Acer Aspire 5740G Owners Lounge

Wireless driver update:
Atheros 8.0.0.279 dated 17 January 2010 tested on Win 7 64bit.
Works fine on Atheros AR5B93
LINK

 

Both McAfee and Windows itself will start nagging you endlessly once your virus definitions go out of date.

 

Can you connect it to an external LCD and do a 1280x1024 test? That's the "default" resolution against which other 3dmark06 benchmarks are measured against.

 

Hi, I am also thinking of buying this, but after hearing about this pink dot problem, i am rethinking. Is there any one out there who has not overclocked, not updated the bios, and did not face any kind of problem at all(especially with display)? Just wanted to be sure that it is not a global problem..

 

Just update the drivers/catalyst and you will be fine.

 

I do overclock and I have updated the BIOS but I have never experienced any problems with stock BIOS (I didn't update immediately) nor with stock GPU clocks (I use OC onlu when needed).
As skyrot wrote- driver update seems to be a solution for those who have any problems. BIOS update however is important and you should do it- please refer to a second post of the thread.

 

hey guys, just bought this laptop. I was wondering is there a way to fit two HDDs into this? is there a service manual available?

I have a spare 80GB Intel X25M, and was thinking if I could connect it where the optical drive is (assuming it is using SATA bus)

i have something like this for my MBP, which I was wondering if I can adapt it for the 5740G: http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/...t_Code=OBSXGB-UNB&Category_Code=STORHDOPTIBAY

Thanks

 

5740G would use a sata optical drive. From the pictures it looks like a 12.7mm unit, so could use the ebay or newmodeus caddy shown in this thread.

 

hey nando4, thanks for the link. i think im gonna get one.
just wondering if you know if the Acer 5740G's optical drive is 12.7mm or 9.5mm?

can i take a ruler to measure this or where could I find this kind of info?

thanks

 

Images of the 5740G suggest it's a 12.7mm unit. However, to be 100% sure could do one of two things:

1. Device Manager may give some identification info on the optical drive, which you can plug into google to get specs including dimensions.

2. unscrew the optical drive, pull it out and measure the height on the back end. The back will look like this.

 

The only place that seems to still stock this (specifically the 5740G-6395 is what I want) in the USA is NewEgg for 850 dollars. TigerDirect/CompUSA had it for awhile, but now it's been out of stock for two weeks. I called and they claim they wont be restocking the 5740G-6395. I called ACER and they claim the model is definitely still in production.

Is NewEgg really the only place to get this? I really would like to pay a better price.

 

I've had the 6395 on backorder from CompUSA for the last ten days. Does this mean I'm out of luck and need to cancel my order? That would really irk me since it was listed as in stock when I ordered it.

 

If you ordered the item and it went through, theoretically they should get you the product. I'm very interested in the outcome of your situation. I'd let it sit till the start of next week. Either way, please come back and share your outcome, I'm VERY interested in how it goes.

Edit: Riles, if you are up to it, consider calling CompUSA (they have a 24/7 hotline I think) and asking on an ETA for your system. If they don't intend to ever get you the computer, that is when they'd tell you. They told me that they were not going to restock the product for future orders, but the customer service people may have been feeding me a load of crap.

 

is there a way to disable multitouch? my main problem with this laptop so far is accidentally zooming in on pages on the net.

other than that, no complaints at all about this machine. i really enjoy it and have had no problems whatsoever.

 

If I get the chance, I'll try calling them tomorrow morning.

 

This can be done in control panel/mouse/device settings/settings. Third option from the top.

 

Sorry for double posting but that's important enough.

New BIOS 1.22 is available. Updates ATI VBIOS (Discrete) & Intel VBIOS (UMA)

 

Hi all and thank you for letting me join your 5740 club.

I have been in the market for a laptop around the £600 mark with an i5 CPU. after allot of research my only viable choice seems to be the Acer 5740G.

I want to be able to play games as well as do my coursework for college, watch high quality movies and TV. I need a good all rounder really!!

I have narrowed it down to this version...

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-5740-04292082-pdt.html

This only has the ATi HD5470 which after reading reviews has worried me that this laptop wont be able to play games very well? Is this really the case? I'm not a massive gamer but I would like to be able to play games with fairly good quality.

Unfortunately I cant find a 5740G within my price range, that's in stock in the UK that has the ATi HD5650 so I don't think this is going to be an option.

Any advice on the above laptop would be very much appreciated before I spend a lot of money on Saturday.

Thank you!!!

Chris.

PS. Is it possible to buy a HD5650 and replace the HD5470 at a later date???

