Acer Aspire 5740G Owners Lounge

AFAIK H55 supports hybrid dual channel so your first 4gb will be dual channel and the last 6GB will be single.

 

AFAIK if the laptop has 6Gb (4+2) it will run Dual Channel in Flex Mode, that means it will use the first 2+2 and then the other 2 when it needs it.

So I´ve been told in here.

 

Hey guys, I ran 3dmark06 and got 7200 score. Idk if thats good for my system, its i5 520m, 6gbs ram, ati 5650, Catalyst 10.9. The weird thing is that on the score website it displays my gpu as being a ati 5750??? anyway...

 

It depend on the resolution you set in 3DMark06. Default resolution for demo/unregistered version of 3DMark06 is 1280x768. If you run the benchmark with resolution similar or higher than the default, the result looks good (in the range it was supposed to).

 

Yeah, its on that resolution. And Idk if the 10.9 catalyst is the best driver for the 5650? Also, by the looks of it, this gpu is not mxm right? thats a huge turn off...

 

Actually the default is 1280x1024.

If your monitor can't do this then it will go lower but your score will not be a default benchmark.

If it was 1280x1024 then that score is very good, if it's 1280x768 then it's a little low but not terrible.

 

Funny, I have 1920x1080 monitor & I can't get 3DMark06 to detect 1280x1024 as default resolution. LOL

 

yes it was 1280x768 as that is the max my screen supports. Also on a side note which catalyst do u guys recommend for the 5650? I hear sometimes the newest is not always the best performer.

 

Your LCD is maybe missing an entry supporting 1280x1024, but if you can manually select it then that is the default resolution.

 

My demo/unregistered version of 3DMark06 can't change the resolution. It stuck at 1280x768.

 

Have you tried connecting the monitor, turning off your internal display by closing the the lid and then starting 3dmark06?

 

Maybe something is wrong with my 3DMark06. Going to try reinstall it later.

Anyway, I was going to...

My external monitor support 1280x1024. I use 1280x768 as default since it is set by default on 3DMark06, at least on my computers. On your computer, you'll get 1280x1024 as default. So, I think there is no standard resolution with 3DMark06 benchmark. Notebookcheck use either 1280x768 or 1280x1024 when running 3DMark06 benchmark. I think it is best to say both resolution is standard resolution for 3DMark06 benchmark. 3DMark Vantage is an appropriate tool for benchmarking since it already have preset settings.

I won't say the score is little low since CPU score influence the overall score. Take your notebook as an example. It have X9100 @ 3.33Ghz processor, let assume it have ATI 5650 too, you'll get higher score than Madstrike's, maybe around 8000. 7200 on i5-520M (normal operating frequency is 2.4 GHz) + ATI 5650 + 1280x768 does look good. It will be much proper to post detail result (SM & CPU scores) instead of just overall score.

 

hey guys i was just checking something. I dont have a windows 7 copy disk, so I contacted the store and the guy said I can make my own with the acer recovery tool? Thing is, Idk how to make factory default disks of windows 7 using the acer software. If anyone has done it or know a tutorial for that id appreciate it as Id like to format the pc sometime, or at least its good to have such thing for backup reasons... Cheers.

As for my detail results Ive got:
SM 2.0 2588
SM 3.0 3237
CPU 2763

have no idea what SM means...

 

It seems acer has released a new model, 5742
some of its drivers could be useful.

- Chipset Intel Chipset Driver 9.1.1.1024 2.3 MB 2010/08/18

(this has been available on intel site, but i think download has not put it on his list at the beginning of the thread)

- AMT Intel Intel iAMT Driver 6.0.0.1179 5.3 MB 2010/08/18
newer

- Turbo Boost Intel Turbo Boost Driver 1.2.0.1002 1.1 MB 2010/08/18
this one is newer, too.

- VGA AMD VGA Driver 8.741.0.0000 241.1 MB 2010/08/18
well.. this should be older than official catalyst; but i get a 5.1 WEI with acer official drivers instead of 5.0... so ^^;

- VGA Intel VGA Driver 8.15.10.2125 77.4 MB 2010/08/18
newer

- ePower Acer ePower Management Applicazione 5.00.3005 9.7 MB 2010/08/18
this one must be tested; cant tell if it is actually older than 5.01.3002

- Turbo Boost Intel Turbo Boost Applicazione 1.0.186.6 17.3 MB 2010/08/18
newer

 

I don't know the exact description of SM 2.0 or 3.0. Shaders maybe. Anyway, SM 2.0 & 3.0 score are your GPU score. Looks good. Compare to benchmark result at the first post. Remember 3DMark06 result at the first post is with GPU overclocked. CPU score looks typical i5-520M score. So, basically your notebook performed as it should be. Remember this is synthetic benchmark. It doesn't show actual performance of the computer.

