Acer Aspire 8930G Owner's Lounge

Thats good news i guess , for now maybe i have to buy a 9700m gt . how much does it cost? I contact Acer but they dont sell

 

it is very hard to get that card! you can try searcing on ebay. but i think you can also try the mobility radeaon 4650, this card is also ddr2 and it is faster then your 9600m gt. mxm-upgrade.com is selling this card for 200€ http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/Store_13.html try contacting them if the card works in you acer.

here you can see the specs of the mobility hd 4650:

http://www.notebookcheck.nl/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-4650.17602.0.html

 

In regards to over heating I solved all my ssystem problems by applying some proper thermal compound. I used Arctic MX2 (yes there is also an MX3 said to be better) which is actually rated better then AS 5. Before applying this I ntoiced my GPU on load was around 105C and idle about 70C. Once I redid the compound im now load about 75-80C a massive 30C drop!!

 

Cool !!

 

does someone know the pll number the acer aspire 8930g. I want 2 overclock my cpu with setfsb. but to do that i need the pll number

 

Not all, some have DDR3 also. Mine currently has the 9600m GT with 512MB DDR3 memory according to CPU-Z.

 

Are you referring to the color of the paste? When I reseated my video card, I used arctic silver for the paste, and so far my laptop has been running great.

 

I wasn't refering to the colour ... I used the same stuff as you, but I think I used too much!!

 

Yes i know that, but that guy has the 1gb version and that is ddr2

 

Guys, I just thought of something and found a few pages on it.
SiSandra software "says" that our motherboard has a socketed BIOS chip. I'm still doing a little reading on the matter, but would we be able to stick any chip in we want? Like a Phoenix chip!?
Problems solved? Like I said, I'm still reading up on this. Just thought it might be of some use!

 

Thankyou my friend from Spain, Works, confirmed.

You need stil a software from thepiratebay, not a loader but something that has to to with slic2.1

Requesting if you can post a one with VT enabled?

Regards

 

Hi, I'm having problems with overheating with my 8930G... When I start to game, or compress a large file, It automatically shutdown. Is very annoying. I installed RMClock and reduced the CPU voltage, and cleaned the fan, but nothing works!

Any idea?

Thanks

 

Didn't you fully remove the heatsink/fan and clean out all vents and reapply some decent thermal compound. Before doing this my laptop would shut down playing games randomly gpu was showing 105C on load now after the above im about 80C on load

 

I dont think that i will buy something that maybe it works. so i am trying to find 9700m gt 512 ram to trade it with mine 9600m gt 1024 ram and i will pay the diference.
Do you know anyone that wants to trade?

 

When i first bought the Laptop tha batery life was 2 hours 1 year later is 50 min.Is this normal? The use is watching movie SD resolution fullscreen

 

I have the exact same problem. I'm only surfing the Internet for a 2 hour physics lecture, and it now shuts off after 50 mins. It would be okay if I was on high performance but I'm not. Underclocked the graphics and on power saver mode. Thinking of buying a new battery i guess

 

I think we must.
By the way do you trade the 9700m gt with 9600m gt and 100e ?

 

Haha, no, mine came with the 9600M GT and I've been quite impressed with it overall. Unfortunately, my engineering apps don't max out the gpu, even though the system is supposed to "borrow" resources from the GPU when available resources are low. Still haven't gotten that transition right

I think, when I get the battery (when I get an internship) I'm also gonna spring for a cooling pad and the Intel Turbo Memory 4GB chip, so we'll see if that helps any.

As for the battery, I'm still trying to figure out how to fix it. The best way I've found is to disable the "Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery" in Device Manager. I've also seen an external battery charger that works through the USB. Kinda confused as to how that can work, but hey, if it works, I won't question it!

 

I got one of those from eBay at the beginning of the month and noticed very little in the way of a performance boost. After a week, the driver became corrupted and I kept getting BSOD, so I removed the chip and it's out of my laptop. If I uninstall the driver completely and put the chip back in it seems OK, but when I reinstall the Intel drivers back comes the BSOD. Mind you, I am running W764 - so maybe that's the problem?

If you want to give it a try, let me know and maybe we can do a deal?

 

haha yea
but no, i gotta wait to see if i get this internship/if i can afford a bunch of other stuff that i'll have to start paying for so it'll be a bit.

 

Depending on how you have used the laptop over the last 12 months (battery, ac etc not performance wise) then this could be perfectly normal. In an ideal world to increase your battery life you should charges it up fully and then use it off of battery untiul fully drained and then charge up again and repeat. The constant trickle charging and on and off ac power does degrade the battery life.

 

No problem. It's just this chip is sitting here gathering dust as I can't seem to get it to work. Anyone want to PayPal me $20 can have it. PM if interested, etc.

 

Hi,

Just got an 8930g real cheap and it works just great. Since I do multithread-heavy multimedia dev rather than gameplay (Photoshop, 3DS Max, Maya, After Effects, etc.) The Q9000 is the better choice for me than the X9100. I plan to upgrade to the 9800m as well but that's still up for grabs since the 1GB 9650 looks attractive at the moment.

