The Gateway M-152XL is a great desktop replacement machine. Running on an Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 (Penryn), this machine screams speed. You get 3GB of RAM, a 15.4-inch screen, a very nice ATI Mobility Radeon 2600XT card, an ample 160GB of hard disk space, plus the latest 802.11n wireless technology. Oh, and there's a DVD writer too, of course.
 

The Gateway M-152XL desktop replacement laptop
 

Performance-wise, the Gateway M-152XL is also one of the fastest laptops at this price point. It achieved top marks in video-encoding and Photoshop software tests. It also runs resource intensive 3D games like Unreal Tournament and World of Warcraft very fast and without a glitch.

Let's look at the design of the Gateway M-152XL. Its exterior is not as nice as the HP Pavilion dv6500t or the Dell XPS 1530. However, it does come into its own with the choice of colors, ranging from floral graphic motifs to navy blue.

The machine weighs in at 6.2 pounds and is classified as a desktop replacement. You won't want to lug this baby around for very long as it is quite heavy. Comparable models (in terms of weight) are the Dell XPS M1530 and the Fujitsu Lifebook A6120.

The display screen on the Gateway M-152XL is 15.4-inches. However, its 1,280 x 800 resolution is starting to look a bit dated compared to competitor models. The Apple MacBook Pro and the Dell M1530, for example, come with 1,440 x 900 screens.

This is the first time I've seen Gateway use a s Alienware Area-51 m15x is 15.4 inches in size, and displays in 1080p format, perfect for all those HD movies. The resolution is a whopping 1920 x 1200, and there is an in-built dual graphics solution (2 nVidia graphic cards).

The full-sized keyboard on the Gateway M-152XL is very comfortable to type on. However, the mouse buttons are a tad are loud and difficult to press. The multimedia and DVD playback control buttons lying above the keyboard are also very non-responsive. Gateway should have made them touch-sensitive.
 

The Gateway M-152XL keyboard is very comfortable to type on

Lots of ports here, so no worries. The Gateway M-152XL comes with standard USB ports, an HDMI-out port and a 5-in-1 card reader (SD, MS, MS Pro, xD, MMC). You also have a built-in a 1.3-megapixel webcam. For digital video enthusiasts, however, the lack of a FireWire port might be a little bit of a problem.

The battery life on the Gateway M-152XL isn't really that great. With the 57-Wh battery, you'd get about 2 hours 27 minutes of battery life. You can get a nine-cell battery for an extra $200, which is a bit exorbitant if you ask me. So you probably should bring that power adapter with you wherever you go.

As for shortcomings, the Gateway M-152XL looks a bit dated in terms of design compared to equivalent Dell and HP models. The lack of a FireWire port and short battery life can also be a problem for some consumers.