 

Yeah- SM is Shader Model- 2.0 is basically DirectX 9.0b and SM 3.0 is DirectX 9.0c. As for the score 7200 in 1280x768 is what HD5650 usually scores.
When I did a test at default clocks (but only once ) I also scored some 7200.

As for the drivers- Acer doesn't necessarily post newer drivers with new models- probably because some are made by Quanta and some by Wistron and both companies include whatever drivers they tested with the notebook.
So Acer ePower Management 5.00.3005 is going to be older than 5.01.3002

 

so is it fairly safe to overclock the 5650? good performance boost or just marginal?

also do u guys have any idea how to make the recovery win copy with the acer softwere?

 

It seems to be safe- temperatures are good and as for performance gain- you can see it in the first post of the thread 3DMark06 went to some 8400 in my case. Some people get even higher scores due to higher memory OC.

Launch Recovery Management located in C:\Program Files\Acer\Acer eRecovery Management and follow instructions on the screen to burn backup DVDs- you need 3 discs for Windows and an additional one for drivers & apps.

 

Oh ok, well the acer software looks pretty straight forward and user fiendly. It does say though u should make the recovery disk as soon as possible... ive had my notebook for a month and a half already, and installed a few softwares. If I do the recovery backups now will it backup everything(like litterally)? Cuz if thats the case I might also get rid of a few freeware/crapware that came with the notebook before I make the backup.

 

umhm... about the drivers... dunno.
they could also be two different branches of the same program.. unfortunately the 5.00.3005 build has no release note in the package.

there's a *VERY* funny thing, though.
i've been trying to install the package on the desktop i'm using now; i just wanted to see if i could peek into the exe and have a look to the files it contains.
of course i got an error.
but the popup windows showing it reads... "PACKARD BELL POWER MANAGEMENT"

 

It does copy the content of a hidden recovery partition not your program files and windows folders. The reason why they want you do it ASAP is so you would make a backup before you manage to brake something

 

I thought the 10.9 catalyst driver is only for Desktops...or did they release the mobil version already?

 

And you are right- no 10.9 for notebooks and 10.10 is not out yet although I think it may be available pretty soon.

 

idk how to look which version i have...

 

open the CCCenter and go to information center...look for "catalyst version"...

 

Guys,

I've got HDD problem. Windows is not booting up. I've tried to reinstall Windows but to no avail.

I have double boot with UBUNTU and that is booting ok. I checked the SMART status from Ubuntu and it says some sectors are bad. And gives a Warning for Current Pending Sector Count (Here it says 4 sectors bad).

Please advice.

 

Back up your data immediately and RMA the notebook.
When sending it add a note describing the problem and possibly SMART status data.
That's unless you want to buy a HDD on your own and replace it.
BTW what's the HDD in question?

 

Western Digital 500 GB.

 

I formatted the c: drive and reinstalled Windows 7. Now it seems to be working. Could someone please check the SMART and say if the HDD need replacement.



Thank you so much.

 

SMART status is OK but this whole affair us a bit weird- you had 4 sectors pending reallocation yet now there are no pending sectors and no reallocated sectors either.
Monitor your SMART status closely for at least a month. You can also find an application that runs at startup and monitor SMART status displaying any changes as they happen. It might have been an application error or mistake on your part reading those stats but better safe than sorry- so get into habit of checking SMART status daily at least until your confidence in your HDD gets back to normal.

 

Hi fellas,

here I leave you with a modded desktop version of Catalyst 10.10, it will work no problem in our little machines and show quite an improvement in some games.

Credit to "starsay" from N3D forums for posting the link:

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

Also recommended to install this application profiles from AMD:

http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/crossfirex-app-profiles.aspx

 

When mi acer was like 1 month old i started having pending sectors count increasing every day(especially when i do HDD intensive tasks).It went over 60 i think.Then one day it couldn't even boot.I tryed to reinstall windows(which took like few hours just to get to the preparing the desktop for first use message.The HDD was totally trashed.I send it to the shop i bought it from and when they fixed it the told me they changed the HDD.So be aware it may be happening the same to you.

PS:It's the 640GB WD by the way.

 

Hi,

can someone tell me where, or how can I find this notebook service manual? I've searched it but I didn't found anything...

