Gateway Debuts Core i7 Gaming Rigs

By Geoff Duncan Published November 17, 2008

Gateway Debuts Core i7 Gaming Rigs

Computer maker Gateway is showing it’s serious about going after the gamer market, announcing two new entries in its FX series of gaming desktops that feature Intel’s brand-new Core i7 processors…and price tags that don’t throw a fragmentation grenade (or laser pulse bomb, or whatever) in customer’s wallets.

The Gateway FX6800-01e features a 2.66 GHZ Core i7 processor (automatically accelerating to 2.93 GHz on a single core), ATI Radeon HD4850 graphics with 512 MB of video memory, 3 GB of RAM, a 750 GB SATA II hard drive, an 18× DVD±RW DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet a 15-in-1 memory card reader, and a whole rack of ports (including eight USB 2.0 ports, two IEEE 1394 ports, two eSATA ports). The system also supports HDMI output (via a DVI-to-HDMI dongle), sports two available PCIe ×4 and ×1 slots (the ×16 is taken up with the graphic card), and a 500 Watt power supply for pushing all the drives and cards you like. The FX6800-01e should be available with Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) now from retailers at a suggested price of $1,249.99.

Recommended Videos

Not enough oomph there? The Gateway FX6800-05 will feature the 2.93 GHz Core i7 processor (with acceleration up to 3.2 GHz on a single core), 6 GB of RAM, ATI Radeon HD4870 X2 graphics (with 2 GB of video memory), 1 TB of hard drive storage plus an 80 GB SSD, an 18× DVD±RW DVD burner,a 15-in-1 card reader, HDMI 1.3 output, a 1,000 Watt power supply, and the usual raft of ports (eight USB 2.0, two IEEE 1394, two eSATA, plus PS/2). The system also sports 802.11b/g/n wireless networking (with three internal antennae!), gigabit Ethernet, and two front-accessible hard drive bays for 3.5-inch SATA II hard drives. The system ships with Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit and should be available now at a suggested price of $2,999.99.

All told, Gateway’s gaming rigs might how have the theatrical lighting of some company’s high-end setups, but when push comes to shove (or alien-blasting comes to fragging), some gamers might not care whether the tower under their desk or table can light up like a holiday decoration.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

I love the RGB on this Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC and it’s $700 off today

Alienware Aurora R16 sitting on a coffee table.

You already know from the title but I just have to say, I love the RGB design on this desktop gaming PC. No, it doesn't offer much to performance -- which is a real shame -- but it does add style points and in a well-placed spot, that's a big deal for your office or gaming room. And if you’re looking for a powerful new gaming rig for your home, this Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop is packed with the latest hardware. You get all of that for $2,500 instead of $3,200. With a significant discount of $700, this is one of the best gaming PC deals around and certainly one not to be missed if you’re looking for a permanent setup. If that sounds like you, keep reading and we’ll break down all the hardware and reasons why you might wish to buy.

Why you should buy the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC
Alienware makes some of the best gaming PCs you can buy with a penchant for high-end setups which are great investments for a long time to come. With the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop, you get all the hardware you could possibly want. Never mind all of that, for now. The tasteful RGB adorns the front of the case, which you can see in the image, and although the glass side panel is tinted, you can also see the illuminated fan and components inside. Sexy, I know.

Computing

I tested the Core Ultra 9 285K against the Ryzen 7 7800X3D — and it’s ugly

Fingers holding an Intel 285K.

Intel's new Core Ultra 9 285K is finally here, promising a boost in performance with a significant reduction in power requirements, at least according to Intel. As you can read in my Core Ultra 9 285K review, Intel's performance claims aren't as rosy as reality, especially when stacked up against what is unequivocally the best processor for gaming you can buy: AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

I threw both processors on the test bench to pit them head-to-head, looking at performance across productivity and gaming apps, as well as thermals and efficiency. These CPUs target different users, but there are still a lot of interesting comparisons we can look at between them.
Specs

Computing

This iBuyPower gaming PC with RTX 4070 Ti Super is $500 off right now

The iBuyPower RDY Monochrome IV gaming PC on a white background.

Gamers who are thinking about upgrading their gaming PC should check out the amazing bargains from iBuyPower. Here's one that we highly recommend -- the stylish and powerful iBuyPower RDY Monochrome IV that's $400 off, for a reduced price of $2,199 from $2,599. However, if you input the code IBP25YR upon checkout, you'll get another $100 off, for total savings of $500 and a final price of $2,099. This is an excellent deal for a machine of this level, but you're going to have to hurry with your purchase because we're not sure how much time is remaining before this offer expires.

Why you should buy the iBuyPower RDY Monochrome IV gaming PC
The iBuyPower RDY Monochrome IV catches your attention with its black-and-white iBuyPower Hyte Y40 RGB case, but it's not all about the looks. This gaming PC is also pretty powerful, as it's equipped with the 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card, alongside 32GB of RAM that's more than enough to run today's best PC games while still leaving room for background applications, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need.