The low, low price of the Gateway Ultra Slim GWNC21524 might seem too good to pass up for, say, your child's first laptop, but lackluster build quality and a poor screen emphasize its budget roots.

The $799 Gateway Creator multimedia laptop has no deal-breaking flaws and a quirky component and connectivity mix. We'd like to see double the storage and memory before giving it a second glance, however.

The Gateway name returns in the underpowered Ultra-Slim, a desktop-replacement laptop that needs more pep, more slim, and a better build to compete in 2020.

Gateway's GWTN156-3BK squeezes advanced 10th-gen Core CPU and RTX GPU parts into its $999 shell, but the noisy fans and meager storage detract from the experience.