Acer build quality

Hi guys,
I'm looking for a portable laptop with some gaming capabilities and found a deal for an Acer Aspire AS5739G-6959 with Intel Core 2 Duo T6600(2.20GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M.
For the price I found it, the laptop looks perfect. But what about the build quality?
I own an HP and an Asus. The HP is about 1.5 years old and never had problems with it, in spite of some reliability surveys say that HP has the most failures. I also have a gaming laptop - Asus G71GX which is not very reliable, but the same surveys say that Asus is the most reliable notebook.
So I'd appreciate it if you can share some thoughts about the build quality of the Acer notebooks. Would it last for at least couple of years. Thanks in advance!

 

I have an Acer 5920G (T7300, 8600GT, 2gig ram) that is two and a half years old .. I have not had a single problem with it. Last week my son knocked a cup of coffee all over the keyboard and it totally died so I started looking for a new laptop but last night I decided to try the Acer one more time and to my total surprise it booted up fine. I am using it this second to reply to your question.

Bit gutted really as I wanted a new laptop

 

Owned this Aspire 6920G since May 2008 - no build quality issues to speak of, and only one hardware issue (that we eventually sorted out).
Before it, I owned a TravelMate 3252 that lasted two years of roughing up and general muckery, no problems.

And that "survey" you're quoting has been thoroughly debunked - it was from a company that profited from selling extended warranties, so of course they're going to say that reliability of a given system is garbage!

 

I have an Aspire5610z bought in June07 and still going strong, I have upgraded the memory and the HDD and thinking of upgrading the CPU. I had no problems what so ever, it serves me brilliantly. I would rather spend money on this one than buying a new laptop.

 

I doubt the survey a lot, that's why I'm asking you guys - owners of Acer machines. Thanks a lot for the input.

 

I would say it depends on luck as well.
Accord to service manual for 1 model of Acer there can be varying parts.
So if you are unlucky you could get IMO lousier parts than if you are lucky.
Example:
If you are lucky you will probably get LG, Samsung LCD Panels if not you probably get AUO, CMOS ones.
You can id them in device manager.
For parts like motherboard and VGA Card they are standard no variation.
Great thing about Acer is they use MXM standards and No whitelist so upgrades are a breezy not sure if this capability is retainable with the new EFI firmware.

 

well, i am not as fortunate. I sometimes move my extensa 4620z, but since the battery life was horrible, it was only to the sofa or bed for a while. Then if I was close to the plug I would charge it there, or have to move back to the plug. I brought it outside of my house maybe 2 overnight car trips and 1 day to school. Nothing bad.

Unfortunately, the power plug got lose, and sometimes doesnt charge. It has to plug in a certain way to charge. Same with the headphone jack. Then the cd tray broke off, where the side piece fits flush with the computer. And I almost never use the optic drive. All wear and tear, except it wore without much use.

Then it started getting worse and worse with heat. It would get unbearable to use on my lap, even on a table. I ended up using a laptop cooler or propping it up to increase some airflow. This helped a little. But it was still slow, hot, and loud cooling fan.

Then the hinges broke. At first the side popped up, then both broke. One side broke the back case of the screen. So now it cannot support itself, and I must have it against the wall to use it.

Then the power supply broke. One day I picked it up with my hands (by the box, not the cable) Then it just shut off. I thought it came unplugged, but no. It just doesnt work. dead. the little green LED doesnt even turn on anymore.

Sure, lemons do exist. But dear god this is the lemon to end all lemons. The whole computer is falling apart. As much as I would like to get another acer, I just dont know if I can trust it to last me through college. And yes, this is the acer subforum, so I am prepared for everyone to say this is not reliable. But to make it up to you all, I am still looking at another acer.

 

Hey, that's your experience - no one here is going to leap down your throat for stating it and your dissatisfaction.
Extensas are meant as Acer's budget models anyway - Aspires might be a different story altogether.

 

I recently purchased an acer 5740g-434g64mn. It worked fine for the 1st couple of days and then wouldn't boot into windows without me pressing a key 1st. The unit was exchanged for a new one and I've had no problems since.

I have also had recent experience with a HP Envy 15 which arrived with a display issue. This was returned and refunded.

I think that all manufacturers have a failure rate. I think a more important issue is how they respond to and how quickly they respond to these failures. Also, make sure you deal with a reputable retailers should you get a DOA and need to return / refund.

 

Alright. I was just afraid some people would tear down on me for stating that. I have seen similar on other sub-forums, but in hindsight, it was because they all openly stated the computer sucked (such as the alienware m11x, before it was even released).

And really? I never knew that. Its good to know the budget line broke, and not their high end. I was looking at an aspire, but it seems to have the exact same power supply as mine, that broke. Is that just a lemon, and my computer was just on its way out anyway?

 

Well, I had a 8930G and it was just a horrible computer. In less than 5 minutes it became 90C, and then it began to lag in games. The computer was 100% new, and tried to clean the fans, and reinstall windows many times. Then I figured out, that I had "Throttle-problem",that means the computer begins to run at slower speed, because it is getting too hot. But at that time, noone had the solution for it, so I returned it, and got the Aspire 6930G, and it is a really good computer. No problems, it just works, and the most lovely thing about it - No THROTTLE . I have had it for about a year now, and it's still going strong

But prepare yourself for awful support at Acer. The support simply sucks, it's really horrible.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I think I'd skip on the Acer for now and go with another brand which has the same CPU, Nvidia 230M GT and a smaller 250 GB HDD, but is said to have a better build quality.

 

Fair enough - hope you're happy with the machine!