Gateway ZX6951-53: An All-in-One That Flaunts Its Curves

Smokin'! That's specifically what we explained upon acquiring the benchmark results for Gateway's most recent all-in-one desktop, the ZX6951-53.Yes, this method genuinely requirements a better title, but that aside, this 23-inch, $999 All-in-One desktop is exclusive for really a few factors.

Initial, and maybe most noticeable, is the system's curved design--a departure from the normal sq. construct we have seen on almost every single all-in-one that has arrive via our gates. 2nd, as well as a bit significantly less noticeable, will be the system's speed--simply put, it really is fast. But let's not bury the payout any longer: Minus a few facts here and there, the ZX6951-53 is among the greatest all-in-ones you should purchase.

Gateway's 1920-by-1080-resolution desktop packs a three.2GHz Intel Core i3-550 processor in its innards, accompanied by four gigabytes of DDR3 memory. The mix aids this all-in-one achieve a score of 121 on our WorldBench 6 sequence of tests--the fastest overall performance we have seen in the classification (outside of Apple's 27-inch Core i7 and Core i5 iMacs). The next-highest desktop, MSI's AE2420 3D, hits a score of 118 (having a cost tag of $1800).

The ZX6951-53's value is very aggressive for 23-inch techniques. We had been marginally dissatisfied to determine which the hard disk is barely 640GB as an alternative of a total terabyte. Nevertheless, the 1080p-friendly technique includes a Blu-ray combo drive built in--now that, we like.

We identified the image top quality of the ZX6951-53's multitouch panel pleasing towards the eye. The glossy display was a tad topic to glare dependent on the viewing angle (along with the environment wherever you might be making use of the desktop), nevertheless it does significantly to contribute towards the all-in-one's exceptional contrast ranges. Sturdy blacks and evocative whites brought out key particulars inside the images and flicks we seen. The display's saturation was not really pretty much as good, however--we would have liked to find out a lot more vibrant coloration and richer pictures all round.

It is difficult to uncover all-in-one desktops packing exceptional audio methods. To say that the average top quality of an all-in-one's acoustics is roughly that of the laptop's speakers can be a honest assertion, if not charitable. Gateway's ZX6951-53, luckily, emits bass-heavy, enveloping sound that virtually feels like an genuine speaker setup--the kind one would get as an aftermarket add-on to some typical desktop Computer. We have been pleasantly amazed by Gateway's work in this particular regard, because it really will help separate this entertainment-friendly desktop in the rest of the pack.

The rest of the system leaves a little for being wanted regarding the devices that you just can plug into it. We've currently pointed out the Blu-ray combo drive (that's about the facet of the ZX6951-53's chassis). It is joined by a total of two USB ports along with a solitary multiformat card reader split in between the system's two sides. The rear has six USB ports, a VGA output, a gigabit ethernet port (for many who favor a cabled connection more than the unit's built-in wireless-N connectivity), as well as a coaxial connection for the built-in Tv tuner. That's not a poor quantity of connections per se, however the ZX6951-53 lacks aspects like Firewire, eSATA, or perhaps more powerful show connections like DisplayPort or HDMI.

You can't update the ZX6951-53 in any way, which isn't specifically a rarity for all-in-one desktops, but nevertheless marginally disappointing. The method comes with a short, illustrated quick-start guide for getting the desktop up and jogging, and with 3 input products: a remote; a generic, wireless mouse; as well as a generic, wireless keyboard. Despite the fact that we would favor keyboards and mice for being a little bit more feature-packed, the wireless capabilities of those incorporated with the ZX6951-53 fit the premise of an all-in-one desktop perfectly.

So what's the bottom line? Gateway's ZX6951-53 all-in-one desktop is excellently priced for what it delivers: a strong picture on the multitouch exhibit, sturdy audio capabilities, category-leading speeds, and built-in Blu-ray assistance (with wireless connectivity, if streaming movies is much more your deal). Several tweaks could make Gateway's technique even stronger but, as it stands, you would be hard-pressed to find a greater all-in-one desktop for that ZX6951-53's value.