List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $488.90
Today's Bonus: 19% Off
What I didn't like: The keyboard is completely unimpressive. It lacks dedicated media controls and feels cheap. To be fair, it works just fine.
What I like: Out of the box, this computer is good to go. Set up is quick and default options are what I would choose myself. There is minimal bloatware. WEI is 5.2 (anchored by Desktop Graphics). This computer is very quiet. The fans are all BIG so they do not have to spin as fast. The fan on the CPU is enclosed in a cylinder which routes the warm air to a vent on the side of the case. There are TEN usb ports including two USB 3.0 ports on the back for new, fast usb disks. There are ports on the top of the case and at the top front of the case. The top front of the case is angled making it easy to 1) see the ports, and 2) plug stuff into the ports.
What I love: This computer is great for tinkerers. While the i5 3330 is a noble processor and the HD 2500 integrated graphics are fine for most, we plan to upgrade this computer. I was delighted to see how much bigger the case was on the inside than the outside. There are three 3.5" bays (one occupied) and two 5.25" bays (one occupied), so adding a BD player and a couple hard drives is trivial. There are two empty RAM slots so you can add to rather than upgrade the memory. There are four PCIe slots (one occupied by the wireless card), so you can upgrade the video to a discrete card. The power supply is standard form, so adding extra power for all those upgrades is a piece of cake.
Bonus #1: The case is illuminated. Light shines through the Gateway logo and around the edges of the front and top of the case.
Bonus #2: There is a switch on the top of the case to turn this light off.
Overall, I find this a compelling computer worthy of your consideration.
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