Poway, Calif. — Gateway Computers last week added CompUSA to its retailer list and expanded its existing partnership with Office Depot.
Gateway desktop PCs began hitting CompUSA late last week, including the new 500GR and 550GR. Both PCs were developed specifically for the retail channel.
CompUSA joins Best Buy as the two newest Gateway retailers. Office Depot and Costco have carried Gateway-branded SKUs for several months. Office Depot had carried only a few notebook SKUs, but under the new deal it will pick up the just announced desktops in its 867 stores.
The 500GR and 550GR have essentially the same specifications. The 500GR is powered by an Intel Pentium 4 530 chipset with HyperThreading technology, 512MB of DDR memory, 200GB hard drive, dual format/dual layer DVD burner. The 550GR utilizes the 915G chipset and has an ATI RADEON X300SE 128MB graphics card. The former model will carry an $849 suggested retail price with the latter priced at $999.
In addition two Gateway branded flat-panel monitors will become available at retail. The 17-inch FPD-1750 and the 17-inch VX-750 CRT are now available with respective suggested retail prices of $499 and $169.
Gateway would not say how many desktops would be offered through CompUSA’s 226 stores. At this time only desktop systems are expected to be offered, although Gateway’s deal with Best Buy has that retailer adding notebooks this fall.
Gateway introduced models specifically for Best Buy, but the company would not say if this will happen with CompUSA. Gateway also declined to give out product specifications or price until the models are formally introduced.
