Gateway NV5214u All-Purpose Laptop Review

The Gateway NV5214u is really a budget all-purpose laptop, and proud of it. For that sticker value of $529, it delivers the normal drill: lackluster speakers, minor within the way of bundled software, and a fairly hefty footprint. But it can be quite a capable machine, providing a respectable bang-to-buck ratio and hunting pretty good while in the process.
For its plastic casing, the NV5214u took several design pointers from its even bigger siblings. A glossy complete, smooth curves, and a row of slick touch-sensitive keys give it an air of class. It's also rather large, measuring 14.six by 1.5 by 9.eight inches, and weighing six.eight pounds.
So the system is a little on the hefty side--but it can be what's to the inside that counts, right? Microsoft's Windows Vista Residence Premium resides around the 320GB hard generate. Powering the NV5214u will be the dual-core, 2.1GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 QL-64, in addition 4GB of RAM. The DirectX 10-capable ATI Radeon High definition 3200 graphics processor drives the exhibit, but never assume miracles: Although a title for older, refined tastes like Doom three will chug along at 30 frames per second on the higher settings, newer games like Crysis will balk. The ensemble scored a 64 while in the WorldBench six check suite, which puts the NV5214u behind marginally more high-priced competition this sort of as being the HP Pavilion DV4-1465DX or the Dell Studio 14Z. Vehemently opposed to Vista? A flyer packed with the machine casually reminds consumers to pick up their no cost copy of Windows 7 Home Top quality, which should improve things--particularly the battery lifestyle, which presently clocks in at a less-than-spectacular two.five several hours.
The 15.6-inch, LED-backlit display screen is easily vibrant while in the normal workplace or in a fluorescent-lit dwelling, but the visibility suffers when you venture outside. The 1366 by 768 resolution is simply proper for 720p video, with a sixteen:nine facet ratio which will make sure you movie buffs and bored school college students alike. Colour reproduction is good, and the exhibit is evenly lit.
Gateway helps make ample utilization of the machine's footprint, presenting a spacious keyboard having a full amount pad. Even though the individual keys are wide adequate, they are also flat, and organized uniformly, which can be disconcerting for touch typists. In low-light situations, you could discover your wayward fingers starting to be misaligned using the keys; and with absolutely nothing to differentiate the keys, you may make the occasional typo.
Nestled amongst the display and the keyboard are seven touch-sensitive buttons for controlling the volume, toggling the trackpad and Wi-Fi, and triggering the MyBackup computer software (far more on that within a bit). The machine also has a programmable button that will kick off any software, file, or Web web page you command it to. So far as touch-sensitive buttons go, they are relatively eye-catching, lending the NV5214u several of the style-consciousness of more-expensive devices. Sadly they're also nigh invisible in low-light situations, which might outcome in some haphazard display screen finagling really should you need to flip the volume down while viewing a motion picture.
The trackpad is good: It has a nice, sleek texture which makes for at ease pointing. But the trackpad button is usually a bit bothersome. It is an individual, reflective bar--tap the left facet to click on, tap the proper side to right-click. The middle, however, is unclickable. This can be nitpick territory, but when you happen to be accustomed to pressing each the left and appropriate buttons for the center click, or perhaps the single bar on most older MacBooks, put together for any bit of a understanding curve. Stretching your fingers to faucet the opposite ends of the seesaw-like bar is awkward plenty of to draw negative consideration to an in any other case appealing fixture.
Each of the common laptop computer amenities make an appearance in the NV5214u: Four USB ports, a Webcam, a multiformat card reader, a DVD burner, and ethernet, modem, mic, and headphone jacks are all organized neatly along the sides of the machine. Users looking for a bit far more screen real estate property will enjoy the incorporated VGA and HDMI ports; although the GPU might not be able to deal with considerably gaming, the program ran effortlessly when multitasking within the 1900-by-1200-resolution, 24-inch exhibit.
The NV5214u's speakers suit the budget-machine mildew, also. Crank the volume up, and they're going to fill a area with sound--the bland, tinny kind of sound. If you would prefer to have any semblance of bass, you'll need to invest in a very correct set of speakers, or more most likely, a good pair of headphones.
The bundle isn't going to give you significantly in the method of bundled software. The MyBackup method is precisely what its title suggests. You press the touch-sensitive hotkey to fire up Gateway's straightforward backup-scheduling utility. Just decide on which folders to sync, then select a location along with a timetable, as well as the software will take care from the rest. The tool is not robust, but informal customers will value the one-button entry to a modicum of data-loss prevention, that's a step in the appropriate course.
You are going to also uncover the regular 60-day Microsoft Workplace trial, ad-supported Microsoft Operates, plus a handful of casual video games and demos inside the Gateway Games console, a digital storefront.
The Gateway NV5214u has quirks, a brief battery life, and a groan-inducing 7-pound bodyweight that may ward off some shoppers. But at $529, it is a fashionable discount, and everyone (especially a college student) who desires a good, inexpensive machine--and who doesn't thoughts the lack of bundled extras and frills--would do nicely to appear it above.