicking butt the way it has been.

Seems awesome. Entered my order through Amazon.com 4-24-10. Received the laptop 4-29-10 (that was with the Free Shipping!). Plugged it in to let the battery charge like the info sent with the laptop said to do before turning it on. Took 36 minutes to top off the battery. Then I unplugged it from the wall outlet to see how long the batter would last.

Played with it for 1 hour just doing the basic setup (time zone...) and looking at the preloaded software. Then popped the DVD for the movie "2012" into it which played for 1 hour and 54 minutes before the laptop displayed a message saying battery life was down to 15 minutes (brightness of the screen and sound volume were never adjusted from whatever settings they were at when I turned the computer on for the first time).

I'm no expert, but I would think that practically 2 hours of DVD play would put a more than average drain on the battery (DVD is continuously running with continuous sound from the speakers). So basically the battery was good for just over 3 hours of what I would consider a higher than average drain. I don't have an internet connection yet (coming soon) but expect it will last longer just surfing the web. I'll let you know at a future date.

Also of note, while the laptop was in use, it never got hot. I wouldn't even say warm. I had to do a double take a few times just to see if I could feel any heat at all! We're talking a couple degrees above room temperature.

When I read the reviews for this laptop on amazon.com like you are now, I got pretty scared by the bad reviews, but took into account that most of the reviews were very good to excellent. I figured I had ~85% chance of getting a good one and ordered it. Now I'm very happy I did!

Some people complained the power plugin to the laptop was a relatively loose fit and that the plug pulled out way too easily. I'm happy to report that the laptop I recieved does not have that issue. On mine, the plug is held in very firmly. You definately have to give it a solid push in to seat it, and it isn't coming out with out a solid pull! Maybe I got lucky with mine, don't know.

It was mentioned in previous reviews that the screen viewing experience is awesome but that you pretty much have to look at it straight on for the best viewing experience. This is true with mine also. Though I can't see why it matters as I intend to have the screen positioned directly in front of me while using the laptop anyway. When wouldn't you? Guess there's an exception to every rule, or maybe it was just nitpicking.

Obviously the DVD drive did work.

I don't understand a previous complaint about the keypad keys being flat across the top. They are, but why is that a bad thing? Besides, the design looks great with the overall "modern" look of the laptop. Like someone else said, no picture(s) you find online does it any justice. The real thing puts the pics to shame!

This laptop is very quiet! Barely audible. While typing, the keys don't make much sound either. Very nice. The loudest sound the thing makes is after pushing the button to open the DVD drive and then you get a soft click as the drive pops open the loading tray.

A few people complained about the LED lighted symbols (yes, they are working "buttons" too, though they don't appear to be and don't actually push in, they just magically know your finger is on them) being to bright and distracting from the screen viewing experience. On my laptop they weren't at all. I didn't even notice them except when looking directly at them. Though, the LED lights below the keypad (one tells you it's powered on and the other if battery life is good or bad) were very bright and did distract somewhat, particularily when sitting further than 2 feet from the screen like when I was watching the DVD movie. Sitting up close, they weren't near as noticeable, just a little.

This laptop is very fast in general. When you turn it on, you're ready to do whatever you want in less than 30 seconds. When you turn it off, it's completely powered down in ~15 seconds or less. There is no waiting for anything. You go to open a program and the program opens like right now!

The barrel hinge is very sturdy! You can lift the screen from any point with no screen flex. Seems like it could last just about forever. The power button inside one side of the barrel hinge works very nicely and feels good. A purposeful push operates it. It almost doesn't seem like the power button even pushes in. It does, but only barely, and you only notice a crisp click. I like it.

Summing up, as many of you already know, this Gateway laptop put together by Acer, gives you: 17.3" HD screen, i5-430M processor, 4GB dual channel DDR3 RAM, 500GB 5400rpm hard drive, 8x DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive (does CDs @ 24x), Windows 7 Home Premium, HD audio, multi card reader, VGA port, HDMI port, 4 USB 2.0 ports, and MORE. And all for $679.99! As some others have mentioned, you won't find a set up like this for less than +$1000.00 from any other manufacturer and I too researched for many hours before making this specific laptop buying decision!

