Acer Aspire 5740G Owners Lounge

With power saving profile and LCD at the lowest brightness (it's still enough though) it lasted some 3h 30min while browsing via Wi-Fi.
Nothing really intensive just the usuall morning routine- websites, forum, e-mail and so on. Something got downloaded, something else got updated but no hard tasks, no flash videos etc.

 

oh kay..... so I decided to go with the INTEL X25-m 80gb 2nd gen SSD.
Best bang for the buck for the money.

My notebook is now hellavalot faster!
I can boot to win 7 within like 5 seconds.

I would highly recommend Intel x25-m 80gb or any good ssd for this notebook or any notebook.

 

HD Tune test screen would be nice to see if you wouldn't mind.
How much did it cost you?

 

First post got updated with Resident Evil 5 and Call of Juarez benchmarks and battery tests (real life and Battery Eater)
Sorry for double-posting.

 

k Ill do this tonight and post back.
Cost me 233 before taxes @ NCIX
Get it while it's on sale.

 

Just got the 6979, and so far it's alright. Downloading the Catalyst 10.3 because I've already seen the weird spots while on the internet. I have it on my lap and it's been on for about half an hour and it's very hot already. Only browsing websites, is this normal?

 

Oh, and what's up with the 96% available, plugged in not charging. ? Is that normal?

 

Yes. If you unplug a power cord and let the battery drain a bit and then plug in the cord again it's gonna fully recharge but it doesn't do that when it's almost full to protect the battery.
BTW there is no reason to do that- batteries last longer if not fully charged. There are even some applications that allow you to stop charging at certain point i.e. at 90% (these are model specific though)

It shouldn’t be hot but then again it depends on what you consider hot and what not
Use HWMonitor to measure temps and report back. We shall see.

 

Thanks. It cooled down after the first hour for some reason. I mentioned getting the weird pink dots on my screen before, then I downloaded the ATI driver and haven't seen them since until literally just now when I clicked on these forums lol. Any suggestions? (If i click on the taskbar they go away immediately but still annoying)

Also just now I was using Google Chrome and all of a sudden it froze, had the speckles of pink right next to my cursor, and I had to hold down the power button to reboot. Anyone know what that could be?

 

my laptop should be arriving tomorrow or the next day. i'll post some impressions.

 

No idea. Run some 3D tests. If there's a GPU/VRAM problem it's more likely to kick in during those. Also try another browser, use Flash 10 instead of 10.1 beta (or the other way around if you already use 10.0 )
If there is a problem you need to be able to pin-point it so that Acer support has no way out of this- so you need a set of circumstances that is going to cause this problem every time. It's also possible that it's a mixed issue- Flash + GPU drivers used for hardware encoding + certain browser- that's why I recommend trying different Flash versions and browsers.

This notebook have had no video BIOS update included in 1.16 BIOS unlike Aspire 5942 that had video BIOS updated for HD5650. Maybe there's sth wrong with memory timings on some units?
There are surely different memory chips used on different units as the overclocking results show. There's no way the same memory chips with the same cooling system can go up to 900MHz in one notebook and 1100MHz in another.

 

Lol 3D tests showed nothing, and running TF2 on mostly high settings runs perfect (weird thing is that the pink dots will flash when I spawn like once every 50 spawns, but it doesn't effect anything and lasts <1 second). I'm pretty sure the crash was due to Chrome/Win7 64 bit.

 

hd tune pro wont run on my win7 64 bit home pc...

any idea?

 

I really don't know, all I know is I would be annoyed by that.
If nothing's showing in 3D tests it's most likely not the GPU/VRAM error.
Why don't you wait for next BIOS update and then decide if you wanna RMA or not.
BTW you did update your BIOS, right? (Sorry if I already asked you about that)

Try HD Tune Pro Trial. I didn't use the free one so I don't know if it works or not.

