How reliable are Gateway Notebooks / Laptops, and is this a good deal?

abra_2

I have heard from friends that Gateway Laptops are not sturdy, and have a habit of breaking down, furthermore, their customer service is poor. Is this a true image of Gateway?

Also, is this a decent deal;

Description
Gateway Intel Centrino Core Duo 1.73GHz Laptop with 15.4" Widescreen and huge 1GB memory plus free laptop bag!
Laptop features:

Processor: Intel Core Duo processor T2250 (1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache)
Memory: 1024MB DDR2 533MHz Memory (2x512MB)
Hard Disk Drive: 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive: 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW. Write max:8x DVD +/-R, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 2x DVD-R DL, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 24x CD-R and 16x CD-RW Disks. Reads max:8x DVD-R/RW/ROM, 4x DVD+/-R DL, RAM, 24x CD-R/RW/ROM disks
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with up to 128MB Shared Video Memory
Screen: 15.4" Ultrabright™ WXGA TFT (1280x800)
Wi-Fi: Integrated 802.11g Wireless LAN
Digital Memory Card Reader: Integrated 4-in-1 Digital Media Manager (Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MMC)
Ports: 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x Firewire
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Software: Microsoft Works 8.5, Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition 2006 (30-day Digital Image Standard 2006 Trial),Microsoft Office 2003 Trial (60-day complimentary subscription) Student Teacher Edition, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Cyberlink PowerDVD and Power2Go, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Toolbar, McAfee Internet Security Suite (90-Day Complimentary Trial), eMachines Big-Fix - helps identify and resolve problems
Battery: 6-Cell Lithium-Ion, 2400mAh
Battery Life: 4.05h Approx - Subject to usage
Weight with box: 4.76 kg

£499

Or could £499 get me better?

nintendosensei

Can't say i know much about gateway but it's a good deal. As much as i like the core 2 duo's myself, £100 extra isn't really worth the average 6% performance gain.

moneywasternomore!

Was going to ask this myself. Seems to be a similar spec to an HP DV2130EA I've seen in Staples at £699 minus the built-in webcam. On the face of it, a bit of a snip? From Toys R Us.

FF99

Gateway used to be very good when they sold in the UK. However, AFAIK, they have not sold in the UK for a number of years now. I am not sure what sort of service options there would be if they have no operation here. I can't see ToysRus fixing them !

David_B_2

FF99 wrote:

Gateway used to be very good when they sold in the UK. However, AFAIK, they have not sold in the UK for a number of years now. I am not sure what sort of service options there would be if they have no operation here. I can't see ToysRus fixing them !

Yes years ago Gateway would appear in the computing magazines but I've not seen them for ages and if fact had forgot about them. I would certainly find out how their UK customer service is run and where, UK based?