Gateway FX530: Mad Cows and Quad Core Overclocking

Support and Warranty

If you're interested in purchasing a prebuilt system, particularly a high-end configuration, warranty, service, and support are probably going to be important considerations. As a large OEM, Gateway has a comprehensive set of support solutions available - and they can even support non-Gateway systems for a fee, if you're interested. They offer 24/7 phone support, but we weren't able to test this out as our system did not come with a serial number we could use with their support services. Given that we have a review unit, that's not too surprising, and whether or not our support experience would be representative of what others could expect (unless we purchased the system ourselves) is debatable. Besides phone support, Gateway also offers email and online chat support, and like Dell and some others they give customers the option of letting them take remote control of their PCs to help troubleshoot problems (broadband connection required). The chat service is available between 3 a.m. and midnight PST, and email can be used at any time. Unfortunately, again we weren't really able to test out any of the support options as they all required a serial number.

We were able to use their online chat service to ask some sales questions, however, and while that may not be indicative of the level of support people will get, it's at least a place to start. Our online chat support generally went well, with the support people providing reasonable answers in most cases. One of the items that we brought up several times with different personnel was Windows Vista, and we basically asked for advice on whether we should upgrade now or not. Invariably, the answer was that Windows Vista was the next-generation operating system from Microsoft and we should upgrade, and there was definitely a strong push for Windows Vista. Several of the salespeople indicated that Windows Vista has generated a lot of interest among customers and that they have been getting a lot of new sales in the past week. That's all well and good, but our own experience with Windows Vista is a little less enthusiastic. It's not too surprising that their sales department is encouraging people to use Vista, but it would have been nice to see some of the people recommend a more pragmatic approach.

Outside of chatting with the sales staff about Windows Vista, however, our experience was a lot better. They were generally helpful and there wasn't a huge push to get us to upgrade components that we didn't really need. The salespeople asked us what sort of work we wanted to do with our computer, and based on our answers they provided reasonable suggestions. We still wish there were a few more options in some areas, specifically in the graphics subsystem we would like to see GeForce 8800 cards, but that should come in the next month or so. The top FX530 models tend to remove some of the lower end features, so if you're looking to balance price and performance you might be better off starting with either the $1000 or $2000 model and making upgrades rather than starting at the top and trying to downgrade.

As we frequently state, it is difficult to evaluate the level of technical support you get from a company without actually owning a product and testing it for months or even years. This is particularly true when all the support options require you to have a valid serial number. Again, recognizing that we can't be sure the technical support will be the same type of service, the online chat usually put us in contact with someone in about a minute. If you need guaranteed fast support service, Gateway also offers upgraded support contracts at a reasonable price. Finally, Gateway also makes a point that they now offer 100% North America based phone support, so that should generally keep the communication barrier down to a minimum.

The other major factor in the warranty/support equation is how long the warranty lasts. The basic system warranty for all Gateway computers is one year technical support and hardware warranty coverage, without any on-site support. You have to pay for shipping the system to Gateway, but Gateway will pay for the return shipping. However, you can choose a three year "value" (no on-site service) warranty instead for an extra $89, or you can go with up to a four year warranty with on-site coverage at a cost of $70-$170 depending on how long do you want the warranty to last. Accidental damage is available for $50 and lasts as long as your warranty, or for an additional charge you can get the Total Protection Plan. The Total Protection Plan includes improved phone support that eliminates the phone menus prior to talking to a technician (usually cutting a couple minutes off your total phone time), and you are also guaranteed a 30 second response time. Next day on-site support is also guaranteed for calls placed before 5 p.m. The cost of the Total Protection Plan ranges from $120-$270 and is available in one to four year lengths.

Given the cost of the system we are reviewing, we would likely opt for the most expensive warranty coverage and get the four year Total Protection Plan. The warranty coverage appears to cost the same whether you get one of the cheapest Gateway computers or one of their most expensive models, so the more powerful the system you plan on purchasing the better the value you get from the warranty plans. Considering you can get an overclocked quad core processor that is guaranteed to work for at least four years (perhaps with a few component replacements if necessary) starting at around $2400, the Gateway FX530 has a lot to offer, especially for businesses that need good support and performance but don't demand as much from the graphics subsystem. If support and warranty service aren't important to you, the overall value is still quite good, but it is possible to custom build a similarly priced system that would end up performing a bit better.