03.29.07
Vista PC Reviewed: Gateway GT5404 Desktop
This Gateway® GT5404 Desktop is the first Vista PC’s I worked on shortly after Windows Vista was released.
Specifications
Processor: Intel® Pentium® D Processor 915 dual-core 64-bit processor with Intel® EM64T Technology
(2.8GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2 x 2MB L2 cache)
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
Chipset: Intel® 945G DH Chipset(Viiv™)
Memory: 1024MB dual-channel DDR2 Memory (2 x 512MB), 533MHz (PC4200). Expandable to 2GB (2x2048MB) 667MHz (PC5300)
Video: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with up to 224MB Shared Video Memory – VGA port
Audio: 6-Channel (5.1) High-Definition Audio
Hard Drive: 250GB SATA II (7200rpm, 8MB cache)
Optical Drives: 16x multiformat dual-layer DVD±RW drive
15-in-1 Digital Media Manager™ (Memory Card Reader)
56K ITU V.92 ready fax/modem (RJ-11 port)
Intel® 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
6 USB 2.0 Ports (2 in front, 4 in back)
1 Parallel Port, 1 Serial Port
2 PS/2 Ports (Keyboard and Mouse)
3 Audio: Front/Headphone (Stereo), Microphone, Line-in/Side (Stereo)
1 PCI-E x16, 1 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI
Out of the box, Gateway GT5404 Desktop is somewhat an adequate performer. The Intel Pentium D Processor 915 dual-core is powerful enough, but some may prefer Intel Core 2 Duo processors. It comes with 1GB of RAM (2x512MB) and an integrated Intel GMA 950 with up to 224MB shared video memory. That leaves 800MB of RAM to the system. Booting Windows Vista on this PC is a little bit painful. Right of the bat Windows Vista is using 700MB-900MB of RAM and settles around 500MB.
To increase the performance of this computer, consider upgrading the Memory to at least 2GB and/or installing a decent PCI-E Video Card with minimum of dedicated 128MB of video RAM.
This computer comes with an optical mouse and a USB-powered stereo speaker. The mouse is nice enough to use. The speaker lacks low frequency and sounds terrible when it comes to music.
Considering the specifications, it should be a relatively powerful computer with the exception with the integrated graphic card. Windows Vista feels a lot sluggish on this computer. Consider turning of the Sidebar to free up some resources. The graphic adapter is having trouble driving larger LCD flat panel. I tested it using Gateway 22″ LCD, Gateway 19″ LCD, and Samsung SyncMaster 940MW. At the LCD’s native and optimized resolutions, the display looks terrible. All three LCD flat panel looks blurry using the integrated Intel Graphics. I installed a PCI-Express based nVidia GeForce 7100GS with dedicated 128MB video RAM and DVI connector. After that the display look flawless. I replaced the 2x512MB PC4200 with 2x1GB PC5300 and Windows Vista runch a lot smoother.
I decided to downgrade the Operating System to Windows XP Pro. The device drivers for Windows XP are relatively easy to find on Gateway and Intel support site. Windows XP Pro runs great on this machine, with the exception on the integrated Intel Graphics. Once again, the display looks terrible when it’s connected to the built-in video card (VGA). With the nVidia GeForce 7100GS, the display once again looks flawless.
One complaint from user of this computer is the position of the ON/OFF switch. It is located on the top right of the front panel above the optical drive. The ON/OFF swith is often mistaken for the optical drive eject button. Gateway GT5408 Desktop does have the same design with this GT5404 model.
Overall, Gateway GT5404 Desktop is a good machine with the exception with the integrated graphic adapter. I’d recommend installing a PCI-Express video card to boost the performance. If you are sticking with Windows Vista, having 2GB of RAM will help a lot.
More pictures will be added soon.
