Acer Aspire AS5672WLMi

Hey,

I picked up one of these bad boys yesterday. Never owned a notebook before. Very nice. I'm curious to know Foolish Frost, which Acer software did you axe? I presume you kept the power management and eNet stuff? Is the software really that detrimental to performance?

EDITED TO ADD: It was my understanding that the graphics card can use onboard ram as well as it's own built in ram. Well, I don't want it to, have no idea how it's initially configured, and can't seem to find where to set it. Anybody know?

Thanks,
Creosote.

 

Sorry, seems to be automatic. Have fun figuring out how to stop it...

And the first thing to go was the sound system from acer. it crashed when I tried to play with the surround sound settings. Every time.

 

Let's hear about the video input - how does that work?

 

Hey folks,

Just picked up one of these for my wife yesterday from CompUSA. Wow! What a loaded computer for the price!

I was going to see about installing XP Professional on this machine. Anyone know where I need to go to get all the drivers I need to reformat and install XP Pro?

Thanks!

 

Here you go...
http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/fo...ite=acerpanam.com&pupv=pu&formid=3394#results

Just select the hardware and download.

 

I just purchased one last week.
While you can obviously hit the Ctrl-Alt-Del sequence, while playing games, I noticed that I can not do a run/strafe/jump sequence (only the first 2 keys you mash will be noticed).

Using a Laser Mouse 6000 (wireless USB mouse), I have not noticed the power drain that I keep hearing about.

When I first got the laptop, I installed Microsoft Anti-Spyware, Ad-Aware and Spybot right away, only to see my PC was infected with CoolWebSearch. Seems the restore CD I had, was infected. So, I decided to custom-load the laptop.
Tried the latest Vista build, which installed, but I was missing to many drivers, so I reloaded it with XP. I couldn't find drivers on the Acer US site, but found them all at the Acer European site (but it was a 3-4 hour download to get them all).
http://support.acer-euro.com/drivers/notebook/as_5670.html

You will want the Acer Power Management. Laptop lasts much longer on the battery running that, than Windows built-in power management.

I have not installed to many games, but WoW plays at 1280x800 with no slow-downs (most settings are turned up, but not all). Adding UT2K4 and Civ4 this weekend.

 

I just have to go through the hardware in my computer and download all the XP drivers for it... Shouldn't be too much of a problem...

Should I use the latest catalyst drivers from ATI?

 

Thanks for that link. I wonder if any of the components in the US version are different than the European version...

TV tuner drivers - That would be one difference.
Intel VGA driver AND ATI VGA driver?
Multiple LAN and wireless drivers...

Guess I'll still have to look at the hardware list to verify what I need still.

 

Sure it'll work. You can also use the Omega drivers too. But of course, the ATI driver from ACER would be the recommended one.

 

My Acer Aspire 5672WLMi just arrived. I purchased the model with 1GB DDR2 RAM, 100GB HDD, and Windows XPPSP2(Model w\ 2GB DDR2 RAM + 120GB HDD is currently not available where I am).

Since I've owned this laptop now for a literal 3 hours I can't make a complete thorough review. However I will give some first impressions.

Cons:

-Reflections can become an annoyance when in a brightly lit room.
-The placement of some keys are a dissapointment. Specifically the Euro and Dollar keys are useless duplications. A more sensible option would have been the page up and page down keys. As well the Delete key is in the upper right corner, which makes it not easily accessible.
-The Touchpad buttons seem difficult to press, atleast compared with my previous laptop(Travelmate 290).
-The main Heat Vent is located on the right rather than on the back. Which can cause heat discomfort if you use an external mouse with your right hand.
-Tonnes of annoying software preloaded

Pros:
-DVI Video out
-Slot loading DVD drive
-1.3 megapixel Camera
-Built in Microphone for voice chats
-6 discrete multimedia keys for video/audio playback
-Bumps on the display to help protect the screen being damaged by the keyboard(Not sure what to call these bumps)

Overall: Considering the low price, I don't think I can complain for the minor annoyances I've noticed. It is definatly a solid notebook and will catch some attention.

This weekend I hope to get into the system and test out its graphics performance. (ie. HL2/BF2/AA/QIII/)

:centrino:

 

Hi, I just got this laptop yesterday and I got a weird problem with it. When I started using it, after all the Acer software had been installed, the Acer Arcade TV was launching from time to time at the weirdest times, when is was typing or just using the pad, even when I was opening the cover. But the weirdest place of all, is when I press down on the plastic close to the ATI sticker!?! All of this only happens when the computer has been running for about 10-20 mins.