 

You mean the one that changed the battery stuff? Yeah. Also, played more TF2 and installed Sims 3. Both ran fine at high/medium settings. Haven't seen the pink dots in since a day and a halfish ago now. Weirrrrrrrrrd

 

Would also like to say that this is a very nice laptop. Only problem I've had with the build is that a few keys on the keyboard need to be pressed pretty hard (the down arrow). Other than that haven't experienced hardware problems.

 

Maybe sth is stuck there? Eating chips over the keyboard again, weren't you?
My keyboard works fine. Maybe try some canned air or whatever it's called to make sure it's clean?
BTW I actually like this type of keyboard very much- way better and easier to accustom to than I expected.

 

I will try the air stuff soon, but I tried every key right out of the box (lol I hate bad keys) and it doesn't feel like anything is underneath the down arrow. It's really odd because when you press it, it feels like it should work. For some reason you have to press it ALL the way down not like the other keys where you can get away with hitting them more lightly. Either way, not too big of a deal as I have gotten used to using the arrow keys that are on the number pad, which work fine!

EDIT- Nevermind forget the cooler, I just remembered my mom has a nice metal trey that will probably do the job.

 

This laptop doesn't really need a cooler- very nice quiet and efficient cooling system indeed- but it could surely use one. There's no such thing as too cool (pun intended )
I'm considering buying one myself- something made out of metal- Zalman and Cooler Master have something interesting to offer.
If anyone has a cooler for this laptop- please do a little comparison of temps with and without it. I don't really know if all the fuss is even worth it- how can you really make 71*C GPU any cooler?

 

Yeah I think my problem is playing games with it on my bed/covers lol. I'll try it tonight with the metal trey thingy.

And yes this notebook definitely doesn't need it but I just want it to be completely comfortable and I don't feel like sitting up at a desk haha

ALSO- downloads, I wanted to say thanks because you've helped me out COUNTLESS times now and I have this nice notebook now all thanks to you if I could give you rep more than once in a row I would but NBF wants me to spread it around lol

 

No problem
I hope this notebook doesn't get discontinued in favor of 5741G with nVidia GT330M. It's the best bang for the buck deal and it would be a real shame if it all ended up like it did in Canada- over before it really started.
People need some reviews and good opinions before they make a decision.

 

What is the deflaut core clock of video card on this notebook ? is better a hd5730? and at how coreclock the video card is stabile as temperature?
i want to buy 5740dg , it's similar but have 3d.

 

weird, if I put my ear to the keyboard area I hear a high pitch sound..........like squeal, very high pitch, anyone wanna try for me and report back? lol.............seems to vary in intensity from left to right along the keyboard, more in the middle area.........gotta put your ear right up to it, lol, wonder if this is cpu whine?!?!

 

Lotsa problems all of a sudden. Went to browse the internet in chrome, had my computer freeze after putting some pink dots on my screen, then the screen went black and had to hold the power button to restart. Then uninstalled chrome, installed firefox and had the same thing happen again. Now I'm using IE and it works. What's happening? lol I'm not sure if it has to do with the notebook, or just the browsers. Any input?

 

Your questions were answered in first post of this thread.

Can't be a browser issue- I use Firefox all the time and it works fine. Use GPU-Z to check what your 2D clocks are (should be 100MHz core, 150MHz VRAM) Try disabling Powerplay just for testing and run the notebook on full 3D clocks for a while.
Since your problems occur only in 2D and not in games it's possible that it may be 2D related. I still suspect memory timings or voltage but that's just speculation.

 

Anyone know some good places to get these in the UK ? The only place ive found -

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5740G_Laptop_LX.PMB02.001/version.asp

Wont have them in til at least mid-April. Any other recommended sites ?

 

I'm going to sell my notebook for the same price that i bought it for from nCIX which is like $890-895 after taxes.
Mint two weeks old and great working condition.

Reason for selling is i'm going to build a gaming desktop instead for my 3d sony tv.

I'll throw in a free coolermaster notebook cooler.
aluminum with two 80mm fans.

