Gateway Intros FX Desktops and Notebooks

Gateway has unveiled its new FX7020 desktop aimed at extreme gamers, and an FX-edition notebook for folks who want to take games and entertainment on the road.

Newly-minted Acer subsidiary Gateway wants to prove it’s not just about comparatively boring computers available at decent prices: it can also crank up the clocks, load up the graphics drivers, and cater to computer power-users’ entertainment and gaming needs. And the company’s new FX7020 desktop aims to do just that, along with Gateway’s first FX edition notebook.

Gateway’s new P-series FX edition notebooks are aimed at mobile entertainment and gaming, with a 17-inch 1,900 by 1,200-pixel display and an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS graphics controller with 512 MB of video memory and DirectX 10 support. Most of the models will be available with Intel Core 2 Duo processors, with the high-end P-171XL FX Edition shipping with Intel’s Mobile Extreme X7900 processor that can be overclocked—the P-171XL will also feature an HD DVD drive. The FX edition notebooks will also feature HDMI output, a Web cam, gigabit Ethernet 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, dedicated media controls, a 5-in-1 media card reader, and an integrated sound system. The P-series FX edition notebooks should hit retailers later this month, with prices starting at $1,999.99, and ranging up to $2,999.99 for the P-171XL model.

Gateway isn’t leaving its desktop line alone either, announcing a high-end FX7020 multimedia desktop system that includes Nvidia technology and AMD quad-core processors at price points starting at just $1,099. The FX7020 features a 2.3 GHz AMD Phenom 9600 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce 8800GT graphics driver with DirectX10 support and 512 MB of video memory, 3 GB of RAM, a 500 GB 7,200 rpm hard drve, a 15-in-1 media card reader, 6 USB ports, 7.1 audio support, an analog/digital TV tuner, and a dual-label DVD burner with Labelflash technology. "The Gateway FX7020 is certainly designed for those who take their gaming and content creation seriously," said Gateway’s senior manager for desktop products Glenn Jystad, in a statement. "But given its low price, it also allows a wider range of people to experience the thrill of modern PC gaming or to get involved with advanced photo, video and music applications." Expect to see the FX7020 later this month&hellp;and the prices really will start at $1099.

For the extreme gamers, Gateway is also introducing the FX540 desktop line later this month, with an Nvidia SLI-capable motherboard (and dual PCIe x16 slots for your video cards), support for 800 MHz memory, and dual gigabit Ethernet. The systems will feature 2 to 4 GB of RAM standard, a USB 2.0 9-in-1 media card reader, 5.1 or 7.1 audio support, and a selection of Nvidia video solutions ranging all the way up to dual factory-overclocked 8800 GTX cards with 768 MB of video memory. Prices for the FX504B start at just $999.99, but the high-end FX540XT will start at $3,799.99—but at least that includes Vista Home Premium!