Gateway's DX420X is as strong as any midrange desktop we've seen. Our $1,606 review unit's Core 2 Duo E6600 processor hits the price and performance sweet spot, its GeForce 7900 GT graphics card is a tick faster than what you typically find in a sub-$2,000 PC, and a raft of customization options give you plenty of choices to tailor this system to your liking. The only problem is that HP has a similar system, for a similar price, with an optional HD DVD drive. Gateway hasn't picked a side in the HD format wars yet. That reluctance prevents us from giving this system a high recommendation for next-generation digital entertainment duties, but as an all-around desktop, Gateway has a solid system on its hands.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The HP system we're comparing with the Gateway is a $1,649, fixed-configuration HP Pavilion m7690n Media Center TV PC. That model can only be found in retail stores, but HP has a customizable version, the m7690y, available on its Web site. The retail model with an HD DVD drive has a slower CPU and a slower 3D card than our Gateway DX420X, but the HP system also has more memory, 2GB of 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM, compared to the Gateway's 1GB of faster 667MHz memory. If you upgrade the HP's CPU, downgrade its memory, but otherwise line up its specs as close as possible to the Gateway, you get a price of $1,710. Gamers should take note that the DX420X has a performance edge thanks to its faster GeForce 7900 GT 3D card, but as our testing showed, the HP isn't exactly a slouch, either.
We also saw in our testing that the HP's additional memory goes a long way toward helping its overall performance, making us wish that the Gateway DX420X came with more RAM. The Gateway's Core 2 Duo E6600 has a clock speed of 2.4GHz, just a bit faster than the HP's 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo E6400. But we highly suspect that the HP's 2GB of memory helped on CNET Labs' Multitasking and Photoshop tests, during which the HP edged out the Gateway by a small but noticeable margin. On the iTunes, CineBench, and Quake 4 tests--all of which benefit most from raw processing power--the Gateway came out ahead.
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You'll notice on the Quake 4 scores especially that the Gateway has a solid lead over the HP, especially when we bump up the resolution to 1,280x1,024. We found in anecdotal testing that the Gateway DX420X would handle 1,600x1,200 as well, posting at 75.7 frames per second. We sent the HP back already, so we didn't get a chance to test it more, but considering its 1,280x1,024 score peaked at 67.2, we're not too confident in its ability to maintain smooth game play at higher resolutions.
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| 1,280x1,024, 4xAA, 8xAF | Â Â | | 1,024x768, 4xAA, 8xAF | Â Â |
Aside from 3D power and HD video capability, the two PCs are roughly the same. Gateway has faster, and more, hard drive configuration options that range from a single 320GB 7,200rpm drive to two quick 150GB 10,000rpm drives, which we usually see in more expensive high-end gaming PCs. That option and the higher-end graphics card certainly give the DX420X more performance potential than the HP. You'll find that the two also have a number of other specifications in common, from wireless networking adapters to TV tuners, media card readers, and wireless keyboards and mice. All of those options are roughly equivalent in price between the two vendors, as well.
Gateway's tech support for the DX420X isn't that different from the rest of the industry. The system comes with a standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty. Toll-free phone support is available 24/7, and Gateway's Web site has a wealth of system-specific help material. What you won't find is a remote tech feature like Dell, HP, and Gateway's own eMachines line all have. Instead of letting a tech take control of your PC remotely to fix a problem for you, you'll still have to get him or her to walk you through it.
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Gateway DX420X
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2; 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600; Intel P965 Express chipset; 1,024MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7900 GT; (2) 250GB Hitachi 7,200rpm Serial ATA hard drives
HP Pavilion m7690n Media Center TV PC
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2; 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6400; Intel P965 Express chipset; 2,048MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT; (2) 250GB Seagate 7,200rpm Serial ATA hard drives
Shuttle XPC P2 3700g
Windows XP Media Center SP2; 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6700; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 664MHz; (2) 256MB ATI Radeon X1950; Western Digital 150GB 10,000rpm Serial ATA hard drives
Systemax Venture C2D
Windows XP Home SP2; 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6300; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon X1600; 320GB Western Digital 7,200rpm Serial ATA hard drive