Thin, large, and affordable
Written: Nov 15 '04 (Updated Dec 01 '04)
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Pros: Fast, thin, affordable, DVD recorder
Cons: Bright LEDs, large 15" screen impairs portability
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a full-featured Centrino-based notebook on the cheap, this is it!
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| nad_masters's Full Review: Gateway 4530GZ PC Notebook |
I've been looking for a laptop that is just outside of what I usually buy - portable and long lasting. As you all know (if you've been following my reviews), I am usually about stretching your dollar by overclocking and tweaking to get as much performance out of what you have now. More so, I am also about performance, performance, and more performance.
So why the change? I've been moving around much more than usual, and though having a Handspring Treo 600 helps a lot, I needed real access to a PC platform on the go. Also, it would be great to interface my Treo 600 to a micro-sized laptop to access the internet instead of surfing on the tiny 160x160 resolution screen.
I found the Gateway 4530GZ at Best Buy for $1149.99, which was an awesome deal considering the list of features. Also, it is exceptionally thin at 1.2". Unfortunately, the large 15" screen made it less portable and light than I hoped for. But for the price, I was able to over look it. Besides, it turned out that it wasn't a bad lug as long as I curb my internet craving on public transportation. :)
For $1149.99, you get:
Intel Centrino Pentium M 725 (1.6 GHz)
512 MB of PC2700 DDR RAM (CL3 Samsung modules)
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (integrated graphics, shared memory)
Fujitsu 60 GB HD 4200 RPM
8x DVD /-RW drive
SoundMAX Integrated audio
4 USB 2.0 ports
1 Firewire port
1 PC Card Type I
Multi-Media card reader (SD, MM, Sony MS)
Intel Wireless Pro B/G
15" TFT screen
Let's get on with the rest of the info...
CPU Performance
Being a mobile processor (and one meant for a marathon and not a sprint), I wasn't expecting spectacular performance numbers from a synthetic benchmark. From informal tests, Windows XP applications are snappier than when I was using the mobile AMD Athlon XP-based Compaq 2110US notebook. The Toshiba Protege 3505 by brother owns feels about the same as the Compaq I owned (which is a mobile Pentium III 1.33 GHz).
As for the benchmark, SiSoftware Sandra 2004 is used to do obtain comparison numbers. The Gateway 4530GZ utilizes the Intel Pentium M 725 processor which runs at 1.6 GHz.
Arithmetic Benchmark
Gateway 4530GZ
Dhrystone ALU - 6890 MIPS
Whetstone FPU/iSSE2 - 2218/2844 MFLOPS
Reference Intel Pentium M 725 (1.6 GHz)
Dhrystone ALU - 6886 MIPS
Whetstone FPU/iSSE2 - 2222/2842 MFLOPS
Reference AMD Athlon XP 2000 (1.67 GHz)
Dhrystone ALU - 6923 MIPS
Whetstone FPU/iSSE2 - 2636 MFLOPS
Multi-Media Benchmark
Gateway 4530GZ
Integer x4 iSSE - 15205 it/s
Floating-Point x4 iSSE2 - 16788 it/s
Reference Intel Pentium M 725 (1.6 GHz)
Integer x4 iSSE - 15200 it/s
Floating-Point x4 iSSE2 - 16772 it/s
Reference AMD Athlon XP 2000 (1.67 GHz)
Integer x4 iSSE - 15780 it/s
Floating-Point x4 iSSE2 - 16727 it/s
Gateway did a great job by not tarnishing Intel's reference handy work. As you can see, it also seems that Intel has went back on their word on the GHz wars. Surprisingly, Intel's optimizations that were created "from scratch" actually mimic AMD's.
Of course, the Centrino concept inclues the i855 chipset and integrated video, as well as the Pentium M CPU and the 2100 or 2200 wireless adaptor (2100 = B, 2200 = B/G). The Gateway 4530GZ, of course, uses the 2200 Intel Wireless Pro chipset.
Hard Drive Performance
The hard drive used on this particular unit is the Fujitsu HT2060AT 60 GB 4200 RPM drive. As usual, even if you purchase the same model, you may not recieve the same model drive. The benchmark program used to test disk performance is HD Tach 2.61.
Random Access Time - 21 ms
Read Burst - 77 MB/sec
Read Speed Max - 25357.0 kps
Read Speed Min - 10298.0 kps
Read Speed Avg - 19542.8 kps
CPU Utilization - 4.9%
Not as quick as other drives I've tested (such as the IBM/Hitachi drives). Unfortunately, I was not able to test write speeds, as that involves destructive writes. Also, because the 4530GZ can only allow one hard drive installed at a time, the same hard drive being tested is also the same drive that holds the operating system I am running on to run HD Tach 2.61. Ironic, eh?
