Up until recently you could buy yourself a pretty capable gaming notebook if you were willing to spend a serious amount of money. If you could save up maybe two or three times the price of a gaming-oriented desktop you would be able to pick up a system that could handle the rigors of gaming, but that could get from place to place (with some effort).
Gateway may not seem like the obvious choice for a gaming notebook, but with the huge growth in this segment every company wants a piece of the action. High-end manufacturers, like Alienware, still control the higher price points, but a number of options have started to emerge in the sub-$2000 segment, where boutique builders cannot (or at least generally don’t tend to) compete. Gateway’s P series scales between the $750 mark and about $2700 for the P-171XL FX. Obviously there are major differences between sub-$1000 models like the P-171S and the top end (P-171XL FX or P-172X FX), but the foundation is relatively the same. So we’ll be examining a high-end model, but if your budget does not allow for an FX model, you have other options that will still get you a 17-inch display, 2GB of RAM, though some models use integrated graphics, so they won’t be good for gaming.
As tested, the P-171XL FX looks quite solid on paper. Our test unit arrived with a Core 2 Extreme X7900 mobile processor (2.8GHz), NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS graphics, 3GB of RAM, and that 17-inch (1920×1200) display. It runs Windows Vista Home Premium and has an Intel PM965 chipset, as well as a/b/g/n wireless and a 1.3MP webcam. Storage is handled by dual 7200rpm SATA hard drives (16MB cache) and there is an 8x multi-format dual layer DVD-RW/HD DVD drive.
The Vista Experience score is a strong 5.0, with the RAM being the bottleneck. The processor, despite not being a new Penryn model (the X7900 is a 65nm model that has been out for some time), garnered a 5.5, the graphics and storage each pulled down 5.9, and the gaming graphics was rated at 5.8. Overall the processor and graphics card should produce more than a bit of heat and the system won’t be a flyweight (it’s about 9lbs), but the P-171XL FX should have some serious power under the hood.
At first glance the P-171XL FX actually looks nice. All too often big companies, like Gateway, try to design gaming computers to look cool and they fall flat on their collective faces, but this time the result is actually rather slick. The exterior is a glossy black plastic with a faux carbon fiber fade and both the Gateway and FX series logos. The sides and the area around the keyboard have metallic orange bands that give the notebook a little style without going overboard (like a flaming eyeball or disco-like lighting). The notebook has orange LEDs on top of the keyboard for the power/shortcut buttons and it uses blue indicator LEDs for power and battery. Overall, it’s not about to get a spot at MoMA, but there is very little not to like about the P-171XL FX’s exterior.
The system is about 16×12″ and ranges from 1.3-1.7″ thick. It starts at 9.2lbs, but by the time you factor in the 120W power adapter you are well over the 10lb mark. Basically you can get it from place to place if you are determined enough, but the system is not designed to be moved often. The construction is good and, aside from a flexy LCD cover, the notebook is relatively sturdy. There is almost no flex on the palm rest or under the keyboard so when the notebook is in use this is not an issue. As far as heat production goes, the system can get alarmingly hot, at points, but manages to stay reasonably cool overall. The area above the left heat vent (by the Tab and Escape keys) can really heat up during gaming, but the palm rests stay cool and there are not really any bothersome hot spots.
From a usability standpoint the P-171XL FX functions well as a gaming notebook but is also a capable desktop replacement. The 17-inch 1920×1200 display has a great picture and is quite readable so it is fine for extended use. The system has an optical drive (unfortunately it’s hd dvd), ExpressCard slot, three USB 2.0 slots, VGA out, HDMI out, Firewire, and even eSATA. It has both ethernet and modem as well as a wireless on/off switch and a 5-in-1 card reader. The HDMI slot and strong video mean it will be a good choice in case you want to capitalize on its multimedia features, and the use of eSATA means you can easily add high speed storage in case the included 400GB is not enough.
On the performance side of things, the P-171XL FX looks great on paper. It packs in an 8800 GTS video card, 3GB of RAM, two 7200RPM disks, and then tops everything off with a Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor. The processor is a bit dated at this point and has since been replaced with Penryn products, but the X7900 can still hold its own. These tests translated into some very solid numbers, including 34016 for 3DMark01, 26114 for 3Dmark04, 14714 for 3DMark05, and 8026 for 3DMark06. PCMark02 scores of 10907 (CPU), 2670 (HDD), and 35387 (Memory) as well as a PCMark05 score of 7700 mean the FX is no slouch. The PCMark Vantage score ended up being 4198.
What do all these numbers mean? Right out of the box the P-171XL FX can handle 1920×1200 gaming with quality settings at, or at least near, their maximum points. This includes new titles like BioShock and Half Life 2 EP2 or pretty much whatever the kids are playing nowadays. What this also means is that the notebook should have considerable staying power, so when you move on to Crysis or one of the games in the next round of releases the FX should still handle itself well.
During our testing the P-171XL FX handled itself very well. Gateway may not seem like an obvious choice for gaming notebooks, but their 17-inch P series has a range of computers that will suit many different buyers, from cost-conscious people looking for a desktop replacement to a pretty serious gamer. There are not many serious downsides to the P series, supposing you can figure out which model you like, but there are some limitations, the foremost being that Gateway does not cater to the hardcore gamers the same way that companies like Alienware tend to. If you want to get a really blown-out system you might not find what you are looking for. Additionally the P-171XL FX is at the end of its life so you might want to consider holding out for a newer release. Finally, the notebook can put out a lot of heat and the fan is not particularly quite. While the P-171XL FX has more than enough sound power to make this a non-issue, it does not have as advanced a sound system (like a subwoofer) as some of the other companies out there.
Ultimately this is a surprising solid choice and it should be considered along other brands of gaming notebooks so long as Gateway offers up what you are looking for in one of their pre-rolled systems. Before going with the P-171XL buyers should be sure to check out the P-172X FX which is a newer model, moves to 4GB of RAM, uses a T8300 processor, and still manages to be a few hundred dollars cheaper. Overall, what this means is that Gateway’s P series could be a very good pick and one can be recommended over Toshiba’s Satellite series.
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