Best Buy has the Gateway NV53A24u AMD Athlon II X2 dual-core powered notebook available for the back to school season for $499.99. The Gateway NV53A24u is a Best Buy Exclusive and part of the Gateway NV line of notebooks.
The Gateway NV53A24u features a 2.3GHz AMD Athlon II X2 dual-core processor, a 15.6-inch display, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and ATI Radeon HD 4250 discrete graphics. These features combined provide a very powerful notebook that should suit the needs of most college students. Additionally, the dedicated numeric keypad could be a useful resource for college students working in Excel.
This is a mid-range notebook when looking at it from a price standpoint. However, its features are some that are normally found on premium notebooks. Its powerful AMD processor, DDR3 RAM, and ATI graphics will provide a premium feel without the premium price. The Gateway NV53A24u should be able to handle pretty much any task students may need it for. This includes web browsing, Microsoft Office programs, photo editing, and some gaming. When it comes to games you will likely need to use low or medium settings with this notebook.
Some common complaints regarding the Gateway NV53A24u include dismal battery performance, oddly shaped keyboard keys, and a poor webcam image quality. On the plus side, many users noted that the Gateway NV53A24u looks great, is light and portable, and easy to use.
If you are looking for a similarly priced notebook with Intel components, the HP G62-234DX is a good buy. It sports Intel’s Core i3 processor and LightScribe technology which allows you to print labels directly on disks. However, it has integrated graphics and a smaller hard drive.
Gateway NV53A24u From Best Buy Detailed Specs:
Brand | Gateway |
Model | NV53A24u |
Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit |
Processor / Graphics | 2.3 GHz AMD Athlonâ„¢ II X2 dual-core processor P320 ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics |
Memory | 4 GB DDR3 RAM |
Hard drive | 320 GB HDD 5400 rpm |
Display / Resolution | 15.6″ TFT-LCD high-definition widescreen display with 1366×768 resolution |
Removable Storage | Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW |
Wireless Support | Wireless-B+G+N |
Input Devices | Full-size keyboard with Number pad, Multi-touch touchpad |
Power | 6-cell battery with up to 3 hours and 42 minutes of battery life |
Memory card reader | Multi-in-1 |
Ports | Headphone/speaker/line-out jack, Microphone-in jack, DC-in jack for AC adapter, Ethernet, 3 USB 2.0 |
Audio | HD |
Weight | 5.7 lbs. |
Dimension | 15 in x 1.3 in x 10 in |
Webcam | 1.3-megapixel |
Warranty | 1-Yr Parts and Labor |