 

No it's not possible to upgrade GPU as it's soldered to the motherboard.
There's not much advice I can give you- not something you would like to hear anyway. Mobility HD5650 is way faster than 5470. I wrote in an earlier post that it's at least 50% which is technically true thanks to the "at least" part but game benchmarks show that 5650 is usually at least twice as fast as 5470.

There is a huge difference- as my OCed 5650 scored an average of 30fps in Crysis 1280x720 with high settings while the same notebook with non-OCed 5470 scored 10fps in 1024x768 with high settings.

BTW there's a review of 5740G with HD5470 on notebookcheck that you might wanna read.

 

I've just updated but my hopes for using the i5 VGA when not playing games vanished, the 5650 BIOS version doesn't seem any different. Does anyone notice any changes? Any idea what is the update for?

 

Yes I have read that review thanks. May have to look at the vaio then.

Is it possible to add the HD5650 to a 5740 with onboard Intel HD graphics?

 

No, as downloads said the VGA is a part of the motherboard and there isn't a slot to add a second one as on a desktop PC. The onboard Intel HD card is actually a part of the processor. Hopes this clears out things a bit. Bottom line: the VGA on this laptop is not upgradeable. It is only possible to overclock it (the 5650 has a good overclocking margin, I don't know for the 5470).

 

Can someone post back using the new 1.22 BIOS that adds the new VBIOS? I would like to know if there is any noticeable impact, and also can you still overclock the GPU?

 

I have scoured the Internet extensively for the last two weeks and for the UK the 5740G-434G50mn seems to be the best I'm going to get for my £600 with dedicated graphics and an i5 CPU.

I would be quite happy to have a smaller HDD and less memory and be able to afford the better GPU as I can always upgrade the memory and HDD but there just isn't the choice in the UK. Sony Vaio yes but you have to wait 5 weeks for delivery and I need one now.

Disappointed really there isn't the choice.

 

Could you post GPU-Z screenshot?

 

have you looked at ordering from the US or even canada?
i'm sure that even with expedited shipping you could find what you want at your budget costs! worth checking it out in anycase there is even one member who posted he was selling his laptop as well.

@downloads - thanks for the bios link!

 

hey guys, had this laptop for one day.
just wondering if you guys noticed if the LED screen seems too "blue".

I was wondering if anyone know how to calibrate the display using the built-in windows display calibration tool. I ran through the wizard, and adjusted the blue slider down a notch- I can immediate see that the grey colors are much more neutral now w/o a blue tint to it.

But I was wondering if the settings are saves and activated? b/c it seems my display changes back to the default color profile after im done with the calibration tool. Where and how do I select my own profile for my display?

This kind of stuff was so much intuitive and easy in Mac OS X...

Thanks

 

Hi, yes I have thought about it and have found the exact lappy in the US but I'm worried that it will be stopped at customs and I will have to fork out import tax and VAT at 17.5%. The chance you take when ordering from abroad.

 

It depends on the exact currency exchange rate but if I was to pay $750 + 17% VAT it would be more or less the same as £600. And provided the GPU us twice as fast...

 

Heh this is ironic because I could never get OSX to auto-load a calibration profile and had to do it manually every time I started up. In the Win7 Color Calibration menu you need to set the calibration profile you created to default. The best advice I could give you would be to buy a cheap color calibration device and calibrate your display using that. It will generate a calibration profile that I know can be set to default when your system boots.

 

So what temperatures are you guys getting?

Usually I get from 30º-40º +- in idle/using only browser, msn etc and around 45º-55º while gaming (heavy stuff, mind you ) and keeping all those programs open (browser, WLM, msn, etc).

Those temps are taken with Everest. With Speedfan it says it's around 23º-27º in idle lol

 

Hey, sorry that is the part i can't figure out. i'm not very familiar with the windows color management stuff and what they mean, could you be kind enough to tell me a step by step thing or point me in the right direction?

it seems that after I run through the color calibration wizard, and click "finish" I can't seem to know if the settings sticks or just reverted back; and after i restart my computer, my screen looks blue again.

thanks

 

also on another note, does anyone have a service manual or a walk through on how to open the computer up? I want to get the optical drive out to measure it and replace it with a HDD caddy so I can add my 2nd hard drive.

I have absolutely no use for the optical as i have like 3 USB externals lying around...

I have so far tried to take out all the screws on the bottom, but it seems like the bottom of the case is still attached somewhere. Feels like i can just use my computer without any screws at all!
also besides the hard way of taking the bottom off, is there an easy way to remove the optical? it seems like this laptop do not have the modular bay setup like those dells and lenovos have...

