The closest hardware match we have to Gateway's overclocked FX530XT is Dell's overclocked XPS 720 H2C Edition, which was also the only other system to arrive pre-loaded with Windows Vista. A direct performance comparison between a QX6700 at 3.2 GHz and a QX6800 at 3.73 GHz doesn't seem fair, nor does a comparison between a single 8800GTX at 600 MHz GPU/980 MHz RAM seem a fair match for an SLI pair of 8800GTX cards at 612 MHz GPU/1080 MHz RAM. Having noted that, we'll temper our conclusion with caution towards the cost of each system.

3D Games

Doom 3 shows the moderately-priced Gateway chasing the high-cost Dell and only getting somewhat close to catching it at the lowest resolutions. On the other hand, 57.8 frames per second at an extreme 2560x1600 resolution with anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering enabled is impressive, so do gamers really need the costlier Dell?

A result of 38 frames per second is barely playable, but does anyone really game at 2560x1600? At a more realistic 1600x1200 pixel resolution the Gateway FX530XT averages 83 FPS with anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering enabled. The Dell continues its lead, but we've yet to check its lead against its higher price.

Dell gets its biggest lead in the indoor scene from Oblivion, where the FPS figure is so high for the slower system that no lead is needed. In the strenuous outdoor scene, the pricy Dell is playable up to 2560x1600 pixels, whereas the thriftier Gateway gets choppy above 1600x1200.