Gateway P172X FX 17-inch Gaming Notebook Computer

Apr 28 2008, 12:00am CDT | by Shane McGlaun

There are two general lines of thought when it comes to notebook computers. Some users want small, very portable machines and are willing to give up performance to get the small size. Some users want the highest performance they can get, which typically means larger computers. The notebook we are looking at today is firmly in the latter category. We are going to take a look at the 17-inch Gateway P172X FX gaming notebook. Read on for all the details.

Gallery

4 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The Gateway P172X FX has an Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, a 17-inch WXGA 1920 x 1200 resolution screen and a pair of 160GB HDD for a total of 320GB of storage. Other features of the machine include a slot-load DVD burner, 5-in-1 media reader, 9-cell battery and Intel 802.11n wireless networking. Graphics for the gaming notebook are via NVIDIA GeForce 880M GTS.

Performance
To test the Gateway P172X FX I used PCMark05, Cinebench 9.5, 3DMark06 and Crysis. The first test up was PCMark05. The Gateway P172X FX turned in a very good score of 6640 on PCMArk05 besting the Hypersonic AG2 I recently tested significantly thanks to the 8800M GTS graphics. On 3DMark06 the Gateway P172X FX turned in a score of 7,831 which is very good for a notebook. Crysis is very demanding on hardware and can bring powerful desktop computers to their knees.

For the Gateway P172X FX I ran Crysis at 1600 x 1200 with all settings on medium and 2x AA. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player level from the original beach insertion. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

Min- 17 fps
Avg- 27.734 fps
Max- 38 fps

It wasn’t so long ago that I was seeing the levels of performance on desktops that the Gateway P172X FX delivered in a mobile form factor. The game was smooth and very playable at these settings.

General Use
The Gateway P172X FX has a full sized keyboard complete with a number pad. The keyboard offers very good typing feel and has nice responsive keys. The track pad works well with good accuracy and the track pad buttons were easy to activate and use. I didn’t care for the location of the track pad; it is much farther to the left than what you typically see on a notebook computer.

The Gateway P172X FX has a full array of connectivity options with a HDMI out, VGA out, LAN port and an eSATA port as well. The slot load DVD player is a nice feature too. Movie watching on the Gateway P172X FX is nice with good color and skin tones. Viewing angles are good and you don’t need to be directly in front of the screen to get a good movie watching experience with the Gateway P172X FX.

With as much power as the Gateway P172X FX has the 9-cell battery is a requirement and provides an ok battery life. The entire machine is very heavy, not something you will want to carry in a backpack all day for sure. However, if what you are after is a gaming machine that is portable and can be taken to and from the LAN party much easier than a full desktop the Gateway P172X FX is a fantastic option. The price for the Gateway P172X FX is $1,999.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Good performance
Lots of features

Cons

Heavy

Verdict
The Gateway P172X FX offers a lot of gaming performance for a reasonable price of $1,999 (reasonable for a gaming machine). The notebook is large making it not the best choice for really mobile types, but the full size keyboard and performance make the Gateway P172X FX ideal for gaming on the go.

8.5

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.