HP Pavilion p6720f and the Gateway DX4850-45u Computer Reviews - Gateway DX4850-45u

The Gateway DX4850-45u is a bulky mainstream desktop that can function for everyday productivity use as well as entertainment.  The DX4850-45u is available for around $700 and comes with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.


Performance from the Gateway DX4850-45u is backed by a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-2300 processor.  This CPU comes from Intel's newest generation of multi-core processors, and it gives the DX4850-45u favorable performance when compared to others in its class.  Running multiple applications is accomplished with ease, and you can do anything from surf the net to enjoy movies and games on a daily basis without much trouble.  Besides the multiple cores of the processor, you also get 6GB of DDR3 RAM to help out with the multitasking.

Graphics on the Gateway DX4850-45u are supported by an Intel HD Graphics 2000 card.  Integrated graphics won't give you top notch gaming performance, but most users should find it to be satisfactory for their casual needs.  If you are a frequent gamer and find gaming performance to be of utmost importance, look elsewhere.  Since the DX4850-45u could be seen as a media desktop, the inclusion of a spacious 1TB hard drive is a definite plus.  As expected, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit is the operating system that comes pre-installed.

As mentioned, the DX4850-45u could be called a media desktop with an emphasis on entertainment.  Why?  Gateway decided to ship the desktop with a Blu-ray drive to allow you to enjoy the latest in video technology.  Another attractive feature of the DX4850-45u is its integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi.  Need to transfer data from other devices?  There's a media card reader onboard that supports various formats. 

Expansion options on the DX4850-45u are satisfactory.  There's room for two hard drives, and the RAM can be upgraded to up to 16GB.  You also get expansion capability via two 1x PCI Express slots and one 16x PCI Express slot.

The design of the Gateway DX4850-45u is both good and bad.  The bad is that it's a tad large.  This contradicts with its media-friendly aura, since you don't necessarily want a large and clunky desktop in your living room for entertainment purposes.  If you don't mind the bulk, however, it should fit in nicely with any environment thanks to its black color scheme. 

While the size of the DX4850-45u may be a downfall, the actual design is a positive.  The top of the tower features a recessed bay that can hold devices while you sync or charge them.  The bay has two USB ports, while the slanted top of the front panel has two more, plus the media reader and microphone/headphone jacks.  The expansion bay and optical drives also reside on the front panel.  The back features the rest of the desktop's connectivity.  This includes six more USB ports, a HDMI port (another media-friendly feature), VGA port, Ethernet port, audio jacks, and keyboard/mouse ports.  Notable omissions include digital audio, eSATA, and FireWire.

Despite its bulky exterior, the Gateway DX4850-45u is a solid desktop overall.  Its Blu-ray drive should attract desktop shoppers seeking entertainment value, and its performance makes it dependable enough for everyday use for multiple tasks.