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Gateway M505X for me?

post #1 of 9
2/3/04 at 10:54pm
Thread Starter 
I am interested to see if anyone that has experience with the Gateway M505x can tell me if it will play games like call of duty or MS Flight Sim without any problems. I am looking at the one that Office depot stocks. Thanks.
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post #2 of 9
2/4/04 at 12:38am
Here are some quotes from this Gateway M505 review thread:


Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmoose
I just baught Call Of Duty and it plays well beyond what I thaught it would for being Direct X 9.0b , All I can say is wow, the graphics are awesome and it doesnt slow down at all! With a widescreen and a good chip this really plays games well, I have already finished two sites on this computer in php, I love having several editors open at once, as well as performance, all in all its fast!! I notice maye its just on mine with XP pro, however on a battery it actually boots up 3 seconds quicker , weird but hey I don't care its fast , I LOVE IT!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bashtor
Just an update...

I've been giving the 505x a good run down and, if anything, I'm becoming more impressed. I've got over 15 games and demos installed and tested looking for any potential problems and have only came up with a weird fogging issue with Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Other than that, I've had no problems at all. Alot of the games are a little old, but I'm impressed and that's what I've got this notebook for. A travelling game and dvd player for my yearly trips to the desert. I scored just over 9000 on 3dmark 2001 SE and, more importantly, I don't NOTICE any slow down on most any game I've played. I'm not going to number crunch them, as that's what's important to me. The noticable effect. I'd like to figure out the Sands of Time issue, but I really haven't tried to hard yet. I've been crunched for time recently.

Some recent games running nicely with no problems: Knights of the Old Republic, Call of Duty, Jedi Outcast (not very recent I know), Civ III: Conquests (expansion is at least recent), Conan (Demo sucks, don't bother), Splinter Cell, Warcraft III, Silent Storm, and I'm sure I'm missing a couple. Just wanted a short list in case anyone is curious. Thanks for steering me towards the 505x guys, you didn't steer me wrong.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmoose
Yea i will run a benchmark today, all I can say is on a game called rise of nations a strategy that really can have alot of stuff going, this things runs without a hitch at full visuals its a true pleasure on this screen, and i dont care what anyway says, the sound is incredible on this thing, compared to ANY notebook i have ever used, clear and actually has bass...

ALso I just installed and played flight simulator 2004 for about 30 minutes, listened to music for about an hour and im still at 56% battery overall been using computer for about 2 hours so far!! this is crazy, flight sim played great on the battery too!
AAA members get a 10% discount on computers at Gateway. If you belong ($60/yr), your price on an M505X there would be $1499 - $150 = $1349. The 10% discount is an instant deduction, not a mail in rebate you must wait for.
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post #3 of 9
2/4/04 at 11:13am
Thread Starter 

Thanks Bargainseeker!

Sounds good to me. I do have one more question is there a big difference in the 505X and the 505XL? Is it really worth the extra money?
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post #4 of 9
2/4/04 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BargainSeeker
AAA members get a 10% discount on computers at Gateway. If you belong ($60/yr), your price on an M505X there would be $1499 - $150 = $1349. The 10% discount is an instant deduction, not a mail in rebate you must wait for.
I'm a member of AAA and if you go to the AAA > Gateway link for purchasing
Gateway computers the 505 series is not listed. Consequently, you can't mailorder the 505 and get the AAA discount. Or can you? If you can, someone please post how this is done.

Also, AFAIK you can't put in the AAA discount on Gateway's web site. So I assume the only two options are to go to a Gateway Country store or call in your order. Is this correct?
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post #5 of 9
2/4/04 at 11:16am
I'd get the XL just for the DVD writer. Of course, that's my personal opinion.
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post #6 of 9
2/4/04 at 11:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by isobar
Sounds good to me. I do have one more question is there a big difference in the 505X and the 505XL? Is it really worth the extra money?
There are the following differences between the M505X and the M505XL:

1.4 vs. 1.5 GHz CPU
40 GB vs. 60 GB hard drive
Windows XP Home vs. Windows XP Professional
DVD/CD combo drive vs. DVD burner

Additionally, the hard drive specified for the M505XL is a 5400 rpm model with a 16 MB cache. Unfortunately, Gateway has been shipping the wrong hard drive with the M505XL so you must ask to swap out the drive if you want the one specified. I should also mention that the M505X seems to be more readily available than the M505XL. I have heard of a couple of people who experienced long delays in getting their M505XL order filled. I have not heard of anyone who had to wait a long time to get a M505X. In fact, Office Depot stores and some Gateway Country stores have M505Xs available for in-store pick up.

Are these differences worth the extra money? That is a judgement call for each buyer. As for me, I went with the M505X and have been happy with my choice.
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post #7 of 9
2/4/04 at 11:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkY
I'm a member of AAA and if you go to the AAA > Gateway link for purchasing
Gateway computers the 505 series is not listed. Consequently, you can't mailorder the 505 and get the AAA discount. Or can you? If you can, someone please post how this is done.

Also, AFAIK you can't put in the AAA discount on Gateway's web site. So I assume the only two options are to go to a Gateway Country store or call in your order. Is this correct?
That is correct.
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post #8 of 9
2/5/04 at 9:01pm
I called up Gateway 2 weeks ago and said I wanted to order the 505XL because I heard there was a AAA rebate.

There were no questions, hassles, or anything. He didn't even ask for a AAA member number. He just gave me the discount.


Now let's see if they'll be as good with the HDD replacement. I really love this laptop, it would be a shame to have to send it back.

But as long as some people got replacement HDD's I feel that I should get one too. I'm only asking for what I paid for.
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post #9 of 9
2/6/04 at 5:35pm
Thread Starter 

Ordered Today!

Ordered my M505X today and am already getting very inpatient for it. Scheduled delivery of the 18th. Way to far away. Checked the order status and it says. "Waiting for parts to fullfill order" guess I will just wait and see.
Thanks everyone for your help in making my decision easier. I will keep you updated.
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