I did a little bit of investigating and I found that I no longer have this problem if I shut down Launch Manager, but this might be a more serious problem.

Does anybody else who has this computer have a similar problem?

Thanks,
JC

 

After wiping the system and reinstalling XP Pro and getting all the drivers up and running... I'm wondering if there is any way to reinstall things like the CD writing program and the DVD player program that came with the system... This is the first time I have purchased a system that came with no install discs.

Thanks!

 

Just a Heads Up Compusa has these on managers special for
$ 1443.54 sign says between 9 am - 2pm today 2-11(sat) another 50 plus bucks off an already well priced laptop

 

Does this laptop have the graphic card horsepower to play WoW at its highest video settings? If not, is there any laptops out there in this price range that do?

 

None in this pricerange seem to beat this one. Period.

Anyway, it runs FEAR and Doom3 fine. Guess you will have to compare, since I don't play WoW...

 

I've found the 5672 to be roughly equal in graphics power to my 2.8GHz P4 desktop with ATI AIW 9600. So, it's capable of running the games I've tried (e.g., Halflife 2), but not at higher resolutions (e.g., past 1024X768) and not with advanced settings turned on. In short, the games are playable, but not with all the eye candy...

 

I play bf2 @ 1024x768 with low to medium with 60 fps.
hl2 @ 1280x800 with settings medium to high, and 60 fps

 

That makes sense... I'm running HL2 at 1024X768 with all settings at High (just not any AA)...

 

I just bought my 5672 yesterday and was wondering if any of you had tried to install windows xp professional and also been able to install the included software/drivers from acer? if its too much of an issue, i'd rather just live with xp home; but of course would prefer to move to xp pro if it has been done with success (and ease)

 

I installed XP Pro, and got all of the drivers I needed from the Acer website. The only thing I am lacking at this point is some of the pre-installed software such as the CD-writing software and DVD-player software.

If anyone knows how to get install files for these, I would be grateful to know how.

 

PackFan, Thanks for the info. I was thinking it would be that simple for the drivers. Were you also able to install the webcam software? So you only need the DVD/CD software? I've got an old copy of Nero I may just use if it is compatible to SP2 and this dvd-drive. Thanks again for the info. Great laptop so far; it is bigger than I wanted, but doesn't actually feel too heavy. I need to get a good laptop bag for it.

 

Yes, the webcam software is included with the drivers. The only "e-software" that I have loaded so far is the E-PowerManagement.

We feel the same way about the laptop so far. Ideally, my wife wanted a smaller one (14" widescreen), but we couldn't pass up this deal at $1299 after rebate! It does seem pretty light for its size.

 

:acer:

My old laptop just died on me... and this is going to be the replacement (gott’a love replacement plans). My only question is:

Has anyone bothered to install any favor of Linux on this laptop? If by some chance someone did, were there any problems with all the new technology in this laptop. I am sure the 3D ATI card did not work. But there is not a lot of need for 3d in Linux.

 

arslin, one of my next projects was to drop suse or ubuntu on this laptop, i can't say it will be anytime soon, but as soon as I do i will be sure to post my findings. ubuntu on previous installations (on desktops at least) has been great about auto-configuring my hardware, granted i've had name brand parts, etc, so there haven't been too many complications in terms of drivers.

 

No big hurry. I have to ship it back (at my cost... bastards), and wait for them to confirm that it is broken. only then do they give me a credit with tigerdirrect for my new lappy.

I run Gentoo, and Suse when I am lazzy. with gentoo, I think anythign will work... but NOTHING is automatic.

 

Man, I love this thing. Got it on 2/9 and haven't stopped using it since. CompUSA is currently having a $50 sale and a $150 rebate on this computer, bringing it down to $1299. Sweet. Gonna take my receipt in tomorrow so they can readjust my pricing. You can beat this PC for that price! Enjoy.

 

Bought this machine from ncix.com and it's amazing. Haven't run any benchmarks but will soon.

It is a bit warm, makes clicky noises on the keyboard etc...fingers do get caught a little from time to time. I miss the little red button thingy to control mice on laptops these days...cool buttons on the front to enable/disable bluetooth and the wireless. Lots of features...tons of software. Tried burning a movie but it failed for some reason...drive seems to have a harder time reading movies when using programs like CloneDVD. Drive makes crazy noise when inserting/ejecting DVD..but why not..gives it personality.

Weird thing is the placement of the speaker/microphone connector's...they're in the front. I have NO idea how to even hook up my 5.1 speakers to this thing...must not be able to do it with only one SPDIF connector. Anyone have any idea.

