Gaming laptop: Gateway P-7805u FX review specs, prices

Gateway's budget-minded 17-inch gaming laptops have impressed, offering a mix of decent components and high-end video cards for around $1,200. The P-7805u FX offers an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS dedicated graphics with 1GB of video memory.

The Gateway P-7805u FX is a Best Buy exclusive laptop that brings mobile PC gaming to new and surprising affordability. While it isn't going to be the fastest or flashiest 17-inch gaming notebook, it is more than capable at playing all of today's 3D games and then some.

Gateway P-7805u FX Specification
Display	17" (1440 x 900) WXGA+
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) with SP1
Processor	Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz
Memory	4 GB
Hard Drive	320 GB Serial ATA (7200 rpm)
Graphics Card	GF 9800M GTS
Optical Drive	8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW and DVD-RAM
Connectivity	Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) Wireless LAN
Ports and Expandibility	Audio in Audio out Three USB 2.0 ports VGA port HDMI E - SATA Express card 54 5-in-1 card reader RJ11 Modem jack Firewire
Battery	9 cell 86.58 Wh lithium ion
Dimensions	15.75" x 11.75" x 1.3" - 1.70" (40cm x 29.8cm x 3.3cm - 4.3cm)
Weight	9.05 lbs (4.11 kg)
Built in Extras	Webcam

Price as configured: $1,299.99

Pros

* Nice price for the features
* Great performance
* Good gaming scores
* Excellent Price
* Good looks and decent build quality

Cons

* Limited port selection
* Lower screen resolution than its predecessor
* Few body changes from previous models
(Source: notebookreview)

Build and Design

The outside of the P-7805u FX looks great with a glossy black finish and a carbon fiber pattern band across the lid showing the P-7805u FX insignia. The three primary colors used throughout the body are glossy black, silver or brushed silver, and orange to outline various components.



Build quality is average with some flex apparent in areas around the chassis. The palm rest and screen lid flex under moderate pressure, but it is really only felt when carrying the notebook around gripping the palmrest.



Opening up the notebook the keyboard is surrounded by orange trim, which is also outlined with brushed metal trim. While I normally take the stance that bright colors and LED’s can make some gaming notebooks stand out in a negative way, Gateway keeps the flare to a minimum in a very classy manner.

Display

The Gateway P-7805u FX slips back to 1,440x900, perhaps a victim of shrinking profit margins. In real-world terms, you'll probably play most games at the lower resolution in order to keep detail levels turned up high anyway, but downloading and playing 1,080p HD video content loses some of its appeal with the lower resolution.



Colors on the WUXGA panel are bright and vibrant, with high levels of contrast thanks to the glossy surface. Screen brightness is adequate for gaming in a bright lecture hall or office setting, but isn’t bright enough to overpower glare from sunlight in an outdoor setting.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The full-size keyboard and separate number pad have roomy, comfortable keys. Above the keyboard is a row of media controls, with buttons cut right into the brushed-metal border, along with one touch-sensitive control - a volume slider - which adjusts the volume a little too slowly for our tastes.



The keys are painted with a slightly glossy matte texture which gives just a bit of traction, but doesn’t show fingerprints as much as completely glossy keys. It is comfortable to type on for extended periods of time, with a smooth key action that doesn’t’ require much pressure to trigger. The keyboard does hint towards its gaming abilities, with the WASD keys labeled with the appropriate direction arrows.

The Synaptics-based touchpad was quick to respond to movement, showing no signs of lag when quickly moving around. The surface texture is a smooth matte finish that is easy to move across even when your finger is slightly sweaty.

Performance

The P-7805u FX has an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 and NVIDIA 9800M GTS working together to give excellent results while gaming.
The high-end Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTS graphics card is this laptop's main selling point. We were able to get 120.8 frames per second in Unreal Tournament 3 at 1,280x800 resolution. Crank it up to the max possible resolution of 1,440x900, and it's still a very playable 101.4 frames per second. In an anecdotal test, we loaded up the most recent PC game in our pile, FEAR 2, and had a smooth gaming experience at 1,440x900, with graphics options set to medium.

Battery

Battery life for a 17” gaming notebook was very good, with plenty of time to take notes or surf the web away from an outlet. With the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Vista on the Balanced profile the system stayed on the 3 hours and 29 minutes. Compared to some gaming notebooks that can barely get an hour and a half on battery, getting 3.5 hours is pretty amazing.