Matt said,
April 16, 2007 at 5:29 am
I was merely curious. I tried to install xp pro myself on this same system. I see that you were able to do it successfully. When the windows installation begins I noticed that no drives were acknowledged in the partition create/delete setup. I’m assuming that a “third party” sata driver was necessary to get this working. Could you please explain to me the method you used to install xp if this wasn’t the case for you. Thanks. -m
jamie said,
May 11, 2007 at 7:02 pm
yes .
On the ram, you can upgrade to 2 gb(2-2048mb 667mhspc5300.
what standard non ecc?
jamie said,
May 11, 2007 at 7:06 pm
yes
on the ram you can upgrade to a 2 gb (2-2048mb667mhz PC5300.
what standard non ecc? can you tell specifications of the ram please.
jamie said,
May 11, 2007 at 10:32 pm
was the ram standard non ecc dual channel?
because i’am trying to upgrade my comuter .
thank you …………..jamie.
jamie said,
May 11, 2007 at 10:36 pm
what is the highest video card that I can put in like 512 what?
jamie said,
May 12, 2007 at 1:24 am
hey
I been looking on aol, and all the computer shops says
that,and recommed the(2-1028mb pc2-4200 533mhz standard non ecc
dual channel. They say that the highest. but you got a
667mhz pc2-5300 and it works!
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 12:36 am
thank for all your heip.
jamie………….
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 12:47 am
buy the way I still need a graphic card what the best one and dose it need a
fan i found a geforce gt8500 with heat sink on it 256mb 128 is it good?
jamie…………..
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 1:08 am
Is directx 10 good?
It will help my computer out?
It a gt8500 gigabite heat sink.
Is the power supply good then?
thank you jamie………….
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 4:33 am
then do i need a power supply or not?
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 5:24 pm
IAM sorry so many question it a gigabyte gv-nx85t256h
gefore 8500 gt 256 128 bit will this work on my gt5404?
power supply good?
it costs around 100 dollar.
let me know thank you .
you have been a good help.
jamie……………..thank you…….
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 7:32 pm
When I look for a graphic card .What does it need to have on it.
What pixel pipeline 4,8,12. Do i need It. When I look
for a card what a good clock speed.
jamie…………thank you……..
jamie said,
May 13, 2007 at 7:36 pm
what card would you use for the best graphic and every thing eles from 256mb or 512mb 128. that will work.
jamie…………………
jamie said,
May 26, 2007 at 7:38 pm
when I get a power supply, what does it need to have, and how big can I go
on power like will a 600watt do?
jamie said,
May 26, 2007 at 7:44 pm
will apevia atx-as600w work, got the right connectors, what connectors do I need,,
what amps do I need ,,
thank you jamie……………….you are great!
jamie said,
May 27, 2007 at 12:36 am
does it need dual 12v I need a good power suppply for the 512 video card
what amp what volt
thank you jamie……………………………
jamie said,
May 27, 2007 at 1:27 pm
what is a btx means on the power supply?
jamie………………………………..thankyou
jamie said,
May 28, 2007 at 3:45 pm
hello I’am going to get the power supply you said the n82e16817701003
msi but I was wondering if the xion n8ze16811208021 work it is a atx case
from newegg please let me know you been a great help
jamie…………………………thank you
jamie said,
May 28, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I mean n82e16811208021
jamie said,
May 28, 2007 at 8:30 pm
btx power supply with btx case or atx case?
so whats up?
jamie…………………..thank you
Cadapult said,
June 27, 2007 at 7:43 am
I appreciate your information on the Gateway. In my experience with my Gateway GT5408 I had to replace the power supply to be able to add a PCI-E video card (nVidea 7600 series). The computer wouldn’t even start after adding the video card- no memory check, couldn’t get into bios settings, nothing. Pull the card and the machine started fine. Gateway tech support had no suggestions other than to buy a video card from them. Come to find out, the power supply is a low wattage one. Replace the ps with a 575 watt one and voila, everything now works. I’ve also replaced Vista with XP Media Center Edition. Vista wouldn’t run half my software, so out it goes. Too much bloat and incompatability just to get a bit of eye candy, IMHO.