I'll post back with an update in the future after having time to really put it through the "ringer". At this time I would highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in a laptop of this caliber!!! For now, can't say enough good about it. Maybe it has been improved since others bought theirs in the past, though most seemed to be more than pleased with it anyway. Knock on wood, but so far I have no reason to test out Amazons excellent return policy. :)


Good Luck,
Craig

The Gateway NV7922u laptop is an excellent computer for the price. You get an I5 processor and 500 gb hard drive. The laptop is lightweight, thin, solidly built and very fast, best of all is the 17.3 inch screen. The keyboard is well designed with wide letters and it seems to run cool. As other reviewers have said it is not designed for playing games but the graphics are good. On the negative side the power lights in the lower left hand corner is a little annoying and it comes with very little documentation. Once the power button is found on the right side of the computer it powers up easily and wireless connections are identified right away. You can't currently get a better computer for the price.

I've been using an old 12" Apple iBook G4 (1.33 GHz) for the last 6 years or so, it even spent a year in Afghanistan with me. But it was time to get a new laptop by the time I got back. I had been planning on getting an Apple MacBook Pro, but really it was going to be a lot more expensive than I really wanted to pay (plus Apple has been making some decisions I don't agree with lately along with their decline in quality). So I decided to go ahead and make the switch to PCs (I've been an Apple user since 1998). I thought I would just put Linux on it and call it a day. But I ended up with this Gateway after much research. I wanted something decently fast (the i5 is perfect) and with a fair amount of RAM (4 GB is great) and a large hard drive for all my music (500 GB is almost excessive, but that is a good thing). I thought a 15" would be a good size since I would never be able to get a 17" for the money I was planning on spending. But here is the Gateway NV79. It fit all my criteria and more. And the Windows 7 64-bit operating system is actually really good. Much better than Vista ever could have hoped to be. And the screen is extremely bright and crisp. So bright that I have to turn down the brightness to view it comfortably. I have not used the optical drive yet, so I really can't say much about the read or write times on it, but anymore that hardly seems like anything to worry about. The keyboard was a little awkward at first (remember, I came from a 12" laptop), but I very quickly became accustomed to it. I haven't used it without being plugged into the wall, so I also cannot attest to the battery life. The only real complaint I have is that it does not have BlueTooth. I'm not sure why they opted to omit that. I don't plan on doing any serious gaming on this machine, so the Intel Integrated graphics card does not bother me, but keep that in mind if you are a gamer planning on purchasing this computer. If not, I would certainly recommend the Gateway NV79 series. You get quite a lot for the money.

The Gateway NV7922u is a great laptop for people who want a large screen and powerful processor.

After using this computer for a couple months, I have yet to have a problem. The computer is solid and heavy, so it's not for people who want a laptop that can easily be used on a plane.

The screen is crisp and clear and beats my previous laptops by far. The keyboard is roomy and even has a numerical pad.

So far, the system runs fast and the computer boots and wakes up quickly.

I haven't yet felt frustrated with this computer and that's a first for me. In fact, this is the first computer where I have felt completely happy with it after taking it out of its box. Even with the extraneous programs Gateway has installed, the computer runs smoothly.

Gateway seems to have improved over the past few years. I also have a Gateway desktop that I am happy with.

I bought this Laptop from Amazon last Monday and paid the $20 for 2 day shipping. Well I got it the next day and I didn't even have to pay the $40 for next day delivery. On top of that, there was a lot of snow on the ground and lots of business' were closed that day, which I was surprised I got it. As for the laptop, I like it a lot. I have been using a 15 inch HP Pavilion and it's going to take a while to get used to the setup of this keyboard and Win7, but I'll get there. It is way fast and I like the number pad on it. The only bad thing about this so far I have found is the power cord comes out of it really easy, like if I move it from one place to another, I have to make sure it's still plugged in, and the second so far is that it detects my wireless network really slow when I open it up to use it. It takes about a minute or two, and I think if it sees my wireless network from previous use, it shouldn't have to detect it again. That's all for now.

Gateway NV7923u 17.3-Inch Laptop (NightSky Black)