I do have a few questions to ask and I hope you can help me here:

• I'm upgrading to a 64-bit Win7 for obvious reasons (Multimedia Development), has anyone have any success in installing more than 4GB of RAM?
• Does the 8930 have two drive bays as a fellow told me at the store?
• With the 1.20 BIOS upgrade, does it have additional support for any quad cores other than the Q9000?
• Can't seem to find 9700M MXMs, any other sources other than eBay and Amazon?
• Anyone have any luck overclocking the CPU?

Do appreciate any help you can give... cheers!

 

1. The 8930g is locked at a 4Gb limit via the BIOS, I believe. I think this was confirmed in this thread somewhere when someone spoke to Acer about it. Of course, I've been waiting for someone to actually try it and see if there is a limit, but it hasn't happened yet.

2. Yes, there are two drive bays. To install a 2nd drive it is just a matter of removing the cover and sliding the new drive into place. It is a five minute job, if that.

3. Don't know. Acer never reveals what changes are made in their BIOS updates.

4. Have you tried looking at mxm-upgrade.com. That site gives lots of information about MXM boards

5. I don't think anyone on this thread has tried because you need the PLL number. IMHO, overclocking laptops is a waste of time when you factor in the increased heat and the liability of the system not being able to cope with even a slight increase in heat. If you do it, plenty of cooling, etc!

 

Hey, iv been reading through the pages here for a while now and im finally think im ready to upgrade my 8930G, but just wanted to check to make sure im getting the right stuff. My current specs are:
18.4 inch screen
vista home premium 32 bit
intel core 2 duo T6400 2.0GHZ
Nvidia 9600M GMT 1GB, upto 2.2GB with turbocache
4GB DDR3
320GB HDD
Bluray
Blutooth

From what iv ready i believe i can only change the processor, the HDD and the OS, which is fine as everything else is good. I've not really looked into HDD's yet as I’ve still got a fair bit of room left, so that leaves the processor. From what I’ve read on here the best one i can get, and the one which most people have gone for is the x9100. can someone just check this for me and make sure that’s the right one, and that its the final retail version as opposed to the development type ones (forgot their proper name) INTEL CORE 2 EXTREME MOBILE X9100 3.06GHz/6MB/1066MHz SLB48

Also theres the OS. Is it worth upgrading to windows 7? I brought the laptop during the promotion for the free upgrade, i don't know if i can still claim it though. Any help you guys can give me would be great thanks

 

Hi Damebag,

Yes, that's the correct X9100 - the same one I upgraded my 8930g with, but I went from a T5800 to the X9100 and it was an impressive burst of performance.

As for Win7, I would say it is an essential upgrade. I'm a big fan and I'm using the 64-bit version. It's lightyears better than Vista.

 

I am running 7 64-bit, and have discovered the dark side of 7. There are some battery-killing problems associated with the OS. I still haven't found a legit fix for it, so if you're not going to be mobile a lot, I would [unfortunately] stick with vista *shudder*
but if you're like most of us here, electrical outlets will become your new best friend!

 

Couple tips for you my friend.

I just sold my x9100 because in my 8930 it got to hot after 4, 5 hours of intense use.

You cannot simply upgrade to the q9000 because it depends on the motherboard you have if you can place a quad core in there. Motherboard types which support the quad cores are listed here somewhere. You could be lucky but seeing you also have a t6400 (I had one installed stock) I think it will not work. I currently have a P9700 (lower thermal footprint) and I'm very happy with it.

Yes, the 8930g has 2 drive bays but no raid support.

Nobody tried to install 8GB as far as I know but feel free to try and post the results.

Regarding GPU I also tried a 9800m gtx and it didn't work. The thermal footprint is higher than the MXM slot can provide. This is due the fact that the 8930g is only MXM 2.1 type III and ALL 9800m's are MXM 2.1 type HE (they have extra power connector). Make sure you can return the card if you are planning to get one. Personally I would go with the ati 4650 they have for sale on mxm-upgrade. It has a lower thermal footprint and in real life it preforms better than the 9700m gt.

Be sure to take this in consideration because if you go with a q9000 (probably will not work) and a 9800m (also probably not working). If for some reason it works it will seriously overheat if you leave the cooling stock.

I'd say go with the P9700 and a ati HD 4650 and you have better performance and longer battery life. And you could always let us know if 8 GB works

 

I hear ya, I am now down to 60% capacity, it just keeps dropping.

 

I think you are being unfair about the battery use. After a while these cells lose their potency anyway and so if you want to use the laptop primarily for mobile use, I would advise buying a new battery after a year.

As for the X9100 overheating, I've not had any problems - though I have my 8930g on most of the day as a desktop replacement powered by the mains.

