Gateway FX6850-51u and Velocity Micro Edge Z40 Computer Reviews (Page 1 of 2 )
This desktop computer review covers the Gateway FX6850-51u and Velocity Micro Edge Z40.
The Gateway FX6850-51u is a perfect example of how you should not judge a book by its cover. Despite its edgy and aggressive exterior, this desktop is not ideal for gaming. Beyond that miscalculation, the FX6850-51u is a everyday desktop that does provide solid overall performance and design for most casual users. The FX6850-51u is available for $899.99, and it comes with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.
The FX6850-51u comes with a 3.4GHz Intel Core i7 2600 processor. The processor is part of the newer generation of Intel Core i7 processors, and it supplies the desktop with solid performance. The multiple cores help when running more than one application at once, and tasks such as internet browsing, viewing multimedia, and more are handled with ease. In essence, all of your common daily computing needs are achievable. Gaming is a whole other topic, however, and we will get into that shortly. For additional multitasking help, you get a solid amount of memory in the form of 8GB of DDR3 RAM. Getting into the gaming aspect that was touched on earlier, the graphics card on the FX6850-51u is disappointing, especially when you consider the speedy processor. The desktop comes equipped with a Nvidia GeForce GT440 card. The card will suffice for some casual gaming, but hardcore gamers will want to upgrade to get the most out of the experience. This choice of graphics card is a tad odd, since the exterior shell of the FX6850-51u exudes an aura of a dedicated gaming desktop. Storage capacity is plentiful thanks to a 1TB hard drive for all of your files. For the operating system, you get Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit pre-installed.Beyond the core components under the hood, the Gateway comes with a DVD drive for watching movies and listening to CDs. Blu-ray would have obviously been a nice luxury for movie fans. A multi-in-one media reader is onboard for transferring data through a wide variety of formats, such as miniSD cards, Memory Sticks, and more. 802.11n Wi-Fi is included, so you won’t have to worry about upgrading the desktop for internet connectivity, as it’s already there. Since the Gateway FX6850-51u is far from perfect, it’s nice to know that the desktop does offer some room for expansion on its interior. All of the RAM slots are occupied, but they can be swapped out for a maximum of 16GB of memory. There’s room for three additional hard drives should the 1TB of storage not be enough. Finally, you have some expansion capabilities via two vacant 1X PCI Express slots.
The design and look of the FX6850-51u is impressive, but somewhat misleading. It has a style that screams gaming desktop, even though it lacks the graphics card to back up that claim. The all-black exterior is mixed with some red accents, lighting effects, mesh vents, and jagged corners to produce a rather intimidating and edgy aura. The tower is rather large as well, so it may not fit in too well where there’s limited space. The top of the front panel features the media card reader, two USB ports, and microphone and headphone jacks for easy access. The very top of the tower houses a stylish power button, as well as a recessed tray to hold devices you are synching or charging. Two extra USB ports are stationed in the bay. The back panel houses the rest of the desktop’s connectivity, which includes six more USB ports, keyboard and mouse ports, a HDMI port, a DVI port, a Display port, an Ethernet port, and various audio jacks. Unfortunately, all of the USB ports are of the 2.0 variety, and there’s no FireWire or eSATA connectivity.Looks are sometimes deceiving, and that seems to be the case with the Gateway FX6850-51u. It’s not an optimal setup for gaming, even though it looks like one. Still, if you are in the need for a solid all-around desktop for your everyday needs, the FX6850-51u is a worthy selection.