Matt said,
June 30, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Umm I got a GT5404 and an nvidia geforce 8600gt oc. I didnt need to update my power supply everything runs great is there something I am missing here?
Rob Hayes said,
July 3, 2007 at 8:55 am
Hey mate,
I appreciate this review and have just purchased this system. However, I am not knowledgeable about computers, and would love if you could help me with something. I’m looking to buy a monitor, and have found one I want:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2945470&body=REVIEWS
Now I’m looking to upgrade the video card so I can use the DVI so the display doesn’t look like crap. This is where I’m hoping you’ll come in. I’m looking to get one from here:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:1558|&Sort=4
Can you pick out the cheapest, yet best one that’s on there. I have no clue what to look for.
Thanks a bunch in advance.
Rob Hayes said,
July 3, 2007 at 11:32 am
Scratch that. I don’t need a graphics card anymore. Just a DVI-D cable.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=DVI-D&mnf=160&cat=&sort=Price%20asc
What would you recommend?
jamie said,
July 20, 2007 at 12:02 am
does vista support dir.x 9 32 bit ? and i got a his hightech x 1650 pro ice q 512 it need a 450 what power supple i have a 460 msi will this work?
jamie said,
July 20, 2007 at 10:30 am
so will it work or not
thank you ………….jamie
jamie said,
July 20, 2007 at 4:42 pm
hey thank you guy are computers god so if any one needs help this is the site.
thank you……………………………..jamie
jamie said,
July 23, 2007 at 5:41 pm
will dir x 9 work on windows vista?
let me know …………jamiee……….
jamie said,
July 31, 2007 at 3:19 pm
hello again
I would like to know if i can go with a bigger processor?
than stock.
jamie said,
July 31, 2007 at 3:38 pm
yes on the motherboard how big can you go on the processor .
thank you jamie,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
jamie said,
August 6, 2007 at 9:08 pm
yes will the quad q 6600 work with my motherboard? its from newegg.
thank you jamie
jamie said,
August 7, 2007 at 3:15 pm
can you post the max mhz for this motherboard and what socket type .
and the board specs
thank you jamie
jamie said,
August 7, 2007 at 3:28 pm
And is the processor 2.8 800mhz 2*2 much different from
2.66 ghz 4mb L2 cache -1066mhz fsb
thank you jamie
jamie said,
August 7, 2007 at 4:52 pm
how does a person over clock a processor.
thank you jamie
jamie said,
August 7, 2007 at 7:17 pm
so is the stock as good as the e6700 beside the 1066mhz then 800.
and 2 times2 for the 800
4mb L2 cache on the 1066 same right beside mhz yes or no?
thank you jamie
jamie said,
August 8, 2007 at 5:33 pm
yes when I get the e6700 2gig of dual chann 667ddr2enought.
and can I go with more ram because their is only 2 slots and
both are filled up .
thank you jamie
Chris said,
September 3, 2007 at 10:21 pm
I just bought this Gateway GT5404 computer YES the graphics card makes the computer run much slower. It “supposed” to have Intel integrated card which run at 32mb Ram with 96 shared according to gateway specs but still it is ONBOARD card which will slow your bus system down because it runs on the motherboard! I just purchased PNY Nvidia 7300 GS card (and i know geeks say that THE latest and more expensive cards are better i heard that before and i never had problems with lower cards) . It fixed a lot of gaming problems. With integrated graphics I could not play my games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Doom 3, and even my favorite Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. Now when i got the new card all of these games work just perfect.
Chris B said,
October 17, 2007 at 5:29 pm
I just bought a ddr2-5300. I have two memory speeds that run on my laptop which one is ddr2-5300 and ddr-4200 and yes the higher memory does go down to the clock speed with the system. The 5300 run at 4200 speed. I will try to test the same with the GT5404. I do not belive it will cause problems. I also installed GeForce 7300 GS PCIe card and it works we will see how it works with 2gb of ram. I have tried to play Bioshock game at 1gb of ram and yes the game gets the gidders because there is not enough RAM for the game after Vista eats it up!
