84 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC|OCT 08 |www.maximumpc.com
G
ateway struck a nerve with its original
low-cost FX P-series notebook, which
gave gamers an aff ordable way to
get good frame rates from a portable PC. The
company applied the same formula to its new
P-7811 FX and again comes up with a win-
ning combination of hardware that’s sure to
please budget-minded gamers.
What’s so great about this FX? First,
there’s Intel’s new 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo
Mobile P8400. This chip is similar to other
45nm mobile CPUs, but it runs on a
1,066MHz front-side bus on the new
PM45 chipset, which supports
DDR3. Gateway also stuffs 4GB of
DDR3/1066 into the unit.
The notebook also features the new
GeForce 9800M GTS, which is essentially a
higher-clocked version of the GeForce 8800M
GTS that off ers 64 stream processors, a 512MB
GDDR frame buff er, and a 256-bit memory
interface.
Of course, you can’t stuff all this hardware
into an ultraportable machine. With its 17-inch
panel, the P-7811 FX weighs in at 9.2 pounds.
That’s a lot to schlep around, but other gaming
notebooks, such as Dell’s XPS M1730, weigh
in at more than 10.5 pounds. The P-7811 FX is
fairly thin, and if we had to carry it some-
where a few times a week it wouldn’t kill us,
but it certainly isn’t a road warrior’s rig.
The P-7811 FX’s performance certainly
doesn’t disappoint. In nongaming applica-
tions, it compares well to notebooks that
are far more expensive, including Apple’s
$2,500 MacBook Pro and Dell’s $2,000 XPS
M1530. In gaming, it destroys both those
models, as well as all others featured in
our August notebook showdown. We can’t
compare the P-7811 FX directly to the Alien-
ware Area-51 m15x we reviewed in June
because we’ve changed our benchmarks
since then, but we believe the Area-51, withits faster GeForce 8800M GTX GPU and Core
2 Extreme X900 CPU, would best the P-7811
FX. On the other hand, the Gateway costs a
fraction of the Area-51’s price.
So what’s the downside? For starters, the
speakers. For a notebook this size, we expect
booming audio—the P-7811 FX’s output is
just average. We’re also not fans of the trick-
or-treat color scheme, which strikes us as
garish. And the DVD eject button is poorly
placed. It’s easy to accidentally press it while
picking up the notebook. Finally, we have a
problem with the power cord’s right-angle
plug. One of the most common failure points
in a notebook PC is the port where the power
plug is attached, and much more stress is
generally put on a right-angle power plug
due to its orientation. Just repositioning the
plug torques the power port.
Still, there’s a lot to like here. The
original FX was a big hit, and this follow-up, with its HDMI and eSATA ports, great
performance, and low price, is sure to follow
suit. Who is this notebook for? Clearly not
anyone concerned with mobility. As we
noted, you don’t want to carry this beast
every day. But for a gamer who has limited
space options, the FX is a hell of a notebook
and a hell of a deal. –G O R D O N M A H U N GGateway P-7811 FX
More than the sum of its parts
Gateway has the right formula
for budget mobile gaming.SPECIFICATIONSCPU Intel 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile P8400
RAM 4GB DDR3/1066
CHIPSET Intel PM45
HARD DRIVE 200GB Seagate Momentus (7,200 rpm)
OPTICAL TSST TS-L633P
GPU GeForce 9800N GTS
BOOT/DOWN 74 sec/18 sec
LAP/CARRY 9.2 lbs /10.5 lbsVERDICT$1,400, http://www.gateway.com9
Superb gaming
performance for a
superb price.Too heavy to regularly
lug around; mouse
buttons feel creaky.THE SHIELDGATEWAY P-7811 FXNIP/TUCKIN THE LAB^
REVIEWS OF THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWAREZERO POINT
1,860 sec
237 sec
2,416 sec
3,498 sec
14 fps
29.1 fpsOur zero point notebook uses a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo E6700, 2GB of DDR2/667 RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a GeForce Go 8600M, and Windows Vista Home Premium.Premiere Pro CS3
Photoshop CS3
ProShow
MainConcept
FEAR
Quake 4
0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%BENCHMARKS2,1432,143 (-13.2%) (-13.2%)
191 (24.1%)191 (24.1%)191 (24.1%)
1,965 (23.0%)1,965 (23.0%)1,965 (23.0%)
3,571 3,571 (-2.0%)(-2.0%)
108 (+671.4%)108 (+671.4%)
133 (+357.0%)133 (+357.0%)