Vancouver 604 local sales only here.
Hit me up here or email me for faster reply [email protected]

 

I'm running GPU-Z and it ran at 100MHz and 150MHz like you said it should, but randomly it keeps spiking to 450MHz core and 749MHz memory, and now it seems to be back to normal. Does that mean anything?

EDIT-Just saw some blue and pink dots on my screen right as the MHz went way up. This time the core went to 550MHz and memory to 749MHz again. Also, it froze with the system still running but I didn't get a chance to see the GPU stuff. Now I'm installing a new driver that I read about in the "Acer 5740G issues" thread from last week. Hope it worksssssssssss

 

Did you change Powerplay settings in any way?
As I said you can test running card at full speed all the time or test another driver version (10.3 beta instead of 10.3a)
GPU changes clocks automatically for Flash video hardware decoding and other DXVA videos.
Try to disable "Enforce Smooth Video Playback" it in CCC --> Video --> All settings --> Enforce smooth video playback and revert to Flash 10.0 instead of 10.1 beta.

EDIT: Oh I thought you already tested both 10.3 beta and 10.3a...

 

I did I thought I installed 10.3 as soon as I got the computer. So i really don't understand anything lol

 

Well you just got another driver to test- 10.3 WHQL has just been released.

EDIT: Well- you don't get anything new. No Mobility Radeon support in the generic driver pack.

 

Just ran 3D Marks 06

3dmark SCORE:7194
SM 2.0 SCORE:2601
SM 3.0 SCORE: 3238
CPU SCORE :2661
MEMORY:3968

Didn't see anything unusual at all.

 

Just installed 10.3 beta (correctly this time I hope lol) Let's hope it works!

 

my laptop arrived today! i really like it so far. it appears to be running really cool, is very silent, and i have experienced no problems whatsoever so far. i am not seeing any artifacting and all the keys seem to be functioning as they should. i have no games to play on it at the moment but i am going to get mass effect 2 soon.

 

Still getting blue and red spots all over my screen then having it freeze with the new driver installed. Any help/suggestions?

 

Try disabling Powerplay for testing. Although I would think of contacting Acer support anyway- this is not normal and if device manager shows your driver version as 8.712 you have both current BIOS and drivers and a bonus-issue that was not supposed to be there.
If this issue is easy to recreate you shouldn't have any problems with warranty repair- in this case probably just another mobo installed as the GPU is soldered.

BTW can I ask the first six characters of your Broadcom LAN MAC address- I wonder if all the 5740Gs are made by the same company.

EDIT: BTW after you've run out of options just do a full system restore using Acer Recovery and do not update drivers or install anything- just see if the problem persists on a clean system

 

lol how do you find the lan mac address? And I don't know what powerplay is either, but I talked to Acer today, and got the normal diagnostic tests (battery and stuff) and when he finally understood my problem he told me to do a system restore.

Also, TF2 is unplayable now I get artifacts everywhere and then it BSODs.


I was hoping the new driver would work

 

Powerplay is the last option in the Catalyst Control Center- uncheck the "powerplay enabled" thing.

As for MAC address- use "WIN" key +R to bring up the command line and type in "ipconfig/all" then find Broadcom adapter on the list and copy first six characters of its physical address. These do identify the maker of the board the network chip is soldered to and since it's soldered to the motherboard- the actual maker of the laptop.

Or if you want you can find the maker yourself typing MAC here

 

Oh ok they are 00-26-2D.

 

Same as mine- means Wistron.

BTW you've managed in spite of my instructions- "WIN"+R does bring up "run" not the command prompt. Time to go to sleep and stop making mistakes like these- it's 3am in my time zone.

 

lol I was wondering why command prompt would pop up for a second and disappear.

 

Download, you rule for all your help!

I have a 5740g-6979.

First, do I really want to update my BIOS even though they warn not to without being told by customer service?

