Gateway ships new Vista-equipped desktop, notebook
updated 10:20 am EST, Mon January 29, 2007
Gateway DX430 and NX270S
Gateway continued the succession of Vista-related PC announcements today by releasing two new systems, including a completely new desktop. The DX430 marks a fresh tower design from the American company that caters to both everyday users as well as the more performance-minded. Starting with a Pentium 4, 15-in-1 card reader, and a standard 160GB drive, the system is also configurable with as much as a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo and exotic drive options such as 750GB or high-speed Raptor drives. An HD video tuner and a new portable hard drive (due in February) with up to 160GB are also options, according to the system builder. Style is also a new element: the case is one of the few to ship with removable faceplates, which help the tower match its surroundings. The DX430B ships with a 2.8GHz Pentium 4, 512MB of RAM, and Vista Home Basic at a price of $500; the higher-end DX430S ($850) and DX430X ($1,100) jump to 1.8GHz and 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo processors respectively as well as 1GB of RAM, Vista Home Premium, and a 19- or 22-inch widescreen LCD. All three should ship by Vista's release tomorrow.
Mirroring the launch in portables is the NX270S, a 14-inch starter notebook built for those unused to the relatively easy abuse of portables. The NX270S sports a scratchproof, toughened outer shell and is inexpensive enough to be more easily replaced, starting with a 1.73GHz Celeron M, 512MB of RAM, and a 60GB hard drive. The updated notebook ships in early February for $700.