Memory Performance
With an integrated video sharing the system memory, you will never get the full 512 MB that was promissed on the box. The amount of memory depends on what size you set your video to steal. By defualt, that would be 64 MB stolen out of the 512.
In any case, SiSoftware Sandra was also used in this test.
Int Buff'd iSSE2 - 1722 MB/s
Float Buff'd iSSE2 - 1713 MB/s
Int iSSE2 (no buffering) - 1451 MB/s
Float iSSE (no buffering) - 1454 MB/s
Memory performance is definately not the fastest, but certainly can hold it's own in real life use.
In Use
Turning on a charged-up 4530GZ brings many bright blue LEDs to life. The power indicator is just under the srceen, and is very distracting when working in low light conditions or when watching a movie. The bright blue power button with the "G" Gateway logo didn't help, either. I remedied this by cutting small pieces of paper covering them up using Scotch tape! They are so bright, you can still see the indicators even with ample ambiant lights. I sure hope this "bright blue LED" fad will fade soon.
After a Gateway splash screen shows up (during the POST), Windows XP Home boots up and asks for the usual Pre-installation information. Service Pack 2 was already installed, and we were off to reformat and reinstall Windows XP Pro instead. ;)
The bundled Nero Express worked great with the 8x DVD recorder, but left me wanting more (like the full verison of Nero 6, maybe?). Though easy to use for most who are new to computers, it is definately not for those who want full control of their DVD/CD burning capabilities.
The screen can only be brightened and dimmed using the combo Fn and F7/F8 keys. There are no dedicated switch. The volume control is dedicated, but is software controlled (only manipulates the Window's volume controls). It looks like a volume wheel, but is actually a rocker switch. To mute, you push the volume "wheel" in. Without any direct hardware way to change these fundamental settings, we wll be doomed to embarass ourselves when something loud plays over the speakers, and the PC locks up - you cannot quickly lower or mute the speakers then!
The wireless reception is remarkable! Where my brother's Toshiba only catches 2 signal bars, the Gateway was able to catch 4! Having finally a wireless solution that enables WPA is great as well. The Intel Wireless Pro software driver is one of the more indepth ones I've seen, helping you troubleshoot weak spots (though I still like the Netgear driver better).
The keyboard layout is not as bad as the Toshiba Protoge, but it is certainly not like the logical layout of the Dell D600 kind. Instead, the Delete, Home, Page up, Page down, and End keys are laid out on the right most side of the keyboard (after the usual keys that belong there, such as Backspace, Enter, and Left Shift). Because of this, sometimes when I reach for Enter or Backspace in the dark, I would accidently hit one of these keys instead!
The trackpad is very sensitive to the point were even software adjustments would not help. The specific problem is with the "Palm Check", where when in a frantic typing session, I would accidently hit the pad with my palm, and it thinks I either moved the mouse cursor (whew!) or register it as a click (potential yikes!). The right most side of the touch pad is a place where you can slide your finger to simulate a wheel on a wheel mouse. This allows you to scroll up an down on a crowded window.
The stereo speakers are located on the bottom front of the laptop! I guess on a hard surface, it would sound as if has more bass or fill, since the sound would reflect off the surface. However, on your lap, it would definately muffle the sound.
Battery life is insanely good at 4 hours! CPU speed ranges from 300 MHz to 1.6 GHz, allowing the unit to conserve battery life and maximize uptime. I was able to watch 2 full length movies this way (about 3 hours).
Yes? No?
All in all, the Gateway 4530GZ is a great deal for what you get, as most laptops with these feature set would cost from $1400 to $1700 - most do not even have a DVD recorder at these prices! In fact, Best Buy had it for $1299.99, but had an instant rebate of $150, which brought it down to the $1149.99 price tag I was flaunting.
You certainly get a lot for the money, as well as a lot from the battery life! Two thumbs up all the way for this Gateway laptop!
Update (12/01/04) - I just realized that there are no PS/2 port for an external keyboard or mouse! It will have to be USB or bust! Oh well - I really don't miss it that much (I actually have a USB to 2x PS/2 key/mouse converter).
Also, thanks to mdko (a new epinion user, as well - lets welcome mdko!), I was informed that by hitting Fn+F1, it will turn off all the pesky LEDs. However, now I wish it would just turn off the annoying two blue in front, rather than all of them (hard drive, wireless, keyboard status, caps lock, etc).
Minor complaints, but it's all good. I am still getting around 4 hours on battery when I'm not using the optical drive (surfing, typing, and chatting). Battery life goes down significatnly when the optical drive is in use (around 2-3 hours). This will cut down on DVD movie watching, but at least you can still fit in one or two movies. DivX them up, and watch them off the HD, and save even more power. :)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1149.99
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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