There is a really good deal on Gateway Laptops right now. An AMD 3000+. 512 MB RAM, 60 GB, DVD±RW/CD±RW. 802.11g, 15" screen etc.

I don't know anyone who has ever used a gateway computer. Are they any good? FYI I am an AMD fan so that is very attractive for me

I can't really help you out by giving you good advice, I'm sure someone else will be able too but my friend had a Gateway Desktop and he hated that thing more then anything.

I have had about 6 Gateway Desktops and a Gateway laptop, and all have performed admirably. My laptop is 5 years old and chugging along very well.

Thanks SRQ Guy. IS $800 a good deal for the configuration I mentioned?

I'm not really up on the pricing of new systems as I haven't really shopped around for one recently.

MapleLeaf,
I can't find an AMD3000+ notebook on their site. BUT my husband just bought an M320X for $899 (after discounts and rebates) and he just loves it. It's 5.5 lbs and really really light.

I have a 1 1/2 year old 400VTX that I've been most happy with, and prior to that we had 5 years with an earlier laptop from Gateway. We're pretty high on the brand.

The M320X is 512MG 333MHz, 60 gig harddrive, 15 inch screen, Integrated 24x/10x/24x CD-RW / 8x DVD combo

Are we maybe talking about the same laptop??? Looks the same.

Anyway, bottom line is that we've had Gateways for years and been extremely satisfied.

Incidentally, the reason he got the new laptop is because I ran over his 2 year old laptop on October 4 (it had been covered by warranty until September 28!!!! horrors). IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!!!

Also, Fedex lost the first replacement in transit, and it hasn't been really easy getting that worked out since it hasn't shown up anywhere yet. Good thing I didn't wait till it showed up to re-order.

But as far as their products? Buy it!
Let me know what you think.
Rita

THis one seems a bit more featured than yours

Gateway Notebook with Mobile AMD Athlon™ XP-M Processor 3000+
Model: 7215GX

This compact notebook lets you travel light yet keep the powerful computing tools you need, like a DVD/CD burner, high-speed wireless networking and more.

* Mobile AMD Athlon™ XP-M processor 3000+* with QuantiSpeed™ architecture and 266MHz frontside bus

* 512MB PC2700 DDR SoDIMM for multitasking power, expandable to 1.25GB

* Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive

AND

15.4" WXGA TFT widescreen display
60.0GB hard drive
ATI IGP 320M graphics with 64MB shared video memory
4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface for fast digital video, audio and data transfer
Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g); 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN; V.92 high-speed data/fax modem
Weighs 7.5 lbs. and measures 1.6" thin for easy portability; lithium-ion battery



Thanks for the advice Rita. I am gonna sleep on it and decide in the a.m. My 4 year old Toshiba is dying quickly, not to mention it has a huge crack across the screen. This could do the trick for me in class etc.

Gateway bought eMachines a while ago. The new Gateway notebooks have the same specifications as the eMachines notebooks. Are they good quality? I know a lot of people who think that Gateway computers are good but eMachines are crap. Considering that it is the same computer, I guess that the brand name can make a computer better or worse :-)

I have an eMachines M6811 notebook (with 64-bit AMD processor) and it rocks!

Not counting Apple there are only a handful of Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean firms that actually manufacture notebooks.

Even the great and all powerful IBM ThinkPad is now gone, IBM having sold their entire PC business/'Think' trademarks to a Chinese PC manufacturer.

For years Dell and Gateway used the same vendor though I don't know if that is still the case after the takeover.

With notebooks, the issue is not one of brand names but of the qualities or problems of individual chassis/screens. The problem is that there is no definitive way to know about quality until a particular unit has been on the market for a while, and then it is too late for some. Dell, Gateway, IBM, all have had some great models and some real dogs.

In my opinion you should buy the vendor and their relative service policies/terms first, then buy price and features. With Gateway having closed their stores, and eMachines using BestBuy for service [which is like throwing your computer down a dark well], and Dell having only sales kiosks, I would look at who has the best mail-in warranty service policies/prices.

I've had my Gateway laptop for over 5 years and it runs just as well today as the day I bought it.

I couldn't find the 7215GX on Gateway.com but the price sounds great. Here's one on eBay that already has a bid of $999 and a Buy it now price of $1399

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=80209

Do you have a link to the offer you mentioned?

Edited to add. This laptop is on sale for $949 at BestBuy so the $800 price you are getting is pretty cheap
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....8&type=product

Unfortunately the $800 price disappeared overnight. Now it is $1049 and not quite the same deal, so I will bypass on it. Should have acted last night.