Gateway 9310XL

Icons make it easy to identify the connectors on the back side of the case, where we also found the port to a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card. Opening the side panel to install new components is a breeze, thanks to the system's tool-less access. And the 9310XL has obviously been assembled with care: The wires are bundled and routed neatly, avoiding the tangle of cords found in many PCs. Expansion options in the configuration we reviewed include one open internal drive bay, two free memory slots, and a total of three PCI slots.

Adding to the unit's no-nonsense theme is a 3.4-GHz Pentium 4 650 processor with 1GB of DDR2-533 SDRAM, dual 250GB hard drives (the second largest drive space on our current chart), and a 256MB ATI Radeon X800 Pro graphics card. The 9310XL is the first 650-class CPU we've tested: Its score of 93 in our WorldBench 5 tests ranks it with the quickest of the 550-class CPUs we've seen. Its graphics performance was quite good. At a 1280-by-1024-pixel resolution, it achieved 130 frames per second in Castle Wolfenstein and 260 fps in Unreal Tournament 2003, placing it tenth among systems recently reviewed.

Our test model included a 17-inch Gateway FPD 1730 LCD monitor, which displayed relatively sharp, legible text and vivid color with rich flesh tones and clear details. Monitor controls, located in the middle of the bottom front bezel, were easy to access and use, and positioning the unit (it tilts but doesn't swivel) was equally smooth. The optical mouse and enhanced keyboard--which includes editing, audio playback, and Internet navigation buttons--were also solid performers. The bundled documentation for the PC, monitor, and system restoration (including six blank CDs) are a plus.

We also received a Gateway Gmax 5100 5.1 speaker system, which provided very impressive surround sound. In our CD music tests, the sound was absolutely superb, largely due to the powerful subwoofer (which is about the same size as the PC itself). Unlike many subwoofers that offer lots of boom but very little bass, this unit does an excellent job of reproducing the bass registers (such as low piano notes, string bass, electric bass, and kick or bass drums) with little low-end falloff. Our DVD playback tests were equally impressive, with attractive image quality--bright, rich colors and smooth action--that matched the robust surround sound. Clearly, the audio quality (not to mention the generous length of the speaker wires--as much as 32 feet for the rear units) and the LCD's great image quality make this system a good choice for a home theater.

Upshot: The Gateway 9310XL is a well-rounded system for any home or business user who wants a PC with plenty of power and an excellent speaker system to match.

Richard Jantz