Gateway has been on a roll since being acquired by Acer last year. Acer’s aggressive pricing for decent specifications combined with Gateway’s newfound sense of style makes the Gateway M-6864FX its $750 to $999 street price a notebook of interest.
Hardware Highlights:
- Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2 GHz CPU
- AMD RADEON Mobility 2600 with 512 MB of RAM
- 14.1″ WXGA High-Definition Display With 1280 x 800 Resolution
- 200 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
- 4 GB DDR2 System Memory
- LabelFlash Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
As part of Gateway’s FX line of performance gaming computers the jersey cow print box is ditched in favor of the line’s black and copper orange motif. Open it to reveal the FX wrapped in protective foam plastic cocoon. Its 5200mAh battery, 32/64 recovery disc, manuals, marketing materials and power adapter are in a tidy little box.
Carbon fiber print, glossy black, gun metal gray and a copper orange sets the FX apart from other notebooks in this price range. This notebook really stands out (it is also available in non FX trim in gloss black or garnet red). The high gloss finish collects finger prints quickly. Hinge tension works in place of an LCD latch mechanism. The gun metal trim around the keyboard includes media control buttons and capacitive volume control – this arrangement is very similar to its big brother Gateway P-7811FX. Above the high-gloss screen sits a 1.3 Megapixel webcam and microphone.
Its 15.4″ display is bright with excellent contrast and color saturation. This screen is very easy on the eyes. At 1280*800 most people should be OK with the text size and amount of usable screen real estate. For example, there is room for one page (web or Word) with the Vista Sidebar still visible.
The keyboard is lovely. Keys are nicely sized and have good travel and dampening. There is a bit of keyboard flex but even for a heavy handed typist the performance is tolerable. On the right side of the keyboard you find dedicated Home, PgDn, PgUp, and End buttons. This keyboard takes very little getting used to. The WASD keys have orange arrows corresponding to the direction is keys in most first person shooter games and that is a nice touch.
Gateway has equipped the FX with a very good touchpad. Out of the box it required no fussing with control panels. Buttons are firm and rattle free and the vertical scrolling zone is spot-on. Wireless and disk activity LEDs line the bottom of the touchpad.
The weight and size of the FX are both good. At only 6.3 lb. and just 1.5″ thick you won’t find carrying this unit around taxing. Width is 14″ and length is 10″ – not a thin and light but not a brick either. Considering the FX’s inherent gaming ability this is a very good form factor.
First Boot
Unlike most computers these days the FX was fully responsive during the first 30 minutes of operation. Typically there is just so much going on that a new computer is almost unusable. THere may be two reasons for this. First, with 4 GB of RAM there should be less disk caching/thrashing. Second, Gateway’s OS load is optimized for the FX. For example the sidebar is off by default but there is still some junk – Wild Tangent games and various Internet offers. With Gears of War featured on the FX line and the title’s dismal sales it is hard to understand why Gateway and Epic did not team up to bundle the game with this series of computers. Overall the first boot impression was positive, you may wish to use the included Vista disc to perform a clean install but it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Performance
FX uses Intel’s Core 2 Duo T5750 CPU which has a 2 Megabyte level two cache and uses the now dated 667 MHz FSB. Other features include support for EMT64 (duh, FX ships with Vista 64), Enhanced Intel Speed Step (to reduce energy consumption) and Execute Disable Bit (to prevent some forms of malicious code). Noticeable in its absence is Virtualization support. With the dual core CPU and 4 GB of 667 MHz RAM performance is good scoring a respectable 1 minute 9 seconds in SuperPi and in 40.799 seconds in wPrime. It also scored 5163 in PCMark05 – a very good result for a sub $1,000.00 notebook. Gateway has wisely elected to offer the FX with a socketed CPU (Socket P) so that users can upgrade in the future.
Seagate’s Momentus ST9200420AS 200 GB HDD has a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, 16 MB buffer and SATA 3.0Gb/s interface. You sacrifice some storage capacity against other notebooks at this price, but the performance is worth it. It manages an average transfer rate of 51.3 MB/second. Optical recording is robust, the FX’s 8x dual layer multi-DVD burner with LabelFlash is exactly what you would expect at this price point although Blu-Ray is starting to pop-up.
AMD/ATI’s RADEON 2600 video system is positioned squarely in the mid-range performance segment. No match for the 8800/9800 chips in desktop replacement notebooks it’s a great compromise that delivers excellent gaming performance. Games like Mass Effect run at 1280×800 with almost every setting dialed to maximum. Its 3DMark06 score was 3662 at the LCD panel’s native resolution. Avivo HD support means that you can really take advantage of the FX’s HDMI port. Viewing movies and watching games over HDMI worked great.
Ports on the FX are as follows; three USB 2.0, HDMI, microphone, headphone, Ethernet and modem handle the basics. A memory card slot accepts SD/MMC/MS and xD flash formats. An Expresscard type 54 slot is available too.
