At just over five pounds, Gateway's new NX200 series of thin and light notebook computers are easy to lug around and start at low excellent price, though it may lack the power you need at the baseline price.

The baseline NX200S features a 1.4GHz Celeron M processor, 256MB of 333MHz memory, and a 40GB 5,400rpm hard drive. While this may be enough core power for the average user, some may want a faster processor, more memory, or more hard drive space. However, you can't upgrade the processor and RAM individually, so you'll have to step up to a more expensive NX200 to upgrade.

For example, the NX200X has 512MB of memory, 60GB of hard drive space (although in a slower 4,200rpm drive), and built-in wireless connectivity. It's $150 more than the NX200S, and virtually identical in all other areas.

If more storage is the main issue, you can just upgrade the hard drive for $45 (or $70 for the 80GB 4,200rpm drive). The 14-inch widescreen display is adequate for watching movies or viewing documents side by side.

Gateway includes a nice combination optical drive in the series, providing DVD movie playback and 24X/10X/24X CD-RW capabilities in the same drive. Users who want to burn their own DVDs can step up to the 8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer drive for $75.

A four-in-one media card reader is included, allowing easy transfer of files and photos from your PDA or digital camera to the laptop. Modem and network interface are both provided, but if you want wireless capability an integrated wireless card is $39.

If you're considering many of these upgrades, consider the NX250X. This is the high-end system in the series, selling for $999, but powered by a 1.6GHz Pentium M processor and 512MB of 533MHz DDR2 memory. The NX250X has the 8X DVD+/-RW DL drive, built-in wireless, and a faster Gigabit Ethernet adapter and a 40GB 5,400rpm drive.

One major drawback: there's only a 90-day warranty on the line. Gateway includes enough variety in their NX200 line to provide something for everyone, from bargain hunters to power users, looking for a thin and light laptop.

Pro: Great price, widescreen
Con: 90-day warranty

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Gateway Computers
7565 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
800-846-200
http://www.gateway.com

Warranty
90-day limited