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Gateway FX 6831-03 Gaming Desktop PC Review

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On April 9, 2010, 6:09 AM

While many hardcore gamers and hardware enthusiasts will tell you it's better to build your own rig, some still choose to go with a custom-built model from a recognized brand name. These often come attached to higher premiums, but also to comprehensive customer support and warranties covering the entire system, plus the peace of mind of not having to deal with any troubles that may occur while assembling it piece by piece.

The Gateway FX 6831-03 on our test bed today features an Intel Core i7 860 processor operating at 2.8 GHz (up to 3.46 GHz with Turbo Boost), a whopping 16GB of DDR3 memory, 1.5 TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive and an ATI Radeon HD 5850 graphics card with 1 GB of onboard memory.


Priced at around $1,650, the Gateway FX6831-03 is aimed at those who want a very capable gaming system that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It is more of a "budget" system in the larger arena of gaming rigs, which can cost you upwards of $5,000, but its hardware should be able to deliver enough performance to handle any game you throw at it with little effort. Read on as we put this system through its paces and explore its features inside and out.

Read the complete review.

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User Comments: 32

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  1. Ive seen the shift from maingear...prolly my favorite design from then in a while...but then again im kinda liking the Colossus from the ACS guys...competition is good!!!

  2. Guest the market has cause the prices to go up, but here the deals can be had on dealnews.com good place to start or word of mouth. I use to hit the Computer Fairs, but those vendors are cutting deals with DOA parts. I not using them again for building. Still you can use Amazon.uk, but your have two different VAT taxes over there right? I've been to UK several times where the pound was greater than the USD. But you pay more than us.

    ACER makes Gateway systems, Along with the Q4-64-bit Gateway I've also purchased 2 laptops and 1 netbook under both names. No issues with them. Only 2nd netbook is made by ASUS. If I see a deal I'll buy it! If I need it though?

  3. I had purchased a Gateway FX 6831-03 and it worked well for one day. Then I would get cursor artifacts, green lines and freeze ups. I believe ATI has many problems with their 58xx series video cards. I tried a bunch of things but ended up returning the computer. I wish the computer had worked out. I don't think it's Gateway's fault really.

    http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&thr
    adid=124747&enterthread=y

    http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ATI-Radeon-Gray-Screen-Cras
    ,9529.html

  4. Really Gateway? 16GB of RAM and then an HD 5850? That system needs an HD 5870.

  5. I really like that case. If I had te money and was in a place where they sold this, I would certainly buy this. I don't care what you guys say about making your own. I bet none of you could build a PC with a case like this.

  6. Had my Gateway system for 6mths... awesome gaming rig! Proof is in the pudding... I use it all the time from Modern Warfare 2 to Dragon Age 2... to Star Craft 2... it is a great system that has worked amazing well. The extra RAM does help out in performance along with the fact that it is a 64Bit system. Taken it from a person that actually owns this system... it is a great buy! For the poster that says building is better... you are right, but time is money also! I have been working in the IT field for over 15yrs... I have built my own systems, etc... but why do that when I can get this for a fraction and it works great? ;-)

  7. Some of the parts are questionable, yes, but overall it's a nice build for the price. The case looks very roomy, although I would have preferred a bottom-mounted PSU for it. Just a pet peeve of mine.

    Still, this will end up a lot cheaper for a lot of folks than building their own, since these systems typically come bundled with peripherals and software that you would otherwise have to purchase.

    In the end - prebuilt systems are a good option for a lot of people, and it's not right for anyone to try to tell them otherwise. You can argue until you lose your voice about how it's better to build your own blah blah blah, but some folks really just want a working computer so they can get right to what they want to use the computer FOR. Sometimes it really isn't about the journey.

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