Thanks

 

Hey Downloads,

Thank you for your suggestions and advice. Really appreciate your help. Thanks again.

Will monitor SMART on an everyday basis. Hopefully there won't be more problems.

Cheers!

 

The build quality is definitely on the cheap side. Letters are just transfers not etched, the plastic is cheap and it looks budget. There is a gap between bezel and screen big enough to slide a thin bit of cardboard in etc etc.... If you are going to use it on your desk it's ok, if you plan to move it around lots - this might not be the laptop for you. You get what you pay for. It's not as bad as Acers from a couple of years ago, but it's definitely a budget laptop. The cooling design seems to consist of making the case big enough to accommodate a reasonable amount of airflow, not much in the way of fancy heat pipes etc here ;-) This works to our benefit as it means that components stay cool and you can get decent overclocks without cooking the laptop, but it does make the case unnecessarily big and bulbous. The worst thing is the keyboard, compared to Apple or Lenovo laptops it's atrocious for touch typing, not a problem if you are a slow typist or want it for portable gaming. The screen is low resolution making the text pretty grainy and not very suitable for heavy duty design work, BUT, it means that the mid-range GPU can keep up decent frame rates at native resolution. Additionally, lack of eSata/firewire/usb3 makes transferring large amounts of data annoying if you can't use the built in gigabit ethernet. Lack of express card slot means you can't redress this.

Personally I'm happy as I got it as a second machine to do a bit of gaming on, I'd never use it as my primary work machine however.

P.S. Sorry, I know this is answering an old question, but I was asked this by someone today and I lost their email. I told them to check this forum out, so hopefully they will see this. Not trolling, just expressing my opinion.

 

You said you lost their email but managed to ask them to watch this forum. What ever your excuse is, this is definitely trolling. You replied to a post that is already replied or answered a long time ago. BTW, just expressing my opinion.

 

Hello

Since a couple of months I own a Acer Aspire 5740G laptop. Recently, there was a change in behaviour when using the mouse wheel of the usb mouse I'm using. I used to be able to scroll through web pages with it, but now the mouse wheel seems to be connected to the volume control of my laptop. When I use the wheel, the volume goes up or down and I can't use it for scrolling anymore (I still can use the touchpad for that). I did not change this on purpose and I cannot remember any action that could explain this behaviour. I would like to get rid of it. Does anyone here know how I can turn this feature off?

 

@pindakaas, look in Mouse Properties in Control Panel. Look in Wheel tab. See if it have an option to restore back to normal function. If you installed any mouse software, you might want to check it too.

 

@kizwan, Thanks for your quick response. I did not install any mouse software, just plugged it in and it was ready to go. When I look in the mousewheel tab it shows only options to adjust the speed of scrolling. No options regarding the function, unfortunately.

 

Cooling system is typical consisting of heatpipes too. Due to the size of the notebook it has a pretty big radiator at the end of the heatpipe which helps a lot. I haven't seen a notebook without heatpipes for years neither did I ever see a fancy cooling system.

Whether you like the keyboard or not is always the matter of preference although saying that it's good only for slow typists is a low blow. Why don't you just say you can't type on it fast instead of making a claim that in fact means "if you say it's good- you can't even type fast"?
I work on this notebook and routinely create long documents (up to 70-100 pages) and I have no problems with the keyboard. It took me probably a week or so to get used to it but after that I’m fine with it.

 

@pindakaas, the mouse behavior is very odd considering you didn't install any mouse software. Sorry, I can't help you.

 

LOL, you seem to think friends only talk to each other through email. You know if you hang out with people in meat space you can just vocalise.

 

ok, well thats the thing, what says in there is this:
Catalyst Control Version 2009.1209.2335.42329

so im still wondering what version it is, can u guys help me? Also what would be the optimum version? 10.3?

 

LOL, this definitely contradict with what you have wrote earlier. Now you mean you can contact them?

 

I edited a post (and a quote in a reply). Please keep in mind that the general rule is- if what you're writing is appropriate thing to say to a 7 year old it's OK to post. No more of this please.

 

I think you misunderstood my post. This machine uses absolute minimum of hardware to dump heat, it get's away with it because of large case size with room for decent airflow. There are a lot more powerful laptops that are a lot thinner - they are also a lot more expensive. I don't have a problem with this, but if you are going to carry this beast around it's something to consider.

I'm surprised to find anyone defending the keyboard, everyone who's tried mine has gone "?" Sure, you can get decent speed on it with practice, I can too, but given a good keyboard you'll get even faster speed and less fatigue. I churn out research papers regularly, you notice a difference at the end of the day.

