Thinking about buying this computer..

At first I was deciding between the gateway DX4831 and FX6831, but then I found this online..

http://bham.craigslist.org/sys/1593303388.html

My question is, assuming I get there and the computer runs well, etc, would it be difficult to upgrade the processor on that to an Intel i7? I certainly know my way around computers, but have no experience building/upgrading them, and I was under the impression that some manufacturers make their products very difficult or impossible to upgrade internally. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

You cant upgrade it to an i7 without getting a new CPU, motherboard, and RAM, at which point you are better off just building a whole new rig. The i7 is a totally different socket from what the Core 2's were on. With the price of the upgrades you would be better off starting from scratch as you would have to do an entire rebuild to upgrade it. Consider building one yourself rather than buying a prebuilt, its really not that hard.

The PC you are looking at is with LGA775 socket which is not compatible with both LGA1156 and LGA1366 i7s.

OS License is via Gateway to the consumer. The License and product key ID is pasted to the side of the computer.

When the computer is resold, the license goes with it.

To obtain a Recovery Media Kit from Gateway, visit their website [ link provided below], provide your serial number and about $22 later, it will be sent via USPS, or for more in shipping costs, I can be sent faster.

https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=gateway