Kicking off the holiday season with a powerful new multimedia desktop PC, Gateway today announced the immediate availability of the Gateway(R) DX420 Series PC, a home system loaded with premium technologies and advanced features typically found only in the company's high-end desktops.

The DX420 includes the latest Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processors, a choice of high quality graphics cards and super fast 10K Western Digital(R) Raptor(R) hard drives. Combined with RAID technology for leading reliability and increased performance, the DX420 is a powerful multimedia system that bridges the gap between value and high-end computing.

Its advanced features and high degree of customization offer flexibility and solid performance to a wide range of applications. It is ideal for intermediate to experienced customers looking for a powerful mid-range desktop that can easily handle audio visual and media center duties. Starting at $599.99 and available via Gateway's Direct channels (www.gateway.com or 1-800-GATEWAY), the DX420 is an affordable, yet powerful solution for home PC enthusiasts.

"Multimedia enthusiasts will find the DX420 an ideal multimedia hub for the home," said Todd Titera, senior manager, consumer desktops, Gateway. "With the breakthrough speed of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the latest Intel P965 chipset, up to 4GB of 667MHz memory and enhanced graphics, it is powerful enough for digital content creation, gaming or media center duties, such as managing a library of MP3 music downloads or recording and watching favorite TV shows."

Providing stellar video clarity and playback, the DX420 offers a wide range of discrete graphic card choices, including the 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 7600GS. In addition to standard 7.1 audio support, the Gateway DX420 Series comes with the option of a Creative(R) Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi Audio card for high fidelity surround sound audio capabilities, making video, games and music come to life.

Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005 provides an easy-to-use interface for viewing photos or video, listening to music or watching DVDs or TV. With MCE and an optional TV tuner, the DX420 can be used to watch, pause, rewind or record live TV.

Photo and video buffs will find the DX420 easily handles digital video editing and photography applications. Customers wanting to pursue creative photographic endeavors such as digital scrap booking or editing home movies of soccer games, birthday parties or dance recitals will appreciate the fast processor, large amount of memory and robust storage. The superior discrete graphics options allow users to enjoy crisp, life-like images and extraordinary animation, all the time.

A multi-format double-layer DVD burner and 9-in-one media card reader are included as standard, allowing for easy back up, copies, and data transfer between the PC and consumer electronic devices.

With a wide range of fast hard drives, users can outfit the DX420 with speedy 150GB 10,000 RPM Raptor drives or super sized 750GB drives(1) -- providing up to 1.5TBs(2) of storage -- ample room for treasured family photographs and home videos.

For those with enormous photo and/or music libraries, RAID options allow users to design the DX420 with the drives best suited to their needs; RAID 0 for increased performance or RAID 1 for data protection, providing complete redundancy of critical data or priceless photo and video images.

In addition to multimedia and photography applications, the DX420 is a great solution for home office and productivity tasks. Configurations of the new Gateway DX420 PC are either Microsoft Vista(TM) capable or Microsoft Vista Premium Ready(3).

Intel Viiv(TM) capable, the DX420 also provides a technology framework for easy content sharing throughout the home. Using the advanced features of Viiv, setting up and managing a home network is easier than ever. Combined with the system's wireless options or integrated 10/100 Intel Ethernet, customers can effortlessly share information among multiple PCs in the home.

With RAID configurability and a uBTX chassis, it offers a high level of reliability and dependability. The BTX architecture more effectively cools internal components, allowing it to easily handle the fastest processors and power-hungry graphics. As a result, the design increases the overall reliability of the system and extends the life of key components by up to 82 percent over traditional ATX designs(4). Also, the chassis is tool-free, so customers can quickly and easily add or update cards, hard drives and optical drives.

Security Features

To protect the customer's data and investment, Gateway DX420 Series desktop PCs are pre-installed with a 90-day trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite(TM) (Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Anti-Spyware, Firewall and Parental Control)(5). A pro-active service tool called BigFix(R) is included at no charge on all Gateway systems(6). With the customer's permission, BigFix identifies and sends messages offering updates to enhance the performance or capabilities of the PC.

Gateway DX420 Series Configurations, Pricing and Availability

Available now direct from Gateway, the new DX420 Series desktop PCs can be configured-to-order with popular features and technology. Ready-to-ship configurations and pricing follow: