Question 1

I need to know if this is a new computer or a refurbished?

Accepted Answer

Shelia, this is a new computer. I got mine around the 9th of october and it is a well built pc. I upgraded the power supply unit, and graphics card, but I use mine for gaming. It is a new pc not refurbished.

Question 2

Is this computer a 64-bit?

Accepted Answer

This is indeed a 64-bit computer. It is a quad64-bit (4 cores). I am running 64-bit Windows 8.1 Pro with no problems. The computer booted up the first time I turned it on out of the box. It is an excellent buy.

Question 3

The graphics card is listed as, "Intel HD". Which? Can anybody give me a more specific name?

Accepted Answer

It's just listed as "Intel(R) HD Graphics Family" on my control panel.  No other information can be found (at least by me).  I was worried about the lack of "stand-alone-video-card-ness" too.  However, I'm running Photoshop, Sketchup, AutoCad and the normal Office programs and it handles those programs just fine.

Generally speaking, the computer is quiet and cool and has caused me no issues, nor has it ever crashed.

I don't use it for gaming, so I can't attest to that capability.

Hope that helps-
P

Question 4

Can I delete Win8 and install Win7 or is it locked in the BIOS?

Accepted Answer

1. Better Not  install Win7 instead of Win8       because these two systems are very similar. Not necessary to do that. Don't wanna destroy the "Original Factory Image".

2. The Bios seems to be locked.  Once I tried to install only XP on this PC. A blue screen came out while setup processing.  Furthermore, I tried to install double OS in different HDD. There was still a blue screen there.

3. I tried to change some setting on Bois, such as "AHCI to IDE", "Legacy", "Secure Boot", etc.  It seemed   NO USE.

Question 5

is there a wireless hard in this pc?

Accepted Answer

no there is not...I have one that plugs into one of the many usb ports on the back

Question 6

Does this computer's motherboard fit AMD or Nvidia graphics cards?

Accepted Answer

I installed a graphics card to support 2 monitors, and purchased from New Egg:         Item#: N82E16814127705

MSI N210-512D2 GeForce 210 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

This card fits my Gateway Intel Core i5 6GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity Desktop PC Windows 8 DX4860-UR29, install is easy.  Note the video cables are different than VGA.

You need to change the start-up settings in Win 8 to automatically boot from software CD on start-up, otherwise there is no way to load driver.  This is changed in UEFI Bios Settings for Windows 8 which is different than the old F8 Bios settings, good luck!

Question 7

Is this a 32 bit or 64 bit?

Accepted Answer

This is a 64-bit processor.

Question 8

does this desktop have any available expansion slots for video cards? such as PCI x 16 slot?

Accepted Answer

Yes it does, but I would recommend up grading the Power supply before adding an additional video card.  I believe it only has a 350 watt unit.  I bought and gave the PC to my parents because it was such a good deal, and I thought about keeping it, upgrading the PS and Video card myself and giving it to my son.  When I Looked at the bios i believe it had an ECS motherboard, but I am not sure since I don't have the PC here to verify that.  My parents love it, and for a small upgrade fee this machine could be a decent gaming unit.

Question 9

Does this computer have a firewire port?  if not is there an empty PCI slot to install one?

Accepted Answer

No firewire port, but there are plenty of PCI-E slots you can use.  The wireless card does not take up one as it uses a mini pci-e slot instead.  No standard PCI slots though.

Question 10

What type of Hard drive does this have and how big is it?

Accepted Answer

The hard drive is a 1TB 7200RPM SATAIII drive.  I haven't looked at the actual drive to know what brand it is....

Questions & Answers