Photograph: Rick Rizner

For the features you get, the Gateway 5200XL is reasonably priced at $1410. Gateway supplies a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor backed by 512MB of DDR400 SDRAM, plus a roomy 200GB hard drive--not a bad setup.

The 5200XL scored an 87 on our WorldBench 5 performance tests, slightly higher than two other systems we've tested with a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 and 512MB of RAM.

The 17-inch Gateway FPD1730 LCD monitor showed text clearly down to the smallest sizes, albeit not as sharply as some other models we've seen recently. The LCD also displayed photos with accurate colors and sharp details, though the same images looked more vibrant on some other monitors. Outfitted with a 128MB ATI Radeon X600 Pro graphics card, the 5200XL produced below-average frame rates on our Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Unreal Tournament 2003 graphics tests. The 5200XL's Gmax 2100 2.1-channel speakers sounded crisp with nice bass when playing CDs, but we would have liked additional speakers for playing DVDs. The picture quality on DVDs wasn't very engrossing, either: Images looked grainy on the monitor, and colors appeared too dark.

With its rounded edges and professional-looking color scheme of silver with black accents, the 5200XL's minitower case looks handsome. The DVD+RW and DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drives are easy to access; but two of the front-mounted USB 2.0 ports are located at the bottom of the case and are recessed too far behind a sliding door, making them difficult to reach if the PC is on the floor. Fortunately, the system's media card reader, located halfway up the front panel, sports an additional USB 2.0 port. Unfortunately, the 5200XL lacks a FireWire port on the front panel, though you will find two on the back, along with four additional USB 2.0 ports. Also on the back are the microphone and headphone ports (none are located on the front).

If you're looking for an expandable system, you'll likely find the 5200XL a challenge. While the system has four RAM sockets (two of them open in our test configuration), the interior's tight space makes access difficult, and wires tend to get in the way. The system, moreover, lacked any available externally accessible bays and had just a single open internal 3-inch bay. Also, documentation is disappointing, with no overall system-specific manual. Gateway does include a PDF-based manual and a set-up poster, but neither is specific to the 5200XL, so you may find some information missing or inapplicable.

Upshot: For the price, small- and home-office users will appreciate this system's solid performance, generous 200GB hard drive, and good-quality 17-inch LCD, as long as they can live without dazzling DVD playback and more accessible ports.

Scott Plamondon