Gateway E-3200 400

Gateway E-3200 400

Corporate buyers looking for a high quality, relatively inexpensive managed PC should seriously consider Gateway's E-3200 400 desktop. The $1829 price, down $120 from last month, buys you a network-ready computer that's easy to service and has built-in remote management hardware.

Performance isn't the E-3200 400's strong suit, however. Its PC WorldBench 98 score of 224 is about 6 percent lower than the average PII-400 running Windows NT--closer to scores we've seen from PII-350 machines.

But the E-3200 400 compensates with smart remote management features and a clever modular design. Its motherboard supports DMI 2.0, and the system comes with Intel LANDesk Client Manager software, which lets IS personnel monitor the PC remotely.

The E-3200 400's design should make it one of the easier systems to service. Normally tedious tasks that involve removing the case cover and exchanging a component (whether it's the processor or just system memory) require very little time and few tools. You get unimpeded access to the memory and expansion slots, and you can even remove and replace the entire motherboard in less than a minute. Color-coded cables for the mouse, keyboard, and monitor help make setup straightforward.

The E-3200's components, though not state-of-the-art, suffice for general business applications. The motherboard integrates a Crystal PnP sound chip and an ATI 3D Rage Pro Turbo AGP video chip, but you can install an additional 4MB of video memory if you need it. The 17-inch Gateway EV700 monitor provides only average display quality for images and text, but adjustments are easy enough to make. Our E-3200 also came with a pair of unexceptional Altec Lansing GCS100 speakers, but multimedia isn't this PC's priority--and for $30 more you can get the superior Boston Acoustics BA635 sound system.

The Gateway E-3200 400 is backed by a generous three-year parts and labor warranty and 24-hour technical support every day of the week.

SUMMARY

PRO: Well-supported corporate PII-400 system with easy-access interior CON: Subpar performance for a PII-400 running Windows NT, mediocre monitor