It’s no secret that we at TTS are big fans of Gateway and their products. It’s not just that they’re stylish (though they are), or that they’re fast (which they can be), or that they’re dependable (as WE’VE found them to be), or that they offer the best bang-for-the-buck on the market (just true) — rather, it’s that our Gateway experience has been top-to-bottom the best of all the gear we’ve ever had through our labs. We know that the consumer experience is a notoriously fickle thing, and that what may be the most cherished piece of tech for one person could be the nightmare for another, but the innovation and price pressure that Gateway has brought to the market MUST be acknowledged by even the staunchest of tech-grouches. In our opinion, over the past five years no company has made style and performance more affordable for Joe-uberGeek than the boys with PCs in cow boxes.

With a newly designed chassis, Gateway’s value line of gaming PCs continues to break all the rules, managing to pack more performance and features than ever before into a powerful PC that blows the doors off competitively priced systems. The new design maximizes usability and includes numerous additions that enhance the computing experience.

“When it comes to online entertainment, PC gaming and value, Gateway’s FX Series can’t be beat,” said Steve Smith, Gateway desktop product marketing. “While maintaining our price/performance leadership position, the new FX models boast a race car-like design with red accents and lighting, and include several new features that enhance the convenience and use of the PC.”

The new FX design makes it easy to access and use key features, providing simple and quick access to ports and peripherals. The top front of the PC includes high-def headphone and microphone jacks, while an angled media card reader makes it easy to insert, remove and transfer data from cameras and other devices. This can be especially helpful when the PC is placed under a desk.

The control dial for the system’s adjustable lighting effects can also be found on the top front of the unit, as well as the Photo Frame, stand by and backup buttons.

Boasting a 1.5TB drive, FX users will have plenty of room for photos, movies, music libraries and more. Tool-less expansion bays provide additional storage room for growth and backup. A convenient access door on the front of the PC conceals two external hard drive bays, and glides down effortlessly with a slight push on the front latch. Eject buttons for the optical disk drives are also conveniently and seamlessly integrated into the front sides of the PC.

Not to be outdone by its user friendly features, both new models in the FX line feature ATI Radeon HD5850 graphics and the Intel® Core™ i7-860 processor with Turbo Boost Technology for killer performance. The FX6831-03 also boasts a Blu-ray drive and 16GB of DDR3 memory, making it a true gaming solution.

The new SX also features a handy device holder and front accessible multi-in-one card reader for ease-of-use. The Photo Frame button turns an attached monitor into a slide show of favorite photos, another nice feature when used in a main living area. Consumers will also appreciate the eco-friendly 1TB Green Product Hard Drive, which uses a variable RPM, consuming less energy while staying cool and quiet.

Gateway® SX2840-01
• MSRP: $559.99
• Intel Core i3 530 (2.93GHz) processor
• Integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics
• 6GB memory (DDR3 dual channel 1333MHz)
• 1TB SATA (green product – variable RPM)
• 16X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive
• Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit