Gateway Profile 2

There's a rash of smaller form factor PCs on the market. Most of them are destined to sit on corporate desks due to their high price tags, but Gateway has a compact PC that won't break the bank.

The Profile 2 measures approximately 455 x 390 x 240mm. Gateway has managed to keep the size to a minimum by opting for a 15in TFT flatpanel display, rather than the usual bulky CRT variety. The real space-saving feature, however, is that it has sqeezed the computer itself into the screen's stand.

You might assume that such a small computer would be underpowered, but the Profile's specification, while far from the most powerful you can find, is plenty to run all but the most demanding applications. It is built around a 466MHz Celeron processor, plus 64Mb of RAM and a generous 13Gb hard disk drive that should meet most users' storage demands.

It has to be said that this approach to PC building has its drawbacks, as the Profile is essentially a 'sealed box' and we could find no way to access its internal workings even after we had undone all the screws we could find. If you prefer to keep your computer at the cutting edge by adding in the latest graphics cards, for example, perhaps the Profile is not for you.

All the components are built onto the motherboard, which is how Gateway has managed to fit a fully-featured computer into less space than a cereal box. But a Sysmark score of 160 proves its small stature isn't matched by slow performance.

Included in the bundle is a quad-speed DVD-ROM drive, plus DVD movie playback software and an on-board 56K modem. However, we would sound a note of caution if you are planning to use the Profile to watch movies - a 15in TFT screen may not be the best medium.

This is not, however, to detract from the quality of this particular screen, which is bright and clear, with a wide viewing angle. It would be a pleasure to work at, even if it cannot do full justice to DVDs and games. And by its very nature, it is part of what makes the Profile so slimline.

For less experienced users there is another advantage to opting for a PC that cannot easily be upgraded. Most computer problems are caused by novice users opening up their PCs and fiddling around inside. With the Profile there's no chance of this, so your computer should run faultlessly out of the box.

If expansion is important to you, all is not lost - there are three free USB ports, aside from the one taken up by the keyboard - the mouse attaches to this via a USB port on the keyboard. Indeed, the full-size keyboard is the bulkiest component in this PC, taking up more desk space than the screen and machine.

Upgrade addicts aren't the only ones who may be disappointed by the Profile: dedicated gamers would also be advised to steer clear. The on-board 4Mb Intel 810 graphics chipset isn't up to the 3D graphics necessary to play the latest titles, so we couldn't run our usual 3DMark graphics test. But 2D performance isn't a problem, so if you can sacrifice that extra dimension, then graphics are fine. It managed 23.5fps at a resolution of 1024 x 768 in our Quake 2 test.

Sound is another matter. There are built-in speakers and a headphone jack, but pump up the volume and you'll suffer tinny audio quality, with virtually no bass provided by the on-board SoundMax sound card.

Gateway hasn't skimped on software. The Profile comes with all you need to get started, including a copy of Microsoft Works and everything you need to get on to the Internet.

Contact Gateway 0800 552000