Thoughts on Gateway Laptops

[Apopkasux]

Looking to buy my first laptop to replace 8 year old Dell desktop.

I am drawn to Gateway due to feature set that appeals to me...optical drive on left side, eSata port, fingerprint reader, lock port. Comparably priced Dell has a bit faster chip, which I'm sure I would not be able to tell, but does not have other features the Gateway has. This would not be for gaming, but I want a lot of RAM and 17" screen., here's what I have in mind:

http://www.gateway.com/systems/produ....php#techspecs

Does anyone own a Gateway laptop? How is it...decent quality? I looked at a similar model at Best Buy and fit and finish seemed solid, but obviously can't tell what's on the inside. I saw a post on here in a different thread that alluded to the fact that Gateway is now owned by eMachines, and therefore there are now quality issues...not sure if there is really anything to that or not.

Appreciate any thoughts

[Alaron]

Spec-wise, its fine for your needs. But Gateway quality is pretty low. We recommend Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo laptops.

[Dave21]

Personally from my friends who use gateway laptops, they generally don't like it due to issues that they have with the hardware as well as their customer service. I would recommend looking into hp, ibm, dell, and toshiba.

[mikeL]

I'm also not a big fan of Gateway.
I just ordered a customized HP Pavillion dv9700z for about $1100
the specs are as follows:

- HP Pavilion dv9700z Entertainment CTO NB
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Gold Edition TL-66 (2.3 GHz, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache )
- 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
- $40 OFF 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
- 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
- FREE Upgrade to HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Webcam + Microphone!
- FREE Upgrade to 802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth!!
- FREE Upgrade to 250GB 5400RPM from 160GB 5400RPM!!
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

I'm sure it won't be long before Vista is removed form it, and Linux will be running on it.

[Apopkasux]

I think I had that ownership wrong...Gateway was bought by Acer. Not sure if at one point Gateway may have owned eMachines, but I think eMachines was bought out by the founder or something.

[etownguy]

I agree with most members, I would NOT recommend a Gateway and not a huge fan of Acer notebooks either.

Seeing how you are replacing an 8 years Dell, I would consider them again or one of the other brands such as HP, Lenovo, and Toshiba.

Personally I've never owned one, but my brother made the mistake of buying one and had and continues having nothing but issues with it.

Just my 2 cents.

[glc]

Gateway and eMachines merged a while ago - who bought who is not clear. Acer is now in the process of acquiring Gateway/eMachines, this is going to be a buyout.

Friend bought his wife a eMachines laptop last year and it's a piece of crap. It's been in for warranty service as much as she's had it at home.

For me, it's Dell and Lenovo - I don't recommend anyone else, seen too many issues. Gateway hasn't had a decent laptop since the eMachines merger. I understand Asus makes some VERY nice laptops, but they aren't cheap and I don't have enough personal experience with them to form a solid conclusion. I've worked with Acers and Toshibas and have not been impressed (although OLD Toshibas were excellent) - and HP's have been almost a disaster. Sonys are all bling, not cheap, and way too proprietary and choked with preinstalled crap.