Many longtime computer users recognize the fact that Gateway has been a major contender in the computer world for much of the personal computer's existence. Gateway was long heralded as one of the highest quality products on the market and was also highly praised for their attention to customer needs and support. In recent years, Gateway's focus has changed a little from being a custom computer builder to offering mass marketed and mass manufactured machines that in turn appeal to a greater portion of the general public. This doesn't mean, however, that they aren't worth a good looking. Gateway laptops still hold a reasonable share of the portable market. This being said, they shouldn't be discounted by people in the market for a new machine.

Gateway laptops are well designed and full featured computers that have the extra visual appeal that many look for. Designed with a sleek housing, bright colors and patterns, Gateway laptops have a satisfyingly modern feel. A generous number of USB ports on all models allow you to connect what you need without carrying additional hubs around, and the addition of a built in webcam in all but the most budget oriented models offers the ease of instant video communication wherever you are.

Gateway laptops really shine with the P series, which is their top performer, and is well equipped for whatever you want to throw at it as far as entertainment goes. Taking a step further is the P-FX series, which has all the extras that a gamer is sure to love. A 17? high definition wide screen, standard HDMI output for hookup straight to your HD screen, 5-in-1 media card reader, high performance graphics card and extra fast Intel Core 2 Duo processor make this series perfect for anything you have in mind. Starting at $900 and moving all the way up to the high end at $2000, this series is very competitively priced.

With mobility being stressed more and more these days, Gateway offers their solution in the form of a convertible that offers all of the features of a laptop, as well as the pen-and-paper ease of a tablet PC. The C series is really just a laptop that can operate as a tablet PC, with the addition of a rotate and flip style screen. For those searching for compact and sub-compact type PCs, you will have to look to other manufacturers, however, if you want the additional functionality of a point, click and draw surface, the C series does this quite nicely.

Equipped with a 14? screen and weighing in at just over 6 lbs, this one is really just a full laptop in disguise. Offered in multiple configurations from $1000 to $1200.

For money conscious buyers, you will find that Gateway laptops fall comfortably in the middle to middle high ranges as far as pricing goes. You might be surprised though to find that Gateway laptops only offer Intel processors and, being that Intel chips run a good chunk of change higher than their AMD counterparts, you will not be able to compare Gateway to other manufacturers that offer the option of the less expensive AMD chip. The bang for your buck factor works out pretty well though, as what you get for your money should satisfy most everyday computer users.

Gateway laptops offer these different series:

M series ? S - Intel Core 2 Duo T5550, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 15.4? WXGA Screen $900

M series ? X - Intel Core 2 Duo T5450, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 15.4? WXGA Screen $1100

M series ? XL - Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 3GB RAM, 160GB HD, 15.4? WXGA Screen $1300

P-172x ? Intel Core 2 Duo T5550, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 17? WXGA+ Screen $1000

P-172s FX ? Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, 3GB RAM, 160GB HD, 17? WXGA+ Screen $1400

P-172x FX ? Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, 17? WUXGA Screen $2000

C-141x ? Intel Dual-Core T2330, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 14? Widescreen $1000

C-142xl ? Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 3GB RAM, 250GB HD, 14? Widescreen $1300