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GCN Home > 03/22/04 issue

Desktop Clients: Profile 5’s small size fits all

By Carlos A. Soto, GCN Staff

Space—specifically, smaller space—is one of the next frontiers in computing, and the Gateway Profile 5 pioneers this territory with power and performance that won’t crowd your desk.

This all-in-one PC design is sure to turn heads with its sleek CPU and integrated 15-, 17- or 19-inch LCD.

The LCD can move up and down or tilt forward and back. Combined with a CPU footprint of only 12 inches by 7 inches, it lets you place the unit in areas normally off-limits to most computers.

Another advantage of the Profile 5’s profile is that all the controls are easy to reach. The DVD-ROM drive sits right up front on the base of the unit, below the monitor. There is also a floppy drive, a rarity these days in any PC. In the same area where the drives sit, there is a volume control slider and a place to plug in headphones and a microphone.

Unlike most desktop PC designs—but similar to most notebooks’—the Profile 5 comes with an array of connections and ports.

Two speakers incorporated as part of the base unit deliver strong and clear sound to the user. Six USB Version 2.0 ports—two on the side and four in the back—complement the frame and make it easy for users to add or remove peripherals. A PC Card slot along the neck of the unit and an IEEE 1394 FireWire port to the right side make the Profile 5 ideal for heterogeneous PC environments.

All these built-in ports aren’t the only similarities to a notebook PC. An integrated IEEE 802.11g system lets you remove the cables normally attaching desktop systems to the networks, without compromising bandwidth.

With an integrated Intel 865G chip set, which includes a Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology, the Profile 5 is faster than many PCs twice its size.

Dan Crowe, functional systems administrator for the Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., not only enjoys the small form factor but also the reliability that comes with the Profile 5 and the support he gets from Gateway.

“We’ve essentially standardized with Gateway Profile computers. They have minimal maintenance issues, large digital displays, and they’re fast. More importantly, Gateway went the extra mile in customizing the PCs so they’d have virtually no footprint on employee desktops.”

Coupled with 1024M of 400-MHz double-data-rate synchronous dynamic RAM and an Nvidia FX 5200 video card with 64M of dedicated video memory, the unit has a starting price of $1,099.

The Profile 5 “delivers the same power as traditional, larger-footprint desktop PCs in a design that meets the unique needs of government organizations,” said John Engel, senior vice president of Gateway’s PC products group.

The Gateway Profile 5 is a good, powerful PC whose small footprint puts it among the vanguard of space-saving systems.



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