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Rating: 
Summary: Well-balanced middle weight
Review: I've used the Gateway 450X for several months now and find it to be a solid, reliable full-featured laptop that strikes a decent balance between weight and features.The case is sleek, thin and modern, but plastic not metal (don't let the silver color mislead you). The screen is bright with fine detail. The keyboard is responsive with good feel. The wrist rest is a little deep compared to the ideal and there is only a touchpad, no pointing stick. However, the touchpad is better than many. I have an HP that drives me crazy with an overly sensitive touchpad. The 450X has very good battery life and good wireless performance. I use a Linksys wireless network and the 450X has better range with its built-in wireless than older laptops with add-in cards. There are some trade-offs. The optical drive is a good DVD-CD/RW combo drive, but no DVD writer is available. Similarly, the speakers are not really adequate for a multi-media presentation platform. Gateway's dock or port replicator plugs into a slot on the bottom of the laptop case and promotes ventilation and a good typing angle. The availability of a port replicator was a requirement in my selection process (so you can leave printers and other peripherals plugged into the dock). I highly recommend this accessory. It makes working with a laptop much easier. This is not a video creation platform, but for everyday work in Microsoft Office and web browsing, it's a great laptop with balanced features and excellent pricing. I also recommend Gateway's service and support. Support information is individualized to your actual machine. Gateway's website resolves most issues for me without resort to techs, but when techs are necessary they are located in the United States and have consistently been helpful. This is my sixth Gateway computer and the service and support system is a key reason for coming back.
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