Chris B said,
October 20, 2007 at 2:28 am
The other gig i put in it helped a lot. Made Vista run quicker. I have not found that it will shut down faster but i leave the computer on 24/7 anyways and anything in VFista runst faster. Thou for some reason BioShock will only run at 640 by 480 resolution with no problems. I even downloaded the latest recommended drivers. But I usually use the computer for doing video editing anyways so yes the when i render the video which it went down from one hour or so to 15 or so minutes. Before I got 1 hour of video would take 1 hour of rendering now it went down 1 hour equals to about 15 minutes of redering. Big difference when you make a living out of it ;) Thanks for your website! Chris
brendon r said,
November 13, 2007 at 5:43 pm
you are the guru of information. I’ve got a super easy question for you. I have the 5404 and have upgraded to 2×1024 ram. I want to run 2 gateway 19″ flat panels off the system. Obviously I need to upgrade to a pci e graphics card. What do you recommend that will afford me dual dvi outputs? I’m not doing any editing or anything just want to use both my monitors on one comp. Also I tried out a geforce 8600 gt and for some reason I couldn’t get it to run on my system. Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the genious website. Brendon
Yabel said,
November 23, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Thx for all the Info.. Im looking at Tigerdirect has it for 299 and thought it might be worth the money. I do have a extra PS thats a Diablo 450 w ATX will it work in this PC? I see that RAM is 2×512 so to get a 1 gig stick will I be able to use a 512 and 1 gig together? Just a few questions before I buy it. Thx for help.. I do hope to get to play some of the newer games that I have to pass on since Im running a 1.5 mhz pc atm.
Yabel said,
November 23, 2007 at 4:29 pm
hmm cost is startin to creep up ram $100 , Vc $120, and PS
Can u link me to a PS thats a Uatx.. couldnt find one.
Thx for fast reply
Yabel said,
November 24, 2007 at 3:42 am
Thx for such great detailed info on this Pc package. I think Im gonna go with a core system since I will have to spend extra money. Heres core and I can add the other stuff and keep it under Emachine package..
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3501283&Sku=P459-1236%20C
With Ram,HDD, and VC I can still keep cost below other.
Thx again best and most responsive product review Ive seen.
Of course I couldnt find as much info on MB/processor as you gave here.lol
vlåð Юäç said,
December 12, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Hey there. I bought the GT5404, changed towers, installed more RAM and threw in a EVGA 8800 GTS card. I couldn’t be more happy however I am growing very tired and frustrated with Vista. I have a clean copy of XP pro that i would love to install. I don’t have my serial number due to the fact that i threw away the original tower so to easily get drivers from gateway for my hardware is a mystery. What do I do? Can I do it? I really want this operating system off my pc but am a little reluctant because I don’t know if it will be a smooth and complete ride. HHHHEEELLLPPPP!!!!!
kobus_uk@yahoo.co.uk said,
December 20, 2007 at 10:02 am
Hi Jamie,
Recently bought the following:
GIGABYTE GA-G31MX-S2 Mobo
GIGABYTE Geforce 8500 GT 256MB (GV-NX85T256H)
Intel Core 2 DUO 2.4Ghz 2MB L2 cache
Corsair 667Mhz DDR2 1GB (x2)
HAD OLD PARTS I USED as follows:
OLD 300W PSU (1 Year old)
Windows Xp Professional SP2
Now: My problem is the following;
After installing fresh the PC seems slow for what I put in. XP boot time is not as I believe it should be but my main concern is this. After clean install I installed the latest Nvidia Drivers for my 8500 GT and rebooted. All seemed fine but when I enter NVidia Control Panel the PC freezes up. There is also intermittent discoloration of text while browsing websites. Found that when I use the included Gigabyte Tuner and change the 2D Core Clock waaaay below the norm it seems to work a bit better but still not as desired. Could this be compatibility issues between Mobo and GFX card or is Old 300W PSU too little. Tried almost all old and new GFX Drivers and did a few clean installs of both XP and Vista with no joy!
