Gateway laptops: Good, bad? Looking at M675

[wutwjd]

I am shopping around for a laptop. I have about 1800 dollars (give or take a couple hundred) to buy a laptop that will replace my desktop (read: portability is not a big concern to me, though it is always a plus; same with battery life). I'm a computer science major and will be needing the laptop to do my school work; I will be using it for compiling fairly large programs, working on web stuff and doing some graphics work on top of the usual gaming, web surfing and Office related stuff. I had bought (and subsequently returned) a Dell 5150.

I'm looking for a notebook that can perform all the aforementioned tasks. Basically, these are the things I'm looking for:

• Fast processor (doesn't need to be mobile)

• RAM on ONE DIMM (I have extra)

• Decent graphics card

• Less than 2000 dollars

• 40+ GB HD (60GB would be preferable)

Yes, the Gateway seems to fulfill all these requirements. So, instead of this being a post about notebook recommendations, I would like to hear how good Gateway notebooks are (though, if there are any suggestions on other laptops, please feel free to suggest). How's the customer service? Reliability? Build quality? Is there any way to upgrade stuff on this laptop beyond what's allowable on the website?

Thank you all.

 

[Bekker]

I'm of no help since my Gateways are old, but I am about to buy a Dell 5100 and wondered what the problem was with that machine since I want to use it as a desktop replacement. Can you let me know what was bad about it? Thanks, Bekker

 

[Bekker]

I'm of no help since my Gateways are old, but I am about to buy a Dell 5100 and wondered what the problem was with that machine since I want to use it as a desktop replacement. Can you let me know what was bad about it? Thanks, Bekker

 

[dnuggett]

I too am curious on why you returned the 5150.... after I hear why I may be able to help you with the Gateway recco....

 

[Frightcrawler]

5150 is like notebook hell right now.
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=91636

that's 34 pages.

 

[Frightcrawler]

oh and bekker, i dont think the 5100 is also in hell, but ask around in the dell -> inspiron -> video forum.

 

[wutwjd]

Originally posted by: Bekker
I'm of no help since my Gateways are old, but I am about to buy a Dell 5100 and wondered what the problem was with that machine since I want to use it as a desktop replacement. Can you let me know what was bad about it? Thanks, Bekker

Only too glad to tell you why I returned it. The first one I received had an extremely poor screen. The contrast wasn't uniform throughout, the top of the screen was darker than the bottom, etc. So I was told to send the notebook in, that they would replace the screen for me. A couple of weeks later, I got the notebook back.... only they had put in a new systemboard instead of replacing the LCD!! After talking to customer rep after customer rep, I finally got someone to send me a replacement unit instead (she also threw in 512MB of RAM for free). I got my replacement laptop in. The screen was definitely better than the first one. But this time, I had problems with the keyboard. First off, I couldn't get used to the placements of the tilde and Windows key. Second, the keyboard kept squeaking (both parentheses, the key X and the brackets... if you do any coding at all, you know how oft-used those keys are). Fed up with these problems I was having, I returned the laptop.

I must say, the service I received was superb. This sequence of returning the laptop and getting it back, none of this cost me a penny. I did have to waste countless hours finding someone to talk to but once I did, they provided quick solutions, even offering me complimentary gifts. I was also disgruntled at how long it took for me to get a notebook at all. I'm a computer science major at school and needed a portable computer to take with me to work. But, after five weeks of the quarter had passed, I decided to just use my desktop, seeing as how I'm so used to it already, and get a notebook later.

To summarize: It was the build quality of the notebook that forced me to send it back. Unsatisfactory monitor, stupid placement of tilde and Windows key, squeaky keyboard. Overall, the build quality just wasn't what I had expected.

Hopefully this sheds light on the problems I had with the 5150.

 

[Frightcrawler]

did you actually use the 5150?
if you did, im sure you would have returned it anyway. check out the link in my other post.

 

[wutwjd]

Originally posted by: Frightcrawler
did you actually use the 5150?
if you did, im sure you would have returned it anyway. check out the link in my other post.

Wow, hmmm... I didn't use the 5150 for gaming, except to see how well Deus Ex ran on it (old game, I know, and as such, it ran really well). I probably wouldn't have caught this problem on my notebook for I have left my gaming days long behind me (and, truth be told, there really aren't that many games I'd want to play right now). Yeah, gaming is pretty low on my priorities.

I was considering maybe getting another 5150 but now, I don't think I will be. Thanks for the link.

 

[dnuggett]

Well, sorry to hear about your woes with that machine. I know Dell has sold alot of them, and I have heard good things about them from some owners, but your obviously had some issues, and judging from the forum(s) alot of people do. I do not have that much experience with the build quality of a Gateway but some people on here should.

