Byte-O-Rama

5 Responses to “Gateway SX2840-01 PC & CA Internet Sec. Suite 2010”

1. 

   Bruce A. Agee
   

   
   

   I actually bought this directly from Tiger Direct. This is a great replacement for my 8yr old desktop. It is quieter, runs cooler, faster, uses less power, and takes up waaaayyy less desktop space. Yet it has tons of ports, 6 Gigs of memory and a 1 TB drive. I also like the fact that there wasn’t much junkware on it. And, despite it’s small footprint there is room for two expansion cards if you want a little extra. I used one slot to add 6 and 9 pin firewire ports (it comes with a 4-pin firewire port). Unless you are a big-time gamer – this machine will suit you very well.
   
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. 

   S. Deligonul
   

   
   

   My first unit was hardware defective. (I have a hunch this unit was not tested at the assembly. They would have known its condition if they were to turn on the unit.) So, I returned the unit and received a new one. The second is booting fine. But its DVD button is not working. (The buttons, including the main on/off switch are so cheaply constructed that it is not a surprise.) Gateway does not realize you don’t test quality in the market, you test it before the unit leaves the assembly line.
   Rating: 1 / 5
3. 

   SteelBlue
   

   
   

   Like other people, I bought this computer because it has great specs. But like another reviewer I also have had a problem with the DVD drawer which does not open when the button is pushed.

   I spent a couple hours with Gateway technicians who were at first convinced that this due to a software problem, but when they couldn’t fix it they decided that it was a hardware problem and so I returned the computer. I bought a second Gateway, the exact same model, but this one had the same problem right out of the box. I spent a couple more hours with technicians but they were unable to fix the problem.

   The Gateway “chat” technical support people were not at all helpful. The company seems very unconcerned about this problem with the drives. I posted a review on the Gateway web site describing these problems with the DVD drawer and with Gateway tech support, but the company removed my review from the site.
   Rating: 2 / 5
4. 

   fredf888
   

   
   

   Fine machine for just about everything, except heavy gaming. Relatively easy to upgrade graphics w/ a half height card, making it into a very decent gaming machine.

   However, depending on your needs, SX2800-07 may be a better and cheaper deal. I considered the SX2800-07 before choosing the SX2840. The SX2840 has a larger HD (1TB vs. 640MB), and more RAM (6GB vs. 4GB). SX2840 also has a newer processor, i3 530, that uses 32nm technology and is more energy efficient. SX2800 has an older processor, Core 2 Quad Q8300, but is more powerful (PassMark of 3563 vs. i3 530’s 2663). If you value CPU speed over energy usage, amount of RAM, and HD size, then SX2800 may be a better choice for you.

   I upgraded my SX2840 w/ a Sapphre Radeon HD4550 card. I chose it because it is fanless and quiet. My Windows Experience Index was 4.9 (Aero) and 5.3 (Gaming) before the upgrade. After the upgrade, I got 4.7 (Aero) and 6.1 (Gaming). What a surprise that the Aero score actually went down by 0.2. On hindsight, I probably should have gone with a Radeon HD4650 and just live with the slight fan noise. HD4650 has a PassMark of 457 vs. HD4550’s 358. The half height card comes with DVI and HDMI connectors on the back. You can have a VGA connector too but it has to go on another back plate (included) on the adjacent PCI Express X1 slot. That blocks the slot so you can’t add a mini card for things like modem card or wireless network card. Back plate screws are not included with the computer. After adding the graphics card and the VGA connector, I had to use 2 screws left over from an old hard drive kit.

   For wireless connection, I added a Linksys WUSB54G USB Wireless-G adapter. Before ordering any wireless adapter, internal or external, make sure you check the Microsoft site for Windows 7 64-bit compatibility. Not that many are currently certified. If you opt for the internal card, then it is the PCI Express X1 type (mini), NOT the PCI type.

   Rating: 5 / 5
5. 

   Michael Rojek
   

   
   

   The Gateway SX2840 is a terrific value, and this cannot be understated. With its i3-530 processor (which is very highly rated and supposedly easy to overclock), 6GB of DDR3 Ram, the H57 mobo, 1TB green HDD and Windows 7 Home Premium, you could expect to pay $700+. An equivalent computer from Dell or HP runs $720+, as does one built yourself through NewEgg. With the addition of an HD4650 or a 9800GT (low profile), this can be a competent gaming rig as well.

   The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is purely to do with Gateway. I haven’t purchased a pre-made computer in years, and now I remember why. Gateway does not include recovery disks, instead provides software to burn them (3 DVDs of Windows 7 and bloatware). However, you can expect a dozen or so disks to fail the burning process. I called asking how to clean install, and after taking 30 minutes to register me, forwarded me to a “software help line” that wanted to charge me. I called again explaining that I could not burn recovery disks and that this was a common problem according to the internet. The tech agreed, and said they would send out physical copies, but they are not available yet. She requested i call back in a few weeks. I e-mailed Gateway asking how to do a clean install of Windows 7 without bloatware, and they responded with a form letter on how to use the recovery partition (to factory default).

   If you’re a casual or HTPC user, you cannot beat this value, and you will likely have no problem living with the bloatware that Gateway, or any other manufacturer puts on. If you are more of an advanced user, with ideas of doing a clean install, expect drama. I got a Windows 7 disk from a “friend”, and entered my product key, but this required calling Microsoft’s help line. If you follow this strategy, remember to enter your product key when it first asks, don’t click next and install without.

   I purchased this computer for its parts, not the Gateway name, and saved nearly $200.
   Rating: 4 / 5

Leave a Reply