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!
Thank you in advance….
K
Driver problem - Lurking Mastermind said,
December 24, 2007 at 9:40 am
[...] Driver problem Vista PC Reviewed: Gateway GT5404 Desktop « 37prime That is an article someone did on this very machine. __________________ Personal opinions are [...]
Jonathan said,
December 28, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I noticed that in the earlier comments you recommended a BTX power supply for this system. However on the motherboard specs on Intel’s website it says different:
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/D945GCL/
How I am reading it it would suggest that you need a microATX power supply. Am I incorrect on this? I would hate to purchase the wrong power supply for this machine as an upgrade and lose out on time and possibly money.
Thanks
PS. This upgrade will be due to my purchase of an EVGA 8600GTS which requires a 400W PS.
Jonathan said,
December 28, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Last question. Will a regular ATX PS fit in this chasis? It seems like it hard to find a microATX or a BTX power supply that will comply with the graphics card I’m looking to purchase. It recommends a 400W PS, as well as it being able to do +12V@22A. Or should I not worry about the last part so much?
Thanks
Jonathan said,
December 28, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Here is a quick update to the above question. This is for an EVGA 8600GTS. The minimum requirements are as follows:
Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 22 Amp Amps.)
Minimum 450 Watt for SLI mode system.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amp Amps.)
An available 4-pin Molex hard drive power dongle
The part number is 512-P2-N773-AR. Hope this helps to answer the above question.
Thanks
Jonathan said,
December 28, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Well the MSI you posted only puts out +12V@18A and the Athena only does +12V@20A where this card asks for +12V@22A. I am still searching on the side as I type this but finding the right replacement PS is looking to be a challenge.
Thanks
David said,
January 16, 2008 at 9:52 am
is there any way to overclock this system?
Richard said,
January 24, 2008 at 8:29 am
Hey I have the GT5404 and I’m pretty impressed with it. I heard a lot of people say the Pentium D sucks but i haven’t had any problems. I have a X1650 pro and 2.5 GB s of ram and don’t have too many problems playing the latest games on at least medium settings including Crysis. BUT I only have 1 PCI-E x16 slot and I really need at least 2 of them, so I guess I need a new motherboard and while I’m at it I might as well try and get one with 4 slots of ram. My question is what motherboard do I need that will have this and still hold the stock processor, ram, and other hardware that came with the original GT5404. I looked around but couldn’t really get the info I was looking for.
Thanks in advance -Richard
TommySC said,
February 6, 2008 at 7:18 am
I am seeing a lot of talk about upgrading the RAM on this system.
As far as the GT5404 goes, am I not correct in stating that the mobo can only hold up to 2GB of RAM?
what is with the 2.5 or 3 people are speaking of. I understand that 32bit Vista will only recognize 3GB, but wont the MOBO only recognize 2?
I ended up using 2 x 1GB Gskill PC6400 sticks. I know the 6400 is too much, but the deal was right. Can the stock mobo only recognize up to PC5300? If so, does that mean my pc6400 ram will just operate as if it was PC5300?
Bascially whay is the max amount and speed ram can the stock MOBO on a GT5404 utilize.
Thanks.
Robb said,
February 22, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I just recently purchased a GT5404 and I wanted to upgrade the graphics card on it. I have been looking at either purchasing the EVGA GeForce 8600 GTS, XFX GeForce 8600 GT, or the XFX GeForce 8600 GTS. But all these cards require a minimum of a 350w power supply. After reading some of the comments above I have found that the GT5404 has come equipped with a Delta 300w ps that is BTX/uATX. Im guessing the BTX/uATX is the type of ps. I was wondering if you might be able to show me a ps that would be 500w and above, reasonable priced, and would be able to fit and run fine in a GT5404 because I do not really want to purchase another tower since I just got this one.
