Digital Trends

Gateway M500S July 6th, 2003 | by Ian Bell

Setup and Use Continued...

The M500 uses an integrated WiFi card manufactured by Orinoco. We were able to get excellent reception with the M500 skirting around the 300FT range, even through walls. We noticed that the M500's WiFi networking was not turned on by default, but could be activated by pressing the hot key. This is a great idea, especially if you plan on traveling with your system. This way not only are you saving battery life with the WiFi turned off, but you are creating a more secure computing experience by preventing would-be hackers from entering your system.

Keyboard layout is excellent and mimics the VPR Matrix 200A5 almost exactly, down to the same key design. Key travel is just right and not too shallow providing a nice typing experience. The touchpad looks nice and is very functional with two large mouse buttons and a very responsive touchpad. We have noticed that on some laptops the cursor would skip around the screen occasionally while typing, this was not the case with the M500.

In our performance benchmarking, the M500 held its own in 3D Mark 2001 literally nipping on the heals of the Gateway 450 XL and VPR Matrix 200A5 systems in the 32-bit tests, and edging out both system for the lead in the 16-bit tests. When it came to the Mobile Mark 2002 testing, the M500 easily beat out both the VPR Matrix 200A5 and Gateway 450 XL systems. This is most likely due to a faster Intel processor and a better overall cooling system. The M500 also edged out both systems in the SiSoftware Sandra benchmarks. For complete results, please click on the performance tab located above and below this review.

One of the nicest features that the M500 carries with it is a cooling system that is very effective. We did not feel noticeable heat from the system even after prolong testing and use. Overall this helped to create a very stable system which did not experience any crashing or system errors despite going through our rigorous tests.

Improvements which we would like to see on the next version of this system should Gateway decide to continue its production, would include a larger battery, a larger hard drive and the ability to play music CD's with the cover closed.

Conclusion

The Gateway M500 is a system that sets a new standard when it comes to multimedia laptops. With its integrated 20-bit stereo speakers complete with subwoofer, a 15.2” widescreen display, an SD memory card reader, and an integrated network card provided by Orinoco the M500 provides a stable and fun computing environment. Those that are into audio and video editing will find the M500 to be the perfect companion for your computing needs.  The M500 is a bargain for $1599 and if you have been contemplating a laptop purchase the M500 deserves a second look, especially before they are sold out.

*Edited on 7/9/2003 --- We recieved several e-mails from readers that had problems with their AV control panel not skipping ahead or behind correctly, but instead moving to the next track entirely. After further testing, we were in fact able to replicate this problem. The score has been adjusted accordingly.