Looks like I'm not alone in this, did a quick reality check online to make sure it's not just me, this is from Anandtech:

- Acer Aspire AS5740G-6979: Budget Priced but Great Gaming - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

I couldn't say it better myself. It's good value, but at this price range, you are going to have to make compromises.

My bad, been up too long trying to get work finished before tomorrow - this is me procrastinating. I thought I'd be able to just get away with that joke, apologies.

As you seem to really need the details of my life spelled out. I met a friend in the department for coffee this morning, they were wondering about suitability of the laptop for work as she's seen me lugging it around. Told her to check this site out and promised to send her some thoughts on it and some alternate suggestions. There happy now? Also, I had a short black and Kat had a flat white. Enough?

 

It's the original one- the one your notebook was shipped with.
As for the drivers- use the most recent ones unless there are known problems with them concerning a game you are playing.
If you don't want to update every month you may just read release notes to see if there's something that may interest you in the most recent release.

-----------------------------
consolation
I did understand your post but "This machine uses absolute minimum of hardware to dump heat" part doesn't make sense.
The cooling system has all the ingredients all other cooling systems have it's no more and no less sophisticated than any notebook. Apart from using the same components and technology other notebooks use it's also very efficient- so what are we discussing?

Keyboard according to notebookcheck:

source

 

The vents are placed near the heat sources and air gaps used to move air around. Compare it to say a macbook, there's no vents at the bottom (actually apple haven't had any there for about a decade) where they can be obstructed / suck dirt in - the intake & exhaust are protected by the screen hinge. To move the heat, there's a reasonably complex system of heat sinks and pipes with air being forced by a very specific route. There are other laptops using variations on this system. In our Acers the intakes are where they are most convenient from engineering point of view and there's an air gap around the logic board. It's a simpler, less efficient system that works by increasing the case size.

We will have to disagree on the keyboard. I'm glad it works for you, horses for courses and all that ;-)

 

I'm glad you brought that up actually. Aspire 5740G uses the same chassis and keyboard as 5738G and virtually the same keyboard as 5820TG and few other Acers so it would be good if people took a trip to the store to see if they like it before buying online.

 

LOL, you missing a point here. You wrote here earlier that someone ask you about the build quality but you lost their email. I understand this part but I really lost when you said you did ask them to watch this thread. Doesn't make sense at all since you've lost their email. LOL. Based on the original post, how can you expect me to know you can get in touch with them (other than email).

@consolation & @downloads,
Yes, we can agree & disagree. I didn't put much thought on Anandtech or notebookcheck review. They tend to be bias. Just like watching Top Gear, although I still like watching it. Comparing 5740G with a macbook is not fair at all. The price for both machine also different which of course macbook is more expensive (compared with macbook which have almost similar configuration). If I remember correctly, there is one macbook have heating issue. My friend have it. While he is using it, sometime it suddenly shutdown. When I look to the temperature, it doesn't overheating at all but it still suddenly shutdown whenever the temperature just little bit high. This show macbook is not perfect too. My friends have lenovo notebooks. I can't remember which model but definitely specification is good. Unfortunately, all of them have problems. Lenovo also have some quality issues. What I'm saying is there is no point come here & say this bad, that is bad, unless you have constructive idea (to the owner) on how to improve it. If you want better quality get more expensive notebook, pay more. Before buying any notebook, as far as I know, people can see the notebook they are going to buy & of course test it first. If they don't like it, they don't have to continue buying it. I don't know if there is a shop in this world won't allow customer to "touch" their product before buying it. That will be absurd. Aspire 5740G is a budget gaming notebook, of course it have some weakness in the quality. Saying that it is a gaming notebook, I can see the reason why it have bulky design. Look at Asus G series or Alienware notebook, the casing is massive compared to multimedia noteboook. This design of course important for good airflow. Bad airflow means the GPU & CPU can overheat easily. Imagined you played, for example Starcraft 2, hours long. It will be stress the CPU & GPU a lot. Good airflow can cool down CPU & GPU faster. Multimedia notebook which have slim design, usually have similar specification with gaming notebook but it was build not for hardcore gamers. Of course the slim size make it more suitable for mobile because it is not too heavy. Suitable if you want to carry it around, for example, bring it to meetings. If you played demanding game on it, hours long, without cooling pad, it definitely overheat the CPU & GPU a lot compared to gaming notebooks. This show that there is a purpose why 5740G or any gaming notebook have bulky design.