Budget notebooks have the stigma of being poor performers and having cheap designs. Gateway decided to break that stigma with the budget model Gateway MD Series. It sports the same classic, automotive-inspired design of Gateway’s MC Series. The edges and the lid have a brushed silver trim. It measures 15.3 x 10.4 x 1.7 inches and weighs a bit greater than 6.6 pounds. Around the notebook are several ports, including HDMI and an ExpressCard/54 slot. The reviewer noted that the keyboard was comfortable, though it provided a bit too much tactile feedback. The 15.6-inch 1366 x 768-pixel resolution display is bright and crisp, though it has a relatively small range of viewing angles. Instead of the edge-to-edge glass screen found on the MC Series, the MD series has an inch-thick bezel. The MD Series scored 3,051 during benchmark tests - right on target for the category average. On the other hand, it scored well below the average for graphics performance. The reviewer stated that the MD7801u’s standard eight-cell battery lasted a stellar 5 hours and 18 minutes. Despite having to trim some features from the MC Series, the MD Series still packs enough punch and endurance, making it a solid choice for a budget notebook.