Gateway refreshes business PCs with hyperthreading

A new focus on consumer electronics goods doesn't mean Gateway has nudged aside its core PC business just yet. The company updated some of its business desktops Monday with Intel's latest processor and chipset technology.

Gateway's Profile 4 PCs, E-Series managed PCs, and Sb-Series PCs for small businesses can all now take advantage of faster front-side bus and memory technology found in Intel's latest chipsets, the 865 series and 875 series. Formerly known as Springdale and Canterwood, respectively, the chipsets support processors with 800MHz front-side buses and DDR (double data rate) SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM) running at 400MHz.

The new PCs also support hyperthreading, a technology that allows a PC's operating system to treat a single processor system as if there were two separate processors. The operating system then sends more instructions than it normally would to the single processor, allowing the chip to take advantage of normally unused execution units. Hyperthreading started out as a server technology on Intel's Xeon chips, but the Santa Clara, Calif. company has recently put hyperthreading into several of its Pentium 4 processors.

Gateway, based in Poway, California, introduced a recovery plan in May that seeks to refocus the company's attention on higher margin consumer electronics products such as plasma TVs and digital cameras. Rival PC vendors such as Dell Computer have been able to undercut Gateway on price, and the company lags well behind Dell and Hewlett-Packard Co. among corporate PC customers.

Two new PCs in Gateway's E-Series line replace older models designed to be managed by administrators over corporate networks. The E-4100 and E-6100 come with integrated Gigabit Ethernet, LANDesk Software Inc.'s LANDesk Client Manager software, and eight USB (universal serial bus) 2.0 ports, in addition to the new Intel technology.

A configuration of the E-4100 with a 2.4GHz Pentium 4 processor, 128MB of DDR333 SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive, integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 technology, a CD-ROM drive and a 17-inch monitor costs $999. The E-6100 comes with a 2.4GHz Pentium 4 processor, 256MB of DDR400 SDRAM, a 80GB hard drive, Nvidia's GeForce2 MX200 graphics technology, a CD-ROM drive, and a 17-inch monitor for a starting price of $1,299.

The Profile 4 line of PCs are designed to fit into tight places, such as underneath a desk or shelf. Gateway will release new Profile 4 systems with the new Intel technology on Wednesday. Specific configuration information was not available, but Gateway considers the Profile 4 the high end of its business PCs, and pricing is expected to begin at $1,599. A version will also be released for consumers, Gateway said.

Small businesses concerned about acquisition costs will be steered toward Sb-Series desktops. The base configurations will ship with Intel's 865 chipset, but the new Pentium 4 processors with hyperthreading and 800MHz front-side buses are upgrade options. Four Sb-Series models are available, with the least expensive model starting at $599. This includes a 2.2GHz Pentium 4 processor, 128MB of DDR333 SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive, integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 technology, and a CD-ROM drive. Monitors will be sold separately.