 

[Jackhamr60504]

I have a Gateway Solo 5350 that has worked fine for me for the past 2 years. I have seen the 675 and it is a beast.

However, aren't most laptops built right down the street from each other overseas?

 

[dnuggett]

Most laptops are built by a couple of ODM's yes. But there is alot that goes into the differences in quality even given the same ODM.

 

[corkyg]

I have had a Gateway 9300 CX for over two years now - it has been the best computer I have ever had since 1982 - that's a lot. Reason? It came with 98SE, got a free upgrade to ME, then went to XP Pro. Everything works perfectly and - it has NEVER crashed or locked up. I would replace it for a faster one, but so far, I can't find any other laptop that has a modular floppy bay that accepts a second hard drive or battery. The second HDD lets me clone my main drive (now a Toshiba 40 GB 5400 rpm) and always have a backup drive in case of emergency problems. Maybe that is why it never fails - it knows such an act would be futile.

BTW - I love the 15.6-in display - makes for great slide show presentations.

 

[wutwjd]

Does anyone know if Gateway's computers can be configured more specifically than what is offered on the site? For example, I don't need 512MB of RAM because I have a 512MB module just lying around. Also, does anyone know how to find out specifically what parts Gateway laptops use? I haven't been able to find specific information on these (a tragedy, really). Thanks all.

 

[manko]

M675 Specifications

Hardware Details

 

[dnuggett]

I would replace it for a faster one, but so far, I can't find any other laptop that has a modular floppy bay that accepts a second hard drive or battery.

Sager and it's derivatives... Voodoo etc. come to mind.

 

[wutwjd]

Thank you, manko.

I also found out that can configure the M675 by selecting M675CS. The other two options don't let you configure very much.

 

[wutwjd]

Two 200-pin industry standard DDR-SODIMM sockets
Accepts two PC2700/PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory modules

Does anyone know if this means the M675 uses notebook or desktop memory? Or do notebooks not use desktop memory? I have a 512MB module for a notebook (333MHz from some boutique RAM company) and would like to make sure that I can use this.

 

[Frightcrawler]

it should only accept notebook memory, because desktop dimms are larger. check out www.crucial.com just to be sure. (select your manufacturer on the front page and then select the model)

 

[Frightcrawler]

oh a tiny question here: the gateway models have something called a "EZ Pad® Pointing Device."
is it a touchpad, trackpoint, or something else? they should just tell us on the website..
im guessing its a touchpad because it says "EZ PAD", but the second part of the name leaves me guessing.

 

[corkyg]

Yeah - it's a touchpad. I always use a mouse with my laptop - touchpads are for emergency use only.

 

[wutwjd]

You know, more and more I test the M675, the more I'm getting to really like it. The build quality seems quite sturdy. Much better than the Dell 5150. There's this rugged feel to it. Of course, the 129387234 pounds of weight might have something to do with that...

In all seriousness, though, the laptop looks really nice. It has those badass blue LEDs.

Ughh, I sound like a girl (no offense to women out there, you know what I mean). "OOOH~~ It's so PwEtTY!" Anyway, the notebook seems to run well, too. Didn't get to max out its performance or anything though. Maybe tomorrow I'll try installing 3D Max and running some tests...

Anyone know when/if Gateway lowers its prices? I won't need this till next quarter (end of Jan) so I have a lot of time. When would be the best time to buy?

Thankya.

 

[wutwjd]

Bump

Sorry. Trying to help out that other dude looking at the M675.

Oh, and there's a review of the M675 on CNET, in case you haven't seen it yet.

 

[Gibson486]

I have a gateway 600x laptop, I love it. Build Quality is excellent, but the silver casing scratches easily (so what if i like stacking books on it).

It is a shame though. because people are seeing Gateway as the latest computer company that will go belly up. I hope it doe snot happen, they are a very good company and I stand by that company 100%.

The EZ PAD is a touch pad. It is a pointing device, hence, you tell the cursor where to point.

edit: Gateway lowers their prices not very often. When i was waiting for my Gateway laptop, the price stayed constant for a full three months, then after i bought it, they got rid of their $100 mail in rebate and gave a instant $100 rebate. Go figure.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm not a big fan of the Gateway notebooks, they've always seemed to cost more than the hardware inside.

Dell sells a lot of solid machines that you can get for 1800. I just spec'd out a nice Inspiron 8500 with a GF4 Ti4200 Go and a 2.2Ghz Mobile P4 for 1,897.