Gateway's new FX530 series of desktop computers simply exude power. The silver and black towers feature four different color accents--black, red, blue, and copper--and they all look good. The accents are noticeable from the front as well as with the FX logo on each side of the tower.

But this power isn't just skin deep. Inside of these desktop computers beat some of the fastest processors on the market: Intel's Core 2 Quad CPUs. Even the baseline FX530 starting out priced at a grand features the Core 2 Quad Q6600 with four different processing cores operating on a single chip. It's an excellent CPU for multitasking and heavily-intensive activities such as 3D gaming.

Gateway provides a decent 1GB of fast 667MHz DDR2 memory along with that CPU. It'll run the included Windows Vista Home Premium edition operating system well, although 2GB is the current sweet spot for this OS. Doubling the memory will add another $150 to the price of the system, a bit on the steep side for a gigabyte of RAM.

Hard drive space starts out at 160GB on a 7,200rpm drive. It's an adequate amount of storage for the average user, but there aren't too many average users who are opting for a Core 2 Quad processor-based desktop computer. You can beef the storage up to 250GB for less than $30, and Gateway also offers RAID configurations available for the FX530. Opting for twin 250GB drives in a RAID 0 configuration gives you half a terabyte of space for around $130, not a bad price for fast storage.

Gateway includes a Super Multi DVD writer with this line, letting your burn to traditional DVD media as well as Dual Layer media that can store up to 8.5GB on a single disk. This drive also supports DVD-RAM disks, which can be rewritten to up to 100,000 times, making them a good option for scheduled backups. If you're an early adopter, you can also add an HD DVD-ROM drive to the FX530. It's an extra $300 and it's read only, but it lets you watch high-definition DVDs on your PC.

Graphics aren't as cutting-edge as the rest of the components. The default graphics are NVIDIA's GeForce 7500LE, which do include 256MB of dedicated video memory. They'll work fine for casual and even some 3D gaming, but hardcore gamers may want to upgrade. You can opt for the GeForce 8600GT with 512MB of video memory and a faster core for a little over $100. Or if you're extremely serious about gaming, you can shoot for the monstrous factory-overclocked GeForce 8800GTX with 768MB of video memory and its equally monstrous price tag.

The design of these towers extends beyond mere aesthetics, thanks to a 9-in-1 media card reader that makes it easy to transfer files and photos from your PDA or digital camera. There are also three USB ports and two Firewire ports on the front of the tower, letting you connect high-speed peripherals such as digital camcorders without having to crawl behind your system.

Gateway includes equally well-designed input devices with these systems: their Elite keyboard and soft-touch optical mouse. You can cut the cords with the wireless version of this combo for a very reasonable $15 over baseline.

Another upgrade option to consider is adding a TV tuner card. Since these systems ship with Vista Home Premium, they already have the software for watching and recording TV. And if you opt for a large widescreen display, these systems make great personal video recorders (PVRs). The tuner adds $79 to the price of the system and comes complete with a remote control.

The software bundle includes the basic Microsoft Works 8.5. You can upgrade to the Works Suite 2006 which gives you Microsoft Word for just $40, or step up to the Basic edition of Microsoft Office 2007 with Word, Excel, and Outlook for $130. Gateway also includes only a one-year warranty on these desktop computers, standard for the industry, and you can increase it in length and breadth for an additional cost.

The Gateway FX530 desktop computer line offers some of the best core power you can find in a mainstream PC--and in a package that would look sharp on any desk.


Pro: Excellent design, Core 2 Quad power
Con: No monitor included

Warranty
1-year limited