I would recommend this machine to ANYONE. You just simply cannot beat the features and it's a beauty too. Get one while they're available....

 

i bought Aspire 5672 3 day ago....
But in my opinion it is slow.... (starting windows... opening applications.... ecc...)

For example i see that the application bar, when windows starts, appears in 3/4 seconds! A little block, then another piece... and so on....

****, it's a dual core! HD 5400 SATA! 2 gb RAM dual channel!!!!!

It's only a little example, but i wonder if my pc as an hardware problem... i think it's too slow

i'd like to ask you if your slot in DVD unit is noisy or not....
My DVD sounds like a tractor...

 

How is this notebook? Are acer's quality better than HP or worst. My friend is looking to replace his VERY old desktop computer. I told him about this notebook and he is very interested in it. Any Pros or Cons? Thanks for help.

 

This unit looks nice in the stores. I almost bought it for my son but he plays WoW and other games and I got him a HP DV4000
instead to get the x700 video card. I would have bought it for myself in a heartbeat since I don't play any games and it is loaded with features.

 

hdofdc, this x1400 card plays WoW incredibly well. playing over wifi isn't as good (more laggy), however when connecting it to my gigabit network it plays nice and smooth. max res and almost all detail/textures/etc all the way up. max res is only 1280x800 so it isn't that high.

 

Seems like I'm getting really poor battery life. I had a 100% charge on it this morning and it was down in less than two hours. I know about the USB battery problem and the fix as in the article at Anandtech. I checked the registry values and the fix had already been implemented.

I did have an external HD plugged in part of the time and was also using a lexar usb jump drive part of the time. Maybe I just need to adjust the Power management settings. Anyone else noticing short battery life?

 

I noticed I get pretty horrible battery life too; roughly 2.25 hours at best.

 

kl30
I'm considering to buy this notebbok, and I would really appreciate and thank you a lot if you could make a review with pictures.

besides, could you tell me if your notebook come with DDR2 533Mhz or 667 Mhz??? Some places (like CompuUSA) says the first, anothers (like TigerDirect) says the second so i don't know who's right.

Thanks a lot!!!

 

Wow.. it is really poor indeed. Especially for a 9 cells battery!!!

Did u get that with power management turned on ? What were you doing ?

 

Hey everyone. Brand new; decided to join after reading this thread all the way through. Seems like a great place for advice, since I have noticed everyone here seems very smart and very experienced and very polite!

I think this is the right laptop for me. I want to buy it for myself late next month or early April as a very late birthday present to myself (I turn 19 on February 19th ) It will be my first notebook ever.

The reason I am buying a notebook is that I have always wanted to have a mobile media device with me, especially for when I end up spending days at a time at my friends' houses. I used to (and will in the future, as soon as my job stops giving me 60hour weeks! ) stay at my best friend's house or my girlfriend's house or my other friend's house for literally upwards of a week or two -- there was a time when I lived at my best friend's for three months straight! He doesn't have a computer (how can he live like that?) so after awhile PS2/Xbox/Gamecube and movies get boring, plus his brothers and sisters and mom occupy the available TVs at the worst possible times. And at my girlfriend's, if she has to help her aunt do something, I can end up left alone for upwards of eight hours with no TV or computer.

I have spent a long time searching and deciding back and forth and back and forth between laptops and I just could not decide. However, I finally found this one and it seems very beefy on paper and just right for me!

The notebook I am after must be able to play games moderately well. I play Doom 3, HL2, FEAR, BF2, Dawn of War, and Gun as a general rule, as well as older stuff; I don't expect PC performance, but I'd like to see good framerates at medium or medium-high. This laptop seems to do that very well!

It must also play DVDs and divx/xvid/etc, which basically any laptop will, so that is okay already. Pretty much any laptop will also play MP3s, which is another thing I want, so I know this Acer will for sure (and I hear the sound is pretty nice too )

Lastly, I would like it to be able to surf the web both wifi and with a wire, which I know this will do.

Because of this, I think the Acer Aspire AS5672WLMi is right for me.

I will now put up a pros/cons list for me buying it. Please tell me if you disagree with my decision to buy one and why. Thanks a lot in advance everyone!

ACER ASPIRE AS5672WLMI - 120GB - XP Pro
PROS:
- Can play my desired games at medium to medium-high settings with good framerates.
- Price in my available range locally ($1739CAD+tax)
- Large HDD for storing MP3s/movies/games
- Fast Core Duo 1.66GHz/2GB DDR2 RAM means I can also multitask things when necessary
- DVD+R/-R/RW Dual Layer burner means I can get stuff/give stuff to friends on the go
- 2.25 - 3.5 hours of battery life is absolutely perfect for me.