 

Using HWMonitor, I'm getting about 44 and 49C on the CPU (i3) while idle and 50 on the GPU (5470)

Under load, about 65 on the CPU and GPU

 

Same on mine, I am not sure about which temp is the collegue talking about. Btw mine i5 spikes to 70-71 C when turbo boost is on. I've attached the screens with the new BIOS. If anyone has any idea of the changes and whether they include switchable graphics and how let me know please . Btw it is working on Aspire TimelineX 5820T

 

Service manual for 5740G can be bought online for $10 but seems to be unavailable for free yet. There is a free solution though- 5740G uses the same chassis as 5738G and service manual for that model can be found online.

Thanks for the screenshot. VBIOS is indeed new. No idea what it changes but it may be worth a try. There’s a leaked Catalyst 10.5 version with Intel VGA drivers included so it's possible that integrated GPU will not be enabled until ATI and Intel drivers can make transitions properly and ATI seem to be working on sth connected to this. Does TimelineX 5820T use the same chipset and HD5xxx?

 

Well, it is not really certain for the chipset, the VGA is the same, my info is from the Tech spec for the model from the Acer website and it says specifically that it supports switchable graphics. I'm testing the new beta drivers, I will post some info as soon as I have some.

 

First press releases about 5740G stated the same thing. So far Intel HD Video is switched off by BIOS and shows as disabled in Everest.
It's possible that they will enable this as soon as everything works fine and is supported by drivers but it is also possible that this feature is going to stay disabled. After all 5740G is a bargain as it is and Acer may not want to cannibalize its own sales of more expensive laptops.
As for Cats 10.5 nothing good to say about them- 3D Mark 06 score went down, Stalker Call of Pripyat framerate hasn't changed, GTA IV lost some 2fps. Nothing interesting so far but that's just a beta (and probably an early one)

 

Well I've just installed them and I have an icon in the start menu saying switchable graphics but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. Do you have the same icon, does it work?

 

I've tested 10.5 beta with 1.16 BIOS so it cannot be compared. Is there a BIOS option for switchable graphics? If there's none I doubt it would work.
Can't help you with it as I don't intend to update to 1.22- 1.16 works fine GPU overclocking and Powerplay work fine too. I'm gonna stick to 1.16 until (hopefully) new BIOS update enables Intel HD video (or until I get bored and feel the need for more testing )

 

Haha, I know what you mean. That's why I do it. Powerplay works normal, haven't tried overclocking it. Nothing to turn on in the BIOS. But that icon bugs me. I'll try to reinstall the drivers after unistalling them first( I was lazy and just updated the the last time). You didn't answr though do you have that Switchable graphics icon? And have you tried the Unigine 2.0 benchmark? If so could you write some fps for comparison.

 

I didn't answer because I don't remember exactly did I have this icon or not and since 10.5 beta had worse performance than 10.3 I have reinstalled 10.3
The only thing left is the new HDMI Audio driver as it is more recent than what Realtek has to offer.
By Unigine 2.0 you mean Unigine Heaven Benchmark 2.0?
I did test it but it scored lower than in the previous version so I didn't like it.
I may run it again but I refuse to do so without OC. The score is bad enough with it enabled. Any preferred settings?

 

No, just the default settings and info about the clocks used.

 

Heaven Benchmark 2.0
Settings: DX11, sharers high, anisotropy x4, anti-aliasing off, full screen.
Tested with two resolutions and tessellation on and off for each.

1365x768
Tessellation ON: avg 13,9fps
Tessellation OFF: avg 20,3fps

1024x768
Tessellation ON: avg 16,5fps
Tessellation OFF: avg 25,3fps

Drivers Catalyst 10.3 WHQL
Frequencies: Core 670MHz Memory 900MHz

 

i have read a few posts on different forums in regards to faults and problems. has anyone on this forum experienced this? the price is quite appealing.

 

What problems exactly? We've had few people with graphics artifacts that have vanished after driver update (in three cases) plus there's VBIOS update available now. Luckily nothing else so far.

 

yeah i think that was it. cant remember.

if no major hardware probs i think i will grab one.

 

yeah the people who experienced problems were able to solve them via software and firmware updates.

the performance is awesome and its a very good laptop otherwise. its easily portable with 2:30-3:00 hours of battery life with the right settings and the video card can be overclocked reliably without any firmware hacks or anything else.

 

this baby is capable of getting better battery life at minimal settings,

i'd like to also note i am still using the default shipped video drivers with no problems at all

 

Used the default video drivers for a while, but already update. No difference in performance though, at least noticeable.

Which isn't really an issue because I run perfectly every game that I have interest in lol

Still worried that it gets high temperatures though, but so far so cold