I bought a Gateway GT5628 Quad Core Desktop (refurbished) for a good deal from buy.com. The desktop’s configuration is
- Intel® Core 2 Q6600 2.4GHz Quad Core
- 3072MB RAM
- 500GB 7200 SATA II HD
- DVD ±RW 18X multi dual
- 256MB NVIDIA GeForce® 8500GT DVI VGA
- 15-in-1 card reader
- Fax/Modem
- Vista Home Premium
I had 3 desktops and a dual core laptop. I wanted to donate 2 of my old desktops (with Ubuntu derivatives installed) and I was planning to buy a laptop for a good deal, but when I saw the deal for this configuration, I jumped up and ordered it even thought desktop was not what I wanted. I may have to wait few more months to get the quad core in the laptop and few more months to get good deals on it. The only part that I had to think was, since it was factory refurbished, Gateway offered only 90 days warranty. Dell generally offers 1 year warranty on refurbished desktops. I still went ahead and bought it because if it works, it would be a decent investment for next 3-4-5 years. I selected the standard free 7-10 days shipping and as usual, I got the product in 3 days.
Due to a good configuration, the system is not terribly slow due to Windows Vista. Vista makes the system slower, but I might soon install Ubuntu. I expect Ubuntu to run noticeably faster compared to my previous desktop. I’m waiting for Ubuntu 8.04 to be released before I install it in my new machine. I moved my old desktop to my living room and connected it to my 46″ Samsung LCD HDTV. I installed Kubuntu 8.04 beta with KDE 4.2 in it. I will be using it to watch Youtube and other shows from Internet. I have to say that applications in Kubuntu (KDE for that matter) crashed quite a few times in the 2-3 days since I installed it compared to Ubuntu 8.04 beta/alpha, which I’m using for the past few weeks.

(Photo: buy.com)
Technorati Tags: Gateway GT5628, Intel, Core2 Quad, NVidia, GeForce 8500GT, Windows Vista
Its really cool. I like it.
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Congratulations!!!. Is it 64 bit Vista machine?
Nifty machine. I just got a Dell Inspiron 530 deskotp with the same CPU (but twice the ram; 6GB! Great for playing with VMs!)
I’m using it everyday for the last 6 months and didn’t have any issue so far. I set it up as a dual boot computer (Vista and Ubuntu linux). I use Ubuntu Linux most of the times and at time Windows Vista. I never had any shutdown problem with either Vista or with Ubuntu. I would say I’m happy with the performance for the price I paid.
i just purchased the gt5628 and it seems like a hit and miss from the reviews im reading. you’ve had it for 6 months, how’s it worked out for you, do you know why some people are having problems with it shutting down on them? thanks.