Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I wanted to purchase a small PC for my home theater system and was initially leaning toward the e-machines "Mini-e."However, I saw that it had issues with flash and Hulu. I thencame across the Gateway SX2840 which got rave reviews from cnet and the like.It seemed to have everything I wanted except for a wireless card.I figured hey, I can just buy one and stick it in the machine, but then I came across the SX2850 and voila! It had one in it.The system itself works great.It's fast and handles anything thrown at it, very quiet too.I have it hooked up to a Panasonic 1080p G25 plasma via HDMI and looks great.Much better watching Hulu on a large TV than a small monitor.I also have it connected to my Windows Home Group and stream movies and content from my Desktop to this PC wirelessly and have no issues (I have a Dual Band "N" router).I would have given this 5 stars if it wasn't for one small flaw.
They chinced on the onboard sound.At first glance the sx2840 and sx2850 looked identical (2850 had a slight upgrade in the processor, downgrade in RAM).So I ordered the 2850. Didn't realize until I got it that it doesn't have an Optical Out (toslink/spdif), the 2840 does.I can't fathom why they would have omitted it.Oh well, my oversight I guess.So I had to hook up analog cables to the Multi Channel Input of my receiver.Speakers test fine in Windows 7 but, the sound is horrible with absolutely no bass when playing video/audio files.I found out later that the LFE connection to the subwoofer doesn't really like analog.I tried increasing the gain in Windows and my receiver as well as the physical knob on the sub and nothing worked.The problem with increasing the gain in the receiver is it will blow out my sub when I switch over to Cable or PS3 (both using optical).So not a good solution.Moral of the story, if you want to use this for home theater and want the best sound you'll probably need to buy a low-profile sound card with optical out. Unless you can figure out how to make it work.If you do, feel free to drop a comment and let me know.Thanks!
***UPDATE:15 Aug 10***
I purchased the ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express Interface Sound Card for the optical out and threw it in this machine.Once I got it working the sound is great.Now I get true surround sound and deep bass watching digital movies and internet content.There are a few things to note when ordering this sound card.First, it doesn't come with a manual.It comes with a bare bones installation guide which is not that helpful.Second, it also requires external power and they provide an old Molex style connector.The Gateway SX2850 HDD and DVD drive run off SATA power connections and the power supply has no spare power cables.You have to buy a SATA extension with extra Molex connector from NewEgg (Radio Shack and Best Buy do not carry them).To cut a long story short, the card is not PnP and does not auto-detect which ports you're using.You have to use the interface software that comes with the card to make adjustments (Windows 7 is futile).I spent a few hours before I figured out you have to check mark the s/pdif box in the packaged software.
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Product Description:
Gateway SX2850-01 Desktop PC comes with these specs: Intel Core i3-540 Processor 3.0GHz with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, Windows 7 Home Premium, Intel H57 Express Chipset, 4096MB DDR3 Memory, Integrated Intel HD Graphics, 1TB SATA Hard Drive (Green Product - variable RPM), Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High-Definition Audio Support with 5.1-channel Audio Support, 11 - USB 2.0, Keyboard and Mouse, 12.0 lbs. | 5.4 kg (system unit only), 1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty with Toll-Free Tech Support, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, Norton Internet Security Suite 2009 Trial
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