Computer Reviews

I have come to a point where I really do think that most desktop computers can be scrapped for laptop or notebook computers. Seeing as my home computer is a Pentium 4 and I’ve been using that for six years, with a few repairs along the way. The Gateway M-6750 provides enough processing power for all applications besides games and a 15″ monitor that gives enough desktop space.

For under $600 the Gateway M-6750 notebook computer comes with a nice shiny finish combined with polished aluminum looking edge around the keyboard. The looks are good, and that’s not bad for a nicely priced laptop.

The Core2 Duo processor, although a mobile version, will give enough power for office type applications, web browsing, listening to music or playing videos. The processor is combined with 3GB of RAM and the Windows Vista operating system.

Some of the main features are

• 1.66GHz Intel Core2 Duo CPU
• 3GB of RAM
• Windows Vista Home
• DVD writer
• Memory card port
• Speakers
• Webcam
• Network port
• 802.11n wireless

These features together will do well for a home office or personal use.

The 3GB of memory is good for Windows Vista as it needs more memory than previous operating systems, which is usually true anyway I guess. The dual core processor helps too.

Networking features are good, and having 802.11n wireless, which supports up to 300MB/s transfer speeds allows the fastest possible speeds over wireless networks.

The graphics uses up to 384MB of main memory. This is good for increasing the graphics quality, but not so good as it uses up more of the memory that could be used by other programs on the computer. With that said however, there is plenty of memory to go around and programs won’t be left wanting with still 2GB of memory after the graphics and Windows’ needs.

There are three USB slots and an Express Card slot for system expansion.

Finally, the 15 inch monitor supports up to 1280 x 800 screen resolution. This is spot on for a monitor of this size and gives enough extra room to squeeze two web browsers side-by-side, but keeps them at a readable size.

Firstly, this computer does not come with keyboard, monitor or mouse. It only comes with the system. Even so, for a tad under $400 it’s a pretty good offer.

As a primary home computer this Compaq can pack a bit of punch, with enough memory and processor speed to run anything but the most graphics intensive programs it can take most of what is thrown at it. Throw in the good looks and styling of the case and you’re looking at a pretty decent machine. Here’s a quick rundown of the main features.

• 2.3GHz AMD Sempron LE1300 processor
• 2GB memory
• 250GB hard drive
• DVD burner with Lightscribe
• NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics processor

The heart of the system is an AMD Sempron processor, which is branded as the cheaper end of the AMD lineup. The Athlon has traditionally been ahead of the Sempron in the pecking order. But AMD tend to throw quite a lot of good technology into their lower end products and this single-core processor can perform far better than its price tag suggests. Just the CPU on its own costs around $40 but performs well enough to surf the Internet, burn CDs and create some spreadsheets and documents.

2GB of memory is enough for even the heaviest of daily use. The memory or RAM is where programs are stored while they are running; it is much faster than the hard drive and means that programs can work quicker and store more information while they are running. The web browser Firefox for example can use up to 180MB of memory with only one of two tabs open, but as soon as you get to 15-20 tabs then all of those extra sites are now stored in memory and can shoot the memory usage of Firefox to over 300MB. Combine this with instant messengers and other programs and you get a lot of memory being used. But 2GB can comfortably handle all of those.

250GB hard drive is enough for around 40 DVD movies and should be plenty, especially if you store all your movies and photos online.

The Nvidia GeForce 6150SE is not a high performer for graphics. Although occasionally sold on “gaming computers” it really only does the basics. Modern games can be played if you turn off all the fancy shading and textures and other such stuff, but for getting the intended effect you’ll need a dedicated graphics card. Luckily it has a PCIe x16 graphics card slot for just this purpose, pity that it will probably be the processor slowing the graphics down for there onwards.

There is the standard slew of other extras including USB slots, audio input and outputs, Gigabit Ethernet and the pretty good looks of the case.

So here’s a real cheap desktop computer. Aimed at doing just the basics and not including a monitor this system has everything a desktop computer needs and is perfect for a second, general-use system.

This system has an older AMD processor and has a fair spread of other parts. Here is a list of the features:

• 1.6GHz AMD Athlon 64 2650e processor
• 2GB of memory
• 160GB hard drive
• Dual-layer DVD writer
• Vista Home Basic

No illusions of grandeur here, this system only does the basics well. But that’s not all bad. This is a computer for $200.

The CPU processor is decent and can tackle most general tasks. Surfing the Internet and punching out some documents on a word processor will be fine. Using instant messaging will also not take a heavy toll on the system. The amount of memory is more important than all of these in this situation.

The 2GB of memory is enough for all tasks. A web browser with a whole lot of tabs open, streaming online radio, chat program and word processor all open at the same time will work well enough. It will not be enough for gaming or graphics-heavy programs that will need the power of a graphics card or faster processor to perform their tasks.

The small form factor is perfect for tucking away under a desk and out of the way. This case is a far cry from the super-ugly cheap boxes that typically come with cheap desktop computers. The drives and other bits are hidden behind the cover.

The 160GB hard drive is enough for storing photos and movies. The slower speed of this computer lends itself to be an Internet enabled device. Using it along with a dedicated Internet connection and online storage will provide allow files to be shared on any computer with ‘Net access.

Speaking of Internet access, the Gigabit LAN is a bit of a surprise. Gigabit LAN offers fast speeds on local networks that are equipped for it. However, the speed of Internet access it invariable slower than that.

For the price, this system really does offer a great package. A 19 inch monitor for around a $100 would give a full system for $300.

Pros:

• Cheap, cheap, cheap
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 2GB memory

Cons:

• No fancy graphics capabilities
• No Wifi