Digital Trends

Gateway 7200XL

February 7th, 2005 | by Ian Bell

Features and Design

The most noticeable difference between the 7200XL and other desktops on the market is its form factor. The BTX (Balanced Technology Extended) form factor was designed in an effort to help with the internal cooling of a system, including reduced noise output. Announced at the Intel Developer Forum in fall of 2003, the new specification was later introduced into the market in late 2004. As hardware components evolve into faster speeds and larger storage capacities, so does their heat output. The older ATX form factor has a tough time keeping the inside of a computer cool because of its component layout, this is what the BTX specification is aiming to fix. Some high-end gaming machines can have up to 6 fans or more inside of the system to help keep it cool, but BTX based systems need just two, one in the front of the case and one in the rear. The theory is that this will help to create a wind tunnel effect where cooler air is brought in through the front of the system and hot air is pushed out the back. The fans are much larger (120mm vs. 80mm) than the fans used in traditional ATX systems, yet they spin 40% slower thus creating a very quiet atmosphere. With a BTX based motherboard, the CPU is located towards the upper front of the motherboard instead of right in the middle. The motherboard chipsets are also located closer to the back of the motherboard. This combination of hardware placement helps to create an unobstructed airflow path. Systems featuring a BTX form-factor motherboard open on the right side of the case instead of the left side like an ATX based system.

Although the price of the Gateway 7200XL is much lower than we expected for their top-of-the-line product, Gateway has packed a lot of power into it. In its base configuration the 7200XL comes with a 3.4GHz Intel processor, 1GB of PC3200 (400Mhz) memory (upgradeable to 2GB), a 250GB Serial ATA 100 hard drive running at 7200RPM, a 17” flat panel display, 16X Dual-layer DVD writer and 16X DVD ROM drive, ATI Radeon X800 XT (256MB) graphics card, an integrated 8-in-1 media card reader, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card, and a 5.1 speaker system, all for $2199.99. It's important to note that systems in this price range rarely come configured with generous 1GB of memory and 250GB Serial ATA drive.

The look of the system isn't bad either. The color combination reminds us of some of the eMachine systems we have seen in the past — which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The keyboard, mouse and speakers all share the same silver/black color scheme. On the front of the system, there are the two DVD drives. One is the dual layer DVD writer and the other is a DVD ROM drive. The 8-in-one media card reader is also in the front and includes a single USB port. Oddly enough, there are two FireWire ports on the bottom right of the system. You rarely see more than one FireWire port on a system, let alone two on the front. There are six additional USB ports located on the back of the system. Multimedia enthusiasts will love all of the input ports and media card slots on this system. With the way the expansion slots are setup, the 7200XL comes with two open PCI slots. Removing the 56K modem will result in 3 open PCI slots. The drive bays are mounted perpendicular to the case and can easily be removed.

As far as software is concerned the 7200XL only comes with a few programs. Windows XP Home Edition comes preinstalled as the operating system as does Microsoft Works Suite 2005, Microsoft Word, Encarta and a 90 day Norton Antivirus Trial — that's it. We would actually prefer a system came with software you could actually use instead of a ton of trial software, so this is a breath of fresh air. The Gateway 7200XL comes with a one year warranty.