Jonathan said,
March 5, 2008 at 7:01 pm
In response to the above question, I ended up going with this combo for GPU and PSU.
GPU: PNY VCG86GTS5XWB-OC GeForce 8600GTS 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
PSU: Athena Power AP-MPS3ATX40 Micro PS3 ATX 400W Power Supply
I have had no power issues using this card with this PSU. Both purchased at Newegg. I am able to run COD4 at max setting with no problems whatsoever. Also have 2gb of PC-5300 ram. Hope this helps.
Kevin said,
March 17, 2008 at 12:43 pm
So i was reading the comments and it seems like upgrading the PS will be a bit of a problem. I just ordered the MSI PS the comments were talking about and since its a BTX it should theoretically fit right? my question is that can the GT5404 fit micro-atx and btx?
Kevin said,
March 20, 2008 at 2:20 pm
The Video card i ordered was a:
EVGA 256-P2-N768-A1 GeForce 8600GTS SSC 256MB
So im just wondering if the MSI PS will be able to power this unit?
ty in advance,
Kevin said,
March 20, 2008 at 8:05 pm
thx so far for the answers, now..
i just pretty much need to kno since the power supply
i ordered only outputs about 18 amps on 12 volts
and the requirement on the card says about 26 amps on
the 12 volt rail, how will this affect my video card since it only requires 400watts while im running at 460?
Kevin said,
March 22, 2008 at 6:01 am
Do you know if its necesary if its required to disable the onboard graphics manually or does this computer override it once you put the video card in automatically?
anthony said,
March 22, 2008 at 7:22 pm
yes what the biggest proscesser that I can go with?
JT said,
March 24, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Im guessing that this powersupply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817812005
would be compatible with BTX standards for this computer to work on it
because it states on the specifications that its compatible?
JT said,
March 24, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Oh, and one more quick thing, this basically would also be
compatible am i right?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121003
Thank You so much in advance
Kevin said,
March 29, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I’m having a heap load of trouble with my new video card, is it an absolute requirement to have the video card directly connected to the monitor? or can u just leave it there and have it connected to the vga port on the comp?
Kevin said,
March 29, 2008 at 3:43 pm
alright heres the deal, of course i connected the card right into the computer and plugged in the 6-pin. then i put the case back and started the computer, but i wasnt sure if it was needed to have the monitor directly connected to the video card meaning yea the DVI port,
Greg said,
March 30, 2008 at 10:16 am
Will a EVGA GeForce 8800 GT fit in the GT5404?
Greg said,
March 30, 2008 at 10:17 am
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS
Greg said,
March 30, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Will this psu work with GT5404. Corsair 550W Vx Series ATX PS/2 Power Supply
Shane said,
April 2, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Hello there! My friend is currently asking for me to find him some upgrades for his gateway computer, which brought me here! Hes looking to upgrade only his video card and ram. Ive seen that power might be an issue with the upgrades so here is what I have selected for him so far.
Video Card – http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16814127295
Ram – http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820134384
Im guessing those two will work but I would like to run it by you first. Also since there seems to be no graphic card currently installed in this computer will there be the PCI express power cord on the power supply so it will all be a simple plug and play? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Oh and emailing me would be the best way to contact me.
Robert said,
May 8, 2008 at 12:31 am
I have a bit of a problem I was hoping someone could help. I have this Gateway GT5408 and I just ordered a new video card. Only after it had shipped did I discover that this system only has a 300w Power Supply. Now I need another one, and I have no idea how to tell if one will fit and work in this case. Can someone here who has replaced theirs(or just knows) please help me? Should also mention I added another 300gHD to it. So that will also be using power. Other than that, it should be pretty much same as it was when I bought it(unless having 4GB is information you need).