Gateway FX6860-UR20P Gaming Desktop comes with these specs: 2nd Generation Intel Core i7-2600 Processor 3.4GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology up to 3.8GHz, Windows 7 Home Premium, Intel H67 Express Chipset, 8GB DDR3 Memory, ATI Radeon HD 6750 Graphics Card with 1GB of Discrete Video Memory, 1.5TB SATA Hard Drive (Green Product - variable RPM), 16X DVD±R/RW SuperMulti Drive, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High-Definition Audio Support with 5.1-channel Audio Support, 10 - USB 2.0, 2- USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, USB Keyboard and Mouse, 43.0 lbs. | 19.5 kg (system unit only), 1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty with Toll-Free Tech Support, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, Microsoft Office Starter 2010, Norton Internet Security Trial.

Lightning fried my previous Gateway FX6831-03 last week, despite surge protectors and a battery power supply. AAAARRRGGGH! I replaced it with the FX6860-UR20P since they are so similar.

Im a photojournalist and quite like Gateways built-in multi-card reader and red glowing "racing stripes." This new machine also gives you the option of connecting to the internet via a WiFi card or standard Ethernet connection. Im using WiFi from now on; Im pretty sure the electrical surge that killed my old computer came in through the Ethernet connection.

The FX6860-UR20P contains a USB 3.0 card with two ports. This machine also sports TEN regular USB 2.0 ports on the back, front and top! You can nestle your MP3 player on the indented platform on top, right next to two USB 2.0 ports and a covered storage compartment.

This is an amazingly fast and powerful computer. It processes high definition video or rips through RAW files in Photoshop like they were JPEGs. It easily handles the latest high-end games. The Intel Core i7-2600 Processor and the ATI Radeon HD 6750 Graphics Card are both well regarded. Not bleeding edge, but far more power then almost anyone needs.

Drive Bays: I filled the two bay trays with a 1 TB Hatachi hard drive and the 1.5 TB drive rescued from my old Gateway machine. They both work great and gave me tons of additional storage.

People seem puzzled, but this tray system is quite simple:

1. Turn off the computer. Slide the front panel down. Pull the plastic tray out of the bay with the folding handle.
2. Fit the hard drive into the tray, flexing the tray slightly so the pins skewer the screw holes on the sides of the drive.
3. Gently slide the tray back in. Youll feel the drive engage the built-in socket at the rear of the bay. No tools necessary; all this takes about 60 seconds.
4. Power up the computer. You may need to format a new drive to NTFS. Thats it.

Personal Hardware Upgrades: I replaced the "SuperMulti Drive" in this machine with a Pioneer BDR-205 so I can burn and play Blu-ray disks. I also swapped out the generous 8 gigs of RAM in the FX6860-UR20P with the 16 gigs from the old machine. (Yeah, its overkill, but I already had the RAM sitting there.) Even loaded with all this extra gear, the FX6860-UR20P consumes less power than my old computer--about 100 watts as opposed to 140 watts. It also runs cooler and is dead quiet.

As usual these days, the FX6860-UR20P has no setup disks. The printed instructions are of the pathetic "dont use this machine in the shower" sort. Youll want to uninstall the bloatware and make your own disks and backups, of course.

Another note: there are NO open card slots available in the FX6860-UR20P. The sizable video card, WiFi card, and USB 3.0 card fill all the slots.

Note of warning: everyone says that Gateways customer support is worthless, but I figured it would be worth the risk. If I ever have a problem, Ill update this review.

This is a very powerful computer at a bargain price. Its even better than my old FX6861-03, which is saying something. Gotta give it five stars.