Computer gateway tower

Gateway E-4100-C

Though it may not suit larger operations, Gateway's mainstream corporate line, the E-4100, is certainly a good fit for small to medium-size businesses. The bundled LANDesk Client Manager 6.3 makes it easy to inventory and monitor E-4100 systems and update small files.

Though LANDesk ClientManager 6.3 doesn't deploy entire images or applications remotely, as the other management packages reviewed here do (albeit for a fee), the E-4100 models use the same software image and can easily be repaired and upgraded.

The E-4100 is one of Gateway's three corporate lines. But like MPC, Gateway has only two PC models in each line; the other companies each give you three or four options. Whereas the E-2100 line consists of low-cost systems and the E-6100 line features machines with all the latest and greatest hardware, the E-4100 is the company's mainstream line, delivering midlevel hardware at midlevel prices. We reviewed the small-form- factor E-4100-C system, though there's also a mini-tower.

Although you can't use the same software image across the three lines, you'll have no problem using the same image within each line. And the three families share the same driver set, so you can use the same drivers across all three lines. Despite the difference in size, the small-form-factor and mini-tower versions of the E-4100 have the same Intel motherboard.

Gateway guarantees that each system will be available for at least 12 months, but in reality, a mainstream system like the small-form-factor E-4100-C remains on the market for much longer. At the end of their 12-month life cycle, Gateway's mainstream lines are typically converted into low-cost lines, often assuming new names.

Each corporate PC ships with its own copy of LANDesk Client Manager 6.3, which lets you inventory and monitor the system locally. If you wish to manage systems remotely, you can pay $49 extra for a copy of Client Manager Administrator, which can query machines from anywhere on your network.

Client Manager isn't as powerful as Dell's and IBM's management suites, but what it does it does well—and it may be all you need. For example, whereas some competing tools are often very difficult to learn, Client Manager's Web-based interface is exceptionally intuitive. Even novice computer users would have little trouble parsing through an inventory of system hardware or configuring system alerts.

Inventory information is extremely detailed. Client Manager can tell you exactly which memory slots are filled and which aren't. It can even tell you which IRQs (interrupt requests) are taken and which aren't. And there is a wide range of ways to monitor a system: You can check for high temperatures and voltages, even receive alerts when the system has filled a certain amount of disk space or memory.

With Client Manager Administrator, you can wake up, restart, and shut down machines from across the network. You can load small files, such as drivers or BIOSs, remotely. But you can't load images, install applications, or back up system data. For such tasks, you have to purchase a third-party tool, such as Altiris or Microsoft SMS.

The small-form-factor E-4100-C isn't as cleverly designed as the small-form- factor systems from HP and IBM, which, for instance, even let you remove their motherboards without tools, but it comes close. You can set it on end like a tower or lay it flat like a desktop. You can open its chassis by removing a thumbscrew and just as easily remove its three drives (floppy disk, optical, and hard drive). There's even a little room for expansion: a 3.5-inch drive bay, a half-height AGP slot, and a half-height PCI slot.

Like its sister, the E-4100 mini-tower, the system ships with a three-year parts-and-labor warranty, including on-site service. For an additional fee, you can also arrange for your own Gateway support number, ensuring that you can always reach a technician without delay.

There isn't much wrong with the Gateway E-4100 line and management solution. It just lacks some of the perks available from Dell or IBM.