Heat and noise can become issues on small notebooks as they lack the material and space for internal airflow required to dissipate heat. Other notebooks based on this form factor such as the Gateway T-6321 struggled to stay cool. The FX experiences no such problem. It has a robust cooling system that combined with Intel’s Speed Step and ATI’s PowerPlay 7 keeps temperatures in check. Maximum temperature after fours hours of Mass Effect was recorded at the left side vent hole at 50oC/122oF. Plugged in and set to high performance the FX is comfortable to use on a lap. Fan noise is bearable.
Battery life was average for an Intel notebook. The included power unit is rated for 5200 mAh and 11.1 Volts. In normal use you can expect to achieve 2.5 to 3.0 hours using the default low power setting.
Wireless performance of the Intel 4965 A/G/N card is quite good. The FX has no problem finding networks on both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands and holding on to signals 50-100 feet from the source. In addition to the 4965 card the FX has an extra, empty mini PCI card slot. There isn’t much choice right now if you want to populate the empty slot, but its good to have options.
Audio performance is acceptable. Speakers are tinny but loud – for playing games the lack of bass might be an issue (less boom). For light media playback and YouTube watching they are fine. Outputting via mini jack to a stereo system yields good results. Likewise HDMI output of audio sounds as good as your Hi-Fi allows.
Conclusion
Last January the P-6831FX was released to universal acclaim. It was the most powerful gaming notebook ever released in the sub-$1500 price point. It is now on its third iteration and still awaits a worthy competitor. Gateway must have realized that 17″ notebooks are not for everyone hence the 15.4″ FX. Although roughly half as powerful, it is still extremely compelling because of its smaller size and lower price (pretty close to half the cost when on sale).
But it isn’t just the parts inside that make this attractive. The fit and finish is great – as good as you can get in a plastic chassis. The aesthetics are good too. Rather than plain and boring, the FX has a bold character. It might not be for everyone but that is always a risk when a product is designed to stand out. Gateway has done a great job of making the M-6864FX appealing to the senses. It looks nice, feels solid and does not get scorching hot during operation.
Have a look at the following value chart:
As you can see, the FX compares nicely to a notebook offering similar performance at twice the price. Sure, give the Alienware the edge in terms of materials and construction probably coolness factor too.
The war for the 2008 back to school shopping dollar is fierce. Montevina based notebooks are a little late, just starting to trickle out now. There should be a refresh of this FX notebook soon using newer components such as a 25 Watt TDP Penryn CPU and possibly the RADEON 3650 GPU – but you can never say for sure.
Pros:
- Portable gaming performance in a small package
- Terrific bang for the buck – FX strikes again
- Attractive design – may not be to everyone’s taste
- Solid construction
Con:
- Finish attracts fingerprints
- No Bluetooth
Verdict: Buy – this is every bit as desirable as the P-7811FX
WoW that was an excellent review I got one of this FX a couple of weeks ago and cannot be happier with this little machine, It plays Crysis (ofcourse with low graphics but it works) in Canada Best Buy is selling it now for 899 so its probably the best laptop a media student can buy
Just picked up this L.T. yesterday and so far am very impressed with the features and more so with the price USD $799 at BB. Researched everything I could find and found this the day before I was going to go out and buy a system with the exact same specs for about $400 more. The screen size is ideal since I travel quite a bit and this one at first blush fits the bill perfectly. I will replace my HP on the next trip and see how it does. Excellent review and very helpful!
Compliments on an excellent review. We’re now into our third month using this Gateway machine designed by Best Buy. Originally, we bought it for $750 as a desktop replacement for our HP Blackbird which we sent in for some upgrades – we figured it’d be cheaper than renting a machine for the duration, which turned out to be a correct decision. The ATI 2600 PRO @ 512MB has been customized for Gateway by ATI for this unit – we find its actual specs closer to the 2600 XT. In either event, it’s a superb GPU fully the equal or better of the Nvidia 8000 series GPU’s, excluding only the 8800 ULTRA. As this GPU is soldered to the mobo, we can forget about upgrading it to the 3670. But you’re not losing much – functional improvements in the 3870 vs the 2600 are not many : DirectX 10.1 and Shader Model 4.1, and also interface DisplayPort support. The number of stream processor in the 3870 remain as in the 2600: 120 with 16 textural units, 8 textural filtration units, 4 blocks of ROPS. ATI tends to be more conservative than Nvidia in new product releases so they’re taking their time configuring a mobility 4870 – I suspect heat is the issue they’re hammering out. We have dual 4870′s on our Blackbird and they do get very hot! Anyway, some warnings on the Gateway FX series like this one designed for Best Buy. It comes with lots of bloatware, so we wiped the disc and did a clean install of Vista alone. You have a one-year warranty from Gateway, but trying to get something fixed is a task worthy of beating *Crysis* – beware. The chintzy plastic cover which accesses the DVD drive is extremely delicate – if you’re running more than a couple movies a week, this plastic cover will break, rendering your drive unusable. After jumping through the hoops with Acer (Gateway’s owners), they’ll offer to send you a new drive and all the tools / screws etc needed to install, which is wonderful (a) if you needed a new drive (b) if you’re an adept hardware tech. After jumping through some more hoops to communicate the specific problem, they’ll give you an approval number and an address in Texas to send it in for repairs, so you’re on your own hook for shipping/ins. One other caution because of the cheap plastic build – it does not hold USB and other input devices securely. You’re on your own as to how to secure these – all this means is that it is truly a mobile laptop and not meant to withstand the normal pressures a solid desktop unit would. I gather Gateway’s just released a new $1,500 FX series machine with a completely remodeled and stronger casing material (and the 3850), which is good news. I have nothing against Best Buy – they’re great for the quick buy, but you can do much better for yourself from any of the self-builder outfits like CyberpowerPC, iBuypower, etc.
