Gateway FX6801-03: a great gaming rig for under $1,150

October 6th, 2009 | Author: Jeremy Ashburn

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The Gateway FX6801-03 is a great mid range gaming rig for under $1,150. It has a fast 4 core CPU that can act as 8 cores, a mid range performing graphics card, and 9GB of RAM. All these components give you a 5.9 on the Windows system index and a great overall gaming desktop.

The FX6801-03 comes loaded with the Intel Core i7-920 quad-core processor which runs 2.66GHz. This I7-920 CPU supports Hyper-Threading which means that each core represents two virtual CPUs so compatible software will run as if there were eight cores.

The PC currently goes for $999 at Newegg. Here’s the FX6801-03 on Gateway’s website; all the specs are here.

Review Summaries

PCMAG thinks the FX6801-03 has a flashy enough case that you would want to keep on top of the desk to show off, rather than keeping it underneath. On top the case a pop-up panel provides easy access to two USB ports and a multiformat flash-card reader. A pop-down panel on the front presents you with auxiliary audio connectors and a FireWire port. The design also features a very nice feature – a sliding panel in the front that reveals two 3.5-inch bays. Forget the old fashioned way of breaking the case open to install internal drives! You can easily install a 3.5 drive by sliding the drive tray out, slipping a hard drive inside, sliding it back into the the bay, and powering on the machine. More storage in 2 minutes vs. 10-15 minutes!

Gateway labels the FX6801-03 a “gaming supercomputer;” Computer Shopper doesn’t exactly agree. The machine is a good gamer but not the fastest on the market. In the real-world Company of Heroes test the Gateway scored 57.2, 51.3, and 28.1 frames per second (fps) at 1,280×1,024, 1,600×1,200, and 2,560×1,600, respectively. That last resolution requires a 30-inch monitor (priced at $1,000 and up) and puts the system solidly in the realm of extreme gaming. But while 28.1fps isn’t bad, Cyberpower’s AMD-powered Gamer Dragon 9500 managed 47.6fps at that level and 57.3fps at 1,600×1,200.

In Computer Shopper’s 3DMark Vantage test, the FX6801-03 ramped up to a reasonable 28,161 in the test’s Easy mode (1,024×768) but plummeted to 4,196 at the Extreme level (1,920×1,200). By contrast, the Gamer Dragon 9500 hit 25,907 and 7,210 at those same resolutions. So is the FX a good gaming computer? Yes. But is it a supercomputer? Not quite.

Computer File calls the FX6801-03 is a very good system that gamers will definitely love, its bundled in all the right gaming specs. You can play whatever game you like and it will not give up on you.

User Opinions

The Gateway FX6801-03 currently has a rating of 4 eggs at Newegg.com with a total of 17 reviews. Here’s a few recent:

• “Fast without Overclocking… Unless you’re deep into Gaming or 3D Graphics there is no need to overclock this FX Beast. Cooling inside the case could have been better (More fans)….. Dual SLI is going to be a tight fit as told in other reviews but can be done.”

• “Excellent machine, fast, large power supply, plenty of memory, and a good size hard drive. Love the ability to add extra hard drive right from the front and the back up button on front makes it convenient. Highly recommended.”

• “I’ve had this computer not for about 3 weeks or so. I have it running two 22″ monitors. I run games like Crysis, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect at full settings with no hiccups. I run various music studio programs and record my own music without a hitch. Computer is fast, fast, fast. CPU idles at 38-40 C and the GPU idles around 58-60. Never get above 78-80 under full load… time will tell if it lasts but 3 weeks and its running strong…I think shes a keeper.”

Price Roundup
Newegg: the Gateway FX6801-03 is going for $999.

Gateway FX6801-03: a great gaming rig for under $1,150

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