Gateway NV: Best Budget Notebook ~ MY BLOG

This budget 15.6-inch notebook looks great, performs well, and comes with convenient backup software.

Given that budget mainstream notebooks are now competing with low-cost netbooks for your hard-earned dollar, it’s no surprise that Gateway’s NV5807u rings in at just $599. What is surprising is the level of style and performance that you get for that price. This configuration (there are eight others to choose from in the NV line) has more aesthetic appeal than other budget notebooks we’ve tested recently, and, thanks to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of RAM, holds its own in everyday tasks.

Design

Ever since Gateway rebranded itself as a more fashionable notebook manufacturer, the company has been on a roll in churning out good-looking budget notebooks, and the NV series is no exception. The Midnight Blue lid (a shade of teal, to our eyes), with its subtle waffle pattern, might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly more interesting than basic black (the NV is also available in Coffee Brown, Cherry Red, and Nightsky Black). Bonus: the fine pattern helps disguise fingerprints.

Other design flourishes include a metal hinge with the power button built into the side (like Sony VAIOs), glossy upper panel, and LED lights and touch-sensitive controls that glow red. At 5.6 pounds, this notebook 0.2 pounds lighter than the 5.8-pound Dell Inspiron 15, although the dimensions are almost the same. (The NV is 0.1 inch wider, but its wedge shape is between 1 and 1.5 inches thick, whereas the Inspiron 15 is 1.5 inches thick.)

The touch-senstive controls responded to even the lightest tap. While there are volume controls and a mute button, there are no buttons for controlling multimedia playback. However, there are buttons for PowerSave Solution (Gateway’s own power management software), MyBackup (more on that later), disabling the trackpad, and enabling or disabling Wi-Fi.

When you tap PowerSave, you automatically enter PowerSave mode (energy-saving modes are usually at odds with maximum performance, but allow for longer battery life); double tapping the icon makes the on-screen dialog box disappear, and the computer revert to its default power mode.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The NV’s keys are flat, but close together; it’s a cross between an island keyboard, with separated keys, and a classic one with closely grouped, cushy ones. Even with a full number pad on the right hand side, the keys were still large enough for us to type comfortably, making very few typos (the keys’ textured finish made it easy to get a grip, too). On our first try, we scored 88 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor Test (www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com), which is also our high score with our desktop machine.

At 1.8 inches, the touchpad could be taller, but at least its 3.4-inch width feels roomy. As far as touchpads go, the NV’s feels smooth and doesn’t offer too much friction. On the other hand, although its mirrored design is appealing, we found the touch bar uncomfortable; it’s a single button, and the strip is too narrow. It took us a while to get used to pressing the far edges of the bar to get better tactile feedback.

Display and Sound

In a side-by-side comparison, the NV’s 15.6-inch display looked brighter than the Inspiron 15’s, although the latter had deeper contrast (for example, blacker blacks). In a similar vein, when we watched an episode of Heroes on DVD, some of the colors looked a bit off, especially skin tones, which appeared oversaturated.

When we played the same Saturday Night Live Hulu clip on both computers, however, the viewing angles were comparable, which is to say that the glossy finish on both displays made it difficult—but not impossible—to make out the picture from the sides and with the lid pushed forward.

The NV’s speakers delivered predictably tinny sound quality when we listened to Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and Coldplay’s “Clocks.” The volume, cranked to its maximum settings, was more than loud enough for movie watching, and we ended up scaling it back to around the medium setting.

Ports and Webcam

The NV has a strong selection of ports: in addition to four USB ports, VGA output, an Ethernet jack, and headphone and mic ports, the NV has HDMI output, a feature other budget notebooks lack. In addition, this machine has a 5-in-1 memory card reader.

The VGA webcam provides good brightness, color, and detail, but the accompanying software is skimpy: once you record photos or videos, it saves them to your My Documents folder. Most other webcam consoles have a strip of thumbnails that allow you to easily review recent captures you’ve taken.