Gateway updates M-series X, XL notebooks

Gateway on Thursday quietly updated two of its staple notebook lines with improved specs, including the addition of one model based on Intel's newer Penryn-era Core 2 Duo architecture. Both the M-151X and the M-151XL are now faster and hold more storage: at the top end, the M-151XL now brings a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo with the larger 3MB Level 2 cache and better battery life that come with the Penryn upgrade. It also comes shipped with 3GB of memory as well as a 250GB hard drive. The 256MB Mobility Radeon HD 2400 XT, HDMI output, and 802.11n also come intact from the earlier M-150.

The more mainstream M-151X provides the same storage, graphics, and wireless of the top XL model but steps down to a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo and 2GB of memory. The 15.4-inch systems are available immediately and sell for $1,000 (X) and $1,300 (XL) respectively.