Home > Consumer Reviews > Gateway 550GR Desktop PC (3.20 GHz Pentium 4 (Hyper-Threading), 512 MB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW Drive, CD-ROM Drive)
Gateway 550GR Desktop PC (3.20 GHz Pentium 4 (Hyper-Threading), 512 MB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW Drive, CD-ROM Drive)
See it at Amazon.com for $999.99Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + ShareStill a nice PC
(5 out of 5) by D. Rex on Feb 3, 2007 (Cincy)I've upgraded the RAM to 2GB, Power Supply to 500 watts and the video card to 256MB.
This will be good to go for a while still, although I am planning on adding an external drive to support the demands for vista.
This system modified as above rates as a 4.3 core for vista.
BTW, Vista costs way too much and is too demanding for most people's PC's,
and if you're looking for a new computer, I would suggest taking a look at a Mac before you make your decision, particuarly after the new Leopard OS X 10.5 is released.
This will be good to go for a while still, although I am planning on adding an external drive to support the demands for vista.
This system modified as above rates as a 4.3 core for vista.
BTW, Vista costs way too much and is too demanding for most people's PC's,
and if you're looking for a new computer, I would suggest taking a look at a Mac before you make your decision, particuarly after the new Leopard OS X 10.5 is released.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
A fantastic deal
(5 out of 5) by Toniann Scime on Oct 31, 2004 (Amherst, NY United States)I've had the Gateway 550GR for about three weeks now, and I'm completely pleased with performance and, especially, value.
After all, this system has a LOT going for it: A fast processor, Pentium class, with hyper-threading; a rather large hard drive; a DVD writer plus a second CD-ROM bay; a good video card (the ATI Radeon X300 SE PCI-Express, with 128 MB of memory -- it's not top of the line but it's a good solid card for the average user or even the occasional gamer). All of this plus your basic software packages (MS Works, MS Money), trial versions and basic versions of a few others. The DVD writer (dual-layer capabilities, no less) and the large hard drive alone, at this price, make this unit a bargain. Another perk: a bountiful amount of USB 2.0 ports, onboard FireWire, and a multi-format multimedia card reader, built in.
If I had to name a flaw here, it's RAM -- the system comes with only 512 MB of RAM, which is really the bare bones for new systems today. 1 GB would have been a huge improvement. The system's mainboard is constructed to support RAM upgrades to 2 GB, but of course this is an added expense for the buyer.
Obviously, with emergent technologies moving at light-speed, soon this model will be outdated and outpaced. But for right now, it's one of the best bargains on the market.
After all, this system has a LOT going for it: A fast processor, Pentium class, with hyper-threading; a rather large hard drive; a DVD writer plus a second CD-ROM bay; a good video card (the ATI Radeon X300 SE PCI-Express, with 128 MB of memory -- it's not top of the line but it's a good solid card for the average user or even the occasional gamer). All of this plus your basic software packages (MS Works, MS Money), trial versions and basic versions of a few others. The DVD writer (dual-layer capabilities, no less) and the large hard drive alone, at this price, make this unit a bargain. Another perk: a bountiful amount of USB 2.0 ports, onboard FireWire, and a multi-format multimedia card reader, built in.
If I had to name a flaw here, it's RAM -- the system comes with only 512 MB of RAM, which is really the bare bones for new systems today. 1 GB would have been a huge improvement. The system's mainboard is constructed to support RAM upgrades to 2 GB, but of course this is an added expense for the buyer.
Obviously, with emergent technologies moving at light-speed, soon this model will be outdated and outpaced. But for right now, it's one of the best bargains on the market.