Second, when you say

do you mean the manufacturer of the laptop (Acer) or of the individual component (ATI etc)? In other words, can I go download ATI Catalyst 10.3 by selecting Windows 7 -> 64 bit ->Radeon->Radeon HD 5xxx Series PCIe
( this link below is that process's result)

Also, I have been having problems with playing Assassin's Creed on this laptop. It worked for quite a long time in the first level, but then it started to freeze up, while the sounds continued for about 10 seconds, before a total freeze where the screen goes black and the noise stutters constantly until I manually reset. This happens every time I try and play now within about a minute, though earlier it would take about 1-5 minutes before I got a little bit farther in the game. This was apparently similar to a problem tons of people had with this game when they used a illegal version of the game, but I have the legit Director's Edition that I bought and I use the actual cd, no no-cd hacks. I have tried turning off PowerPlay in the catalyst control center but it didn't stop the crashes. It did seem to run an extra 15 seconds before it crashed but it still crashed the same. I have run SpeedFan during the tests and temps are low (>30degC).
Any clues?
If I can update to the newest Catalyst Control Center instead of waiting for Acer to hand out the updates then I can test that to see if it fixes it.
Current versions:
Version 2009.1209.2335.42329
and 2d Driver version: 8.01.01.984
and Direct 3d Version: 8.14.10.0716 (That's not really directx 8 is it?)
Driver Packaging Version: 8.682.1-091209a-093221C-Acer

Edit: I am outputting to a Samsung Syncmaster
Second edit!: The game has no artifacting, runs at a smooth FPS at the settings I run (1600x1200 i think) and still crashes at even low settings and resolution.

Long enough first post for ya? ;D

 

I meant manufacturers of individual components. Most recent Realtek audio and Realtek driver for HDMI etc. and ATI driver from ATI website.
The link you provided is for desktop drivers. Most recent mobile drivers are here
I haven't played Assassin’s Creed yet so I cannot comment on it but ATI and Realtek most recent drivers should be the way to go before you try anything else.
As for the BIOS- as I wrote in the first post- I'd really recommend it as you may damage your battery if you let it drain too much.
Obviously you can skip it if you don't use the laptop on battery power but then again you have to remember about it all the time. It's not such a risky procedure- just be patient and have your laptop plugged in while flashing.

 

I just recieved my 5740g from UPS! It looks awesome so far. But I have a question, my notebook makes this slightly loud clicking noise when the fan starts to rev up, is this normal?
Do any of you hear this kind of noise when the fan starts kicking in on the left side?

 

I've never heard any clicking and I've had mine for 5 days.

Also, I've been using my notebook all day and haven't encountered any pink dots or problems! I hope it fixed itself...lol

 

Has anyone experienced a trouble connecting to your wireless internet? I can't seem to troubleshoot my connection.

EDIT: It had something to do with McAffee vs. Avast and not the laptop.

But I still hear this squeek or beep noise once when the fan revs up, I hope this is not caused by letting it drop when opening the box vertically

This also happens when the laptop starts up and the fan revs up for a couple seconds, I hear a sorta high pitch beep

 

i am really pleased with this laptop. i've yet to play any games on it, but i love the design and its functioning perfectly. really happy with my purchase so far.

 

One thing I have to point out is the loud beeping when unplugging the power chord from the laptop, this is quite disruptive and annoying.

The beep or squeek sound I hear from the fan revving up is another issue that I only seem to experience with mine :confused2:

 

Yeah the unplugging/plugging in beep is really annoying I wish it could be turned off. I wonder if anyone else has had the fan revving problem...I haven't heard of that one yet

 

Nope. Actually I hear sth too when the fan starts. It's not that loud or annoying so it doesn't bother me. It's been like this since day one.
The sound can be heard the moment the fan starts- it can be perfectly normal (or not) depend on how the fan is made (ball bearings etc.)

People seem kinda nervous so I've been already asked about sound made by PSU, high pitching sound under the keyboard and fan sound. I figure it's because these laptops are new and everybody is looking for any faults but let’s be cool. :wink: