Pros & Cons
Gateway 510 Home Office Specs
| Graphics Card: | Intel Extreme Graphics 2 |
| Monitor Type: | CRT |
| Native Resolution: | 1280 x 1024 |
| Operating System: | Microsoft Windows XP Professional |
| Primary Optical Drive: | DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus) |
| Processor Family: | Intel 5 Series (Pentium 4) |
| RAM: | 512 MB |
| Screen Size: | 17 inches |
| Secondary Optical Drive: | CD-ROM |
| Storage Capacity (as Tested): | 120 GB |
| Type: | Business |
Company:
Gateway Inc., www.gateway.com
Price:
$1,899 direct
Spec Data:
2.8-GHz Intel Pentium 4, 512MB DDR400 SDRAM, 120GB hard drive, Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2, 8X DVD+/-RW drive, CD-ROM drive, 17-inch CRT monitor, integrated sound card, Gateway stereo speakers, Microsoft Windows XP Professional.
Pros:
The 6-in-1 card reader is a boon to those who rely on digital photography. The DVD writable drive is great for backups or creating DVD presentations.
Cons:
Integrated graphics solution is not upgradable.
Bottom Line:
For those in professions that rely increasingly on digital photography for their bottom line, the Gateway 510 Home Office is a good choice.
Review
The Gateway 510 Home Office is the company's customized PC for home and small-business workers. It is based on the black-and-silver...
Gateway 510 Home Office
The Gateway 510 Home Office is the company's customized PC for home and small-business workers. It is based on the black-and-silver Gateway chassis that the 510 series shares with the 310 series. As a consumer PC built for business, the 510 handles business tasks with aplomb. Standout multimedia features include the 6-in-1 media card reader and DVD writer.
The memory card reader is a definite boon for those who need to transfer digital pictures from a camera to the desktop quickly, such as real estate agents looking to post a home for sale. Gateway's customizations of the operating system replaces the media bay generic icons with icons that look like the memory cards, so it is easy to see which icon you should open to check your Memory Stick (as opposed to the icon for Smart Media cards). With the memory card reader, you don't have to install the camera's software if you don't want to. You can still get your pictures on the hard drive, then e-mail them or print them for clients.
The built-in DVD writer is a feature we recommend for small businesses, too: The 4.7GB capacity of DVD media means that you can use backup software to save key files and store them off-site for protection in case of an emergency. You can also use the included Pinnacle Instant CD/DVD software to make presentations and slide shows that can be played on a PC or on a set-top DVD player. This can come in handy for sales pitches or other marketing materials. That's why the system's lack of a FireWire port—still the interface of choice for MiniDV camcorders—disappointed us.
The 510 is an adequate performer among the small business desktops we reviewed. Its Multimedia Content Creation Winstone score of 26.0 means that it will keep up with business tasks, such as creating a simple Web site and manipulating digital photos into brochures. Note that the 510's Intel 865GV chipset, without an AGP slot, limits you to internal graphics. So while the unit is fine for business tasks, blowing off some steam with a 3D game once in a while won't be a pleasant experience. That said, the Gateway 510 Home Office is an attractive option.
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Final Thoughts
