Digital Trends

Gateway P-7801u FX Edition November 24th, 2008 | by Nick Mokey

Features & Design

Though the P-Series FX can be equipped in a handful of different ways, the P-7801u variant we tested comes in only one configuration, which retails for $1,600. At its core, it gets an Intel Core 2 Duo processor clocked at 2.26GHz, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS with a full 1GB of video RAM. That's a stat sheet we would call impressive, even for a desktop. Other accoutrements include a 320GB SATA hard drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam, and 17-inch display with 1080p resolution.

Unlike Gateway's relatively conservative P-Series notebooks, those that carry the additional FX label get dressed up with some special styling before they leave the factory. The entire shell gets a quasi-carbon-fiber print below its glossy finish, and large portions of the notebook have been trimmed in metallic orange – a love-it-or-leave-it color that reminds us of a shade Pontiac was awfully fond of for a few years. Naturally, all of its LEDs, from the power button to the light-up strip of media controls above the keyboard, have also been switched to the same shade. We wouldn't call it subtle, but we do think Gateway has dodged (barely) the gaudy color overkill that sometimes crops up on gaming machines.

Though Gateway hasn't completely cheaped out on the construction of the P-7801u, certain aspects of the notebook stood out to us as feeling rather chintzy. The keyboard, for instance, has a glossy sheen that almost makes it look like it's been typed on by one too many greasy fingers, and the media control keys embedded in the strip above it have a crude, overly rounded look, as if they've been sloppily cut out by hand. Like larger notebooks, it also flexes significantly toward the center, to the point where pressing firmly on the media controls feels a bit like pressing on a springboard.

Size and Weight

Let there be little doubt that the P-7801u falls in the desktop replacement category, bound firmly to Earth by the gravitational force all 9.2 pounds of it exert. It's luggable, of course, but too heavy to really bust out in many travel scenarios, and of course, bulky as well. It falls in the middle of its size category: lighter than the likes of Dell's 10.6-pound XPS 1730, but still chunky compared to HP's 7.6-pound dv7t series. 

Connections and Controls

Like many machines in its size class, the edges of the P-7801u have been striped front to back with a thick array of connectors. That outfit includes the usual suspects, such as a VGA output and three USB 2.0 ports, audio input and outputs, as well as some more exotic specimens: an HDMI output for connecting to high-def displays, eSATA port for fast connections to external hard drives, and 1394 FireWire port for video equipment and other high-speed accessories. Of course, there's also the obligatory Ethernet jack, and even a legacy phone port for its modem.

While a DVD-RW drive obviously helps keep cost lower on this machine, we wish Gateway would offer a Blu-ray drive as an option, since the 1080p screen would likely make for quite an HD viewing experience.

As mentioned, the media controls were a bit of a disappointment in terms of aesthetics, but they worked acceptably for controlling media on the fly. The volume buttons, while more responsive than others that we've seen, adjusted the sound in increments that were too small, making it too cumbersome to make major adjustments quickly.

We liked the matte texture and accuracy of the built-in touch pad, but couldn't understand why Gateway didn't enlarge it, given all the available real estate. With such a massive screen to navigate, getting across the screen on a standard-size touchpad can feel like quite a chore.

And though we we may gripe about the gloss on the keyboard, we also found it very usable. The key presses felt crisp, none of the keys beyond the F-row had been shrunken, and Gateway even managed to fit a full number pad, which can be a godsend for gaming.

Image Courtesy of Gateway