@JD: One correction, the 2600 is comparable to the 8600m series. It isn’t even remotely close to an 8800 Ultra.
Got this $750 in BestBuy in the summer, and I have to say, that there is a high level of satisfaction. At the time there were no similar deals in the US and here, in Europe there aren’t any even now.
The processor runs fast enough and along with the exceedingly powerful HD2600, which seems to be the best ATi Mobility HD2600 out there, it gives you a very decent performance in games, all new games are playable up to mid-high details, and in the future, there will be still some decent gaming with this after a year or so.
Uhhm…Just a heads up…the old gateway box design was a Holstein cow print, not a Jersey. Holsteins are black and white, while Jerseys are solid, usually a tan color.
Thanks, I’m a vegetarian so what do I know about cows.
im planning to buy one, just curious, is Gateway has partnership with ACER company?
im staying in the Philippines, are there any computer stores accredited to fix or sell gateway parts in the event it will cause some unexpected????
any body can give me some inputs re: 3D aspect?
Yes, Gateway was bought by Acer. The acquisition has been good for Gateway – they are more focused now and their stuff is a lot better.
I bought my M-6864FX refurbished from Canada Computers for about $780CDN including taxes in about mid-January 2009. I got the last unit in stock at the time and it had a red stuck pixel. I googled all over and tried all the remedies suggested, but to no luck. I decided I’d keep the unit regardless as I had really taken a liking to it. The screen is pretty decent though, made by AU Optronics, who also make some of Samsung’s LCD panels. The LCD is bright, the back-light is fairly uniform and the colours are accurate enough for my tastes.
The DVD-Burner does seem flimsy. The only thing I really use it for is backing up data to DVDs, which is not too often. So far it’s holding up for me.
The keyboard has a bit of flex, but I actually like it as it is practically the same keyboard as my old Asus laptop’s. I feel quite at home. As a bonus the lettering on the keys has not started to fade or mark up yet and I might use my laptop for 6+ hours daily including some heavy gaming.
After about a month my touchpad started showing signs of wear. It has a shiny mark on it now. Which makes me surprised once again, how the keyboard seems unfaded, as I usually use my mouse rather than the touchpad, but I of course use the laptop’s keyboard all the time.
I’ve tried XP, XP64, Vista64 and Windows 7 RC on this machine. I was an XP man, but Win7 RC is taking the cake. Especially with the new ATI Windows 7 video drivers I installed the last day. Call of Duty 4 is running as smooth as I’ve ever seen on this laptop in Windows 7. Quite surprising as I expected XP to spank Windows 7 in COD4. With the new Win 7 vid drivers, my temperatures have dropped up to 10C while gaming too. Windows 7 all the way.
The webcam is useful and works well with Skype, MSN and flash games which I’ve used for many hours.
I’m also undervolting my cpu and have removed the stock thermal grease on the cpu/heatfan contact area in favour of Arctic Silver 5, which I may replace with MX-2.
So far, so good, this is a great budget laptop, let’s see how it holds up down the line.
Asus is also bringing out bang for buck laptops. I’ve seen them at Best Buy USA website, but not the Canadian one. I’m talking about the
($800US) Asus X83Vm-X2 & G50Vt-X5 ($900). There’s the lower end X83Vb-X2 ($650) which has the Nvidia 9300M GS, but the M-6864FX’s ATi 2600M is the better vid card. I would skip out on the lower end Asus. The X83Vm-X2 trumps the M-6864FX, check the specs yourself. And well the G50Vt-X5 has a
9800M GS…’nuff said.
Just thought I’d post that for anybody looking for budget laptop alternatives.
I had this laptop over a year now (M-6864 FX) . It has done everything I needed it to do . It plays wow and crysis well for the price and has alot of other applications . I have dropped it twice on the wood subfloor from three feet high accidentally and it worked fine after. It was off at the time though. If I get another laptop ..I’d buy another FX . Their also easy to upgrade I hear.