CONS:
- 15.4" monitor instead of 17" (which I'd prefer but not a huge deal)
- Runs warm (but you guys say safely, so not a huge deal)
- Not-so-great touchpad (but I hate them anyway so I'd get a mouse, so not a huge deal)

One last question: I have read this topic and bookmarked the resources pages for drivers and such... However, how difficult is it to put a fresh install of Windows XP Pro on here? I like things being fresh and unbloated with software I don't want, so I'd like to flatten and reinstall... is it too much trouble?

 

Just joined the forum after lurking for long time. After reading this thread, and the sale at CompUSA I decided to take the plunge and buy it.

Just curious if converting the drives to NTFS would really make much of a difference?

Also, I noticed Acer has three partitions on the hard drive, is this normal? One is for the backup, about 20 gig, one for the main drive (about 50 gig) and a empty partition (about 50 gig).

I'm looking forward to trying Call of Duty and HL2 on this later this week. I'll post my FPS, unless someone else already has.

JD

 

are the quality for acer better than HP's or worst?

 

Thought you all might be curious. I tried out my copy of Doom3 on this notebook. I used the latest Doom3 patch, the latest DirectX drivers, set the game resolution to 1280x800 (16:10 aspect ratio), the in game graphics quality to "medium" and ran the timedemo. It seems to get a consistent 30-32 fps.

As usual with this game, loading the textures for the first time causes a small pause, but I see that on my desktop system as well (older P4@~3.2Ghz HT, 9800Pro). The 9800Pro definitely outperforms the notebook, but it's not as huge a difference as I was expecting.

Cheers,
Creosote.

 

i bought this laptop on friday. i still cant burn a decent dvd. this dvd burner really sucks. for a 8x burner and the tops i get is 4x. that is rediculous. i called acer and they told me if 4x was what it burned that was all it was capable of doing. what a crock. i tried multiple brand and still same thing. i get 3:30 hours from battery, sometime more if just interneting. AWESOME laptop for the money except for the dvd drive. i was going to replace but i cant figure out how to take the slot loading drive out to replace. anyone else have problems with the dvd drive or even know how to replace it.

 

There is nothing wrong with HP's quality and as for Acer's build, I would say it varies. On the older budget models, they had more of a flimsy-hollow feel to it, but on the rest they're pretty sturdy. Especially the higher you go, with the 8200 and Ferrari's, they're much nicer than the budget (of course). With both companies, you'll get much bang for the buck.

 

Does the system come with recovery disks (like hp), or does the software come separate (like Dell). I will blow out the fat32 drives, and setup my NTFS, and linux drives.

Thus, If I fdisk this, can i get the nift software (that may or may not work)... back on the computer. I do not like converting a drive. starting from scrach is always better.

 

the recovery disk: you make them as soon as you turn on the computer it asks for a disc to create it

 

that sucks... you have to provide your own blank disks? that will cost me like 30 cents!

 

I was wondering about the bus speed so I checked mine with CPU-Z which reports 666.7 MHz. FSB 166.7. DDR2-SDRAM PC4300(266 MHz) Infineon.

I just bought this 2 days ago from CompUSA so there may be different memory used in earlier versions, I don't know.

 

YES!!!! Major issues with my burner. CRC checks when trying to encode...movies freeze. Every DVD I put in is a problem. I'm actually processing an RMA for this problem as well. I can't get through one disc to even get to the burning stage!

I'll keep you all in the loop! PS: I don't think the drive can be replaced though. Further - That is NOT a response that Acer should be providing. This may end up being an issue after all....

 

Any suggestions as to which of the Empowering modules are worth keeping and which should be ditched? I'd appricate some advice on what bloat ware could/should get removed from my 5671.

 

I checked my DVD burner since I see some are having problems. I burned a DVD with DVDShrink and Nero(Single Layer). DVD plays back fine. It took 25 minutes to burn a full DVD. Not fast, but at least it works.

 

ok here another good one! i cant run alcohol 120%. it installs then crashes saying their is a problem. can someone else try this out to verify that its just not me.

 

Are you guys (with the DVD-RW problem), serious? It says 8x dvd burner, and you supposed to burn a full dvd in max 10minutes....

Which programs are you using? Nero? What is your writing speed???

Please I am thinking to buy this lappy, and these comments are not so good