Gateway NX500X

CNET editors' review

Gateway's affordable NX500X proves that you don't have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to get a respectably configured notebook. Our $950 test configuration featured a nice wide-screen design, a typical array of features, and solid performance. Battery life was just so-so, however; if your work requires lots of time away from the socket, we recommend the comparably priced, though slightly bulkier, HP Compaq Presario V2300.

Though Gateway calls it a thin-and-light, we consider the NX500X more of a midsize laptop; it weighs 6.3 pounds and measures 10.4 inches deep, 14 inches wide, and 1.3 inches thick. Clad in sophisticated hues of gray and black, the NX500X has a pleasing design that feels extremely sturdy and solid. The system's big, firm keyboard provides deep key travel and is quite comfortable to use for long typing stints. Under the keys is a moderately sized touch pad that features a separate area on its right side for scrolling through documents. The mouse buttons are wide but too small for our taste.

The laptop features a 15.4-inch wide-screen display with a standard 1,280x800 native resolution; it lacks the glossy, high-contrast treatment found on other models, and we found it to be a bit dimmer than average.

Featuring a typical array of connections, the Gateway NX500X comes with four USB 2.0 ports, a PC Card slot, and support for Ethernet and modem. There's also a 4-in-1 memory card reader, and a FireWire port for connecting to digital video cameras and other similar devices. Integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi comes standard.

Configured surprisingly well in light of its modest sticker price, our Gateway NX500X test unit came equipped with a midrange 1.73GHz Pentium M CPU; 512MB of slow 333MHz DDR SDRAM; and a meager 40GB hard drive that's too small for those with large amounts of digital data. To keep the price under a grand, the system foregoes a more expensive DVD burner and features a fixed DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive that can play CDs and DVDs but burn only CDs.

The Gateway NX500X's performance was good, landing it a competitive score on CNET Labs' MobileMark benchmark that rivaled the comparably priced Dell Inspiron 6000 and Acer TravelMate 2355LCi. The NX500X will ably handle productivity tasks such as e-mail, Web surfing, and word processing. Its standard 6-cell battery delivered average life--just shy of 3 hours--placing it ahead of the Acer's 2 hours but behind the Dell's 3 hours, 45 minutes and the HP's impressive 6-hour time. You can purchase an 8-cell ($30) or 12-cell battery ($60) on Gateway's Web site (CNET did not test either of these batteries).

Gateway backs the NX500X notebook with a standard one-year warranty that includes replacing faulty parts and repairing the laptop should it need to be serviced. For technical help, a 24/7 toll-free phone hotline is available, and you can also reach someone via e-mail. If that's not enough hand-holding, the company also sells a myriad of extended and more expensive warranty plans.

For more detailed information about warranties and service plans, check out Computer Shopper's overview of 37 major computer vendors.

Mobile application performance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

BAPCo MobileMark2005 performance rating

Gateway NX500X

196 

Acer TravelMate 2355LCi

193 

Dell Inspiron 6000

190 

Compaq Presario V2300

159 

Battery life
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

BAPCo MobileMark2005 Battery Life Minutes

Compaq Presario V2300

355 

Dell Inspiron 6000

224 

Gateway NX500X

175 

Acer TravelMate 2355LCi

121 

Find out more about how we test Windows notebooks.

System configurations:
Gateway NX500X
Windows XP Home; 1.7GHz Intel Pentium M 735; 512MB DDR-SDRAM PC2700 333MHz; Intel 82852/8285 64MB; Hitachi Travelstar 4K40 40GB 4200rpm

Compaq Presario V2300
Windows XP Home; 1.8GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-34; 512MB DDR SDRAM PC2700 333MHz; ATI Mobility Xpress 200M 128MB; Fujitsu MHT2060AT 60GB 4200rpm

Dell Inspiron 6000
Windows XP Home; 1.6GHz Intel Pentium M 730; 512MB DDR2 PC3200 SDRAM 400MHz; Intel 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express 128MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 60GB 5400rpm

Acer TravelMate 2355LCibr /> Windows XP Professional; 1.4GHz Intel Celerton M-360; 512MB DDR-SDRAM PC2700 333MHz; Intel i855GM/GME 64MB; Hitachi Travelstar 80GN 60GB 4200rpm