 

hi spaanplaat, did you already send your notebook to mxm upgrade

 

Not trying to pick a fight here, but my buddy got a Dell 17" the same time I did. Same battery chemistry and everything. Even manufacturer (strangely. I'm not so sure how reliable the printing is on the batteries). His life is still at 2.5 hrs. Given, his is a smaller lappy size, plus he still has Vista HP on it.
Again, not trying to butt heads here, but maybe it'll give my perspective.
Cheers

 

I don't want to fight anyone!

My experience of laptops and batteries is that after a year their performance tends to tail off and the more you charge these batteries (despite what the manufacturers say) you will see this happen. Whether or not using Vista over Win7 will improve battery performance is another matter entirely.

 

Haha, Touché, sir
I'll be getting a new battery, for sure now!

 

Hi, so far I've got seven acer win7 laptops, so far, two of them are for my own personal use. I've not noticed any deterioration in battery life since installing win7. I've not seen any other references to 'an issue' either here or on any other forum, yet either ;-)
Chris

 

you can use the windows 7 command line tool powercfg to find out some stats on your battery.

Use the command "powercfg -energy". It will tell you about your current battery life, and how its total capacitance has depleted.

Shaun

 

How long have you had them?

Okay that's very odd. My name is Shaun too! :laugh:

 

Hi, varies, from a few weeks to about a year, my main school laptop, a 5920G. Still seems to e giving me as much as it did from new when it originally Vista on it...
Chris

 

I'm gonna go ahead and assume they're at different volts etc. Maybe it's just the 8930g battery :-/
Either way, still trying to fix the prob. The command line didn't really help either, btw,

 

Okay, so, little bit of advice. NEVER accidentally step on the cord going to the laptop...
Accidentally stepped on it yesterday, and the cable split open, and the inner insulation split open too, and the two beams crossed... ... and everyone at my table got shocked to the point of them either jumping out of their chairs or falling out HA. good times...

 

If there is any Acer user who has compared screens between Aspire 8930G and 8935G, is there any significant difference?
I have read that surprisingly the 8930G has a gamut of 90%, while the newer 8935G has only 60%.

Also, does anybody use the 8930G for post-processing of photos (Raw in Lightroom/Photoshop) ?
If yes, is it a good laptop for processing photos?

Thank you very much!

Aldo

 

Upgraded to Q9000. Using it for CS5 Master, DxO optics and Lightroom. I do this while on the road since I do a lot of on-site work. The 8930g is a very fine workhorse for posts and videos (especially with dual hard drives) and the 1GB on the 9650M works fab on my Dualhead2Go triple monitor setup. All I'm doing now is saving up for the Ethos...

I'm not so sure about the gamut range but I'm still confident it is high.

Cheers

 

My acer 8930G will not boot! it goes past the insyde h2o screen and then just flashes "_" on and off constantly till i power it off, I cannot choose operating system ( I Dual boot ) and I can't boot from CD what do i do?

 

If you can get into the bios you need to set the dvd-rw as the first boot device , and then if you have a windows install dvd you can do a startup repair from the install options.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html

 

You would press F2 at startup to enter the BIOS and change the sequence in the BOOT tab

Failing that remove the HDD and see if it will then boot from the windows DVD (if that works and you have a HDD caddy you can do a boot repair using various partition manager type tools available free on the web from your laptop or with the usb plugged into another system

 

Do u use windows 7? I have a Q9000 in mine, it was how it was when I bought it (one of the higher spec models) but I find it sluggish and not very good at all with video editing.

Sounds like I may have a faulty processor do you think?

 

I get this sometimes. It just freezes on the bit where it says press f2 for bios. I have found that it only does it when I have a USB device plugged in though. Take out the battery and unplug for around a minute and try again, should be ok.

 

From my experience, when I upgraded to the Q9000 (and 64-bit Vista... which added 962MB of useable memory), my multimedia authoring workloads became much faster. Video editing depends mostly on available memory and hard drive speeds. Adding a second faster internal HD and editing the vid files from there will significantly speed up things as well. The only time, AFAIK, a faster clock dual like the X9100 can beat the Q9000 are during video encodes. Other stuff that requires multithreaded renderings... nothing can touch the quads...

I also have a question. Probably been asked before... Is there a way to extract the Vista installer from the PQService partition?

 

Hi
I already have two 500GB hard drives. I have actually noticed a slight increase on video editing performance since I upgraded to 64 bit after going back to 32 bit when there was a lack of drivers back in October or whenever it was I got win 7 64 bit ultimate.

But when video is encoding I still cannot use my laptop because it takes up 100% of the CPU usage, maybe this is the norm. Took nearly 3 hours to encode a video the other day from mp4 to mp4!!

 

Hey,

I am wondering what would be the best upgrade for me...

i currently have the Acer Aspire 8930G 584G32Bn - my processor is Intel core2 duo T5800 (2.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)

i am wanting a performance boost (currently getting this by using a program called throttle stop)

i know there are different Intel processors such as the Q900 and Extreme... if anyone could guide me as to the best solution for me i would really appreciate it!

what is the best possible processor for my system? and what would you reccomend??

thanks in advance!