Gateway S-5405S Slim Business Desktop PC

The Bottom Line
The base configuration of the Gateway S-5405S slim desktop system is very much geared towards being a low cost small business system. Unfortunately it lacks a number of features standard on many competing systems. Of course, one can customize it to better match their needs, but it does add to the cost.

Pros

* Inexpensive
* Can Be Customized With Wide Range of Options

Cons

* No DVD Burner Standard
* Limited Hard Drive Space
* Lacks FireWire

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Dual Core Desktop Processor
* 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
* 80GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 48x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
* Intel GMA 3000 Integrated Graphics
* Gigabit Ethernet
* Eight USB 2.0 Ports
* 15.2" x 17.6" x 7.1"
* Windows XP Professional, MS Works 8.5, Cyberlink PowerDVD, McAfee Internet Security

Guide Review - Gateway S-5405S Slim Business Desktop PC

Gateway's S-5405S slim desktop PC is very clearly targeted at businesses. This is evident from a number of key component decisions on the base configuration. For example, it comes with Windows XP Professional over the more common Vista Home Premium, has a relatively small 80GB hard drive and a CDRW combo drive rather than a DVD burner. This is generally not a problem with businesses that don't have a need for these, but it is an important consideration for consumers looking at it for a home or home office.

In terms of performance, the Gateway S-5405S uses full desktop components for its constructions. Rather than a normal desktop tower design though, the case uses a slim design that reduces the width. This does mean that the internal PCI-Express and PCI card slots use a half-height design that will reduce the available expansion card options. Performance on the whole does not suffer though as it still has the same desktop components that would be found in the normal sized S-5405D model.

Performance is decent with the Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 dual core processor and its 1GB of PC2-5300 DDR memory. Thanks to it running Windows XP, the memory is plenty for it to run smoothly, although an upgrade to 2GB is recommended if the system is going to be switched to using Vista instead. Those needing more performance can also customize the system to have a faster processor and more memory.

One of the big things going for the Gateway S-5405S is its low cost. This is a very inexpensive business desktop system. Of course, those savings can be quickly eaten up by the need to upgrade the various components from the base configuration.