Gateway FX6710-01 Core 2 Quad Q9400(2.66GHz) 6GB DDR2 750GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit - Retail

Gateway support for an incomplete o/s build...

Reviewed By: Switch on 4/21/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

Pros: Once I got this baby up and running, it works as you would expect with the level of components installed. Warcraft runs at about 60 FPS with full settings while in Dalaran or Naxx25. I have an Acer P243w 24" monitor connected. The ATI 4850 graphics are excellent while viewing with this monitor.

Cons: Here we go! :-( First let me say that Newegg had nothing to do with my purchase of this computer so they're off the hook. The rating is specifically targeted at Gateway for 1) an incomplete o/s installation and 2) lack of follow-through on their customer support.
1) I got this computer from Frye's Electronics in California for Xmas and shipped it back to Hawaii. Upon bootup, I experienced the same issue others have written about here, an incomplete o/s installation and no recovery CDs to correct the problem. The computer was essentially dead in the water.
2) Several calls to Gateway Customer Support later, I recieved 2 sets of CDs, each set containing duplicates of the same CD. Lucky for me, I now have 2 sets of recovery CDs....because one set just won't do? WOOT!

Problem Resolution? I had my own copy of the Windows Vista 64 bit O/S and installed it on bootup wiping out anything that was on the hard drive.

Other Thoughts: Installing Windows from scratch is no issue for me, it's just time consuming. It wipes the hard drive clean and gets rid of the bloatware these companies load as "packaged" software. However, if you're not computer savvy, find someone who is because you will have to install all the drivers again. Most can be found on Gateway's Support Website. For any hardware you install like a wireless PCI card, you'll need to load those drivers as well. Good luck and happy trouble shooting!

Did you find this review helpful?

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!

Bad Support

Reviewed By: Joe on 2/6/2009

Tech Level: average - Ownership: less than 1 day

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: None right now, as I cannot even start it up fully.

Cons: I was excited to finally get my new computer, but upon starting it up, found that they did not fully install windows vista onto it. Unfortunately, there is also no backup disc that comes with this machine so I had to call Gateway support. They said it would take 14 business days, essentially 3 weeks, for them to send a repair CD out because it is on back-order (leading me to believe there are many individuals this is happening to). So now I have to wait, probably till the end of this month, to even see how the machine can handle anything.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!

Reviewed By: spocksbrain on 2/5/2009

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Nice specs for the price. I actually put a build together with almost the same gear, and this was cheaper. Lots of ports, cool pop out card reader and front audio ports. Front drive access. Good looks. Runs ArcGIS like a dream. Multiple applications are no problem for this machine. Quite.

Cons: I've only run WoW on this thing as far as games go, and I've seen frame rates from 170 to 30 fps in the same area which is pretty bizarre. I've seen some of the same complaints on the forums regarding the ATi 4850, but I thought that this had been resolved by blizzard. Perhaps it has something to do with the cheap 400w MAX psu they put it this thing. I can't imagine it sustains more than 375w and that is pretty low for all the hardware in this machine.
BLOATWARE!!!

Other Thoughts: Bloatware brings down the price as we all know and free programs like revo uninstaller will completely remove this garbage with a couple of clicks. Pre-removal, vista was registering almost 50% of available ram. Thats 3gigs people... ridiculous. After revo, I'm back down to 18%. This comp is a pretty good deal, just be sure to do this to optimize your new purchase.

Did you find this review helpful?

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!