Acer Aspire V5-122P Owners' thread

I got the V5-122P-0649 for $350 at Costco.

It has the A6 CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, Synaptics touchpad, and 2 yr warranty.

Looking at Acer's website, the specs do not mention an IPS display, while an IPS display is specified for the -0600 version sold by Amazon. Does anyone know a way to confirm if I have an IPS or not? The display does have nice contrast and good colors. I do see the bleeding in the corners with a black screen in a dark room. The horizontal viewing angle is about +-45 deg before the display starts dimming (colors stay good).

The Synaptics touchpad seems to work pretty well on a flat surface. But if I have the computer in my lap and tip the bottom up, the touchpad has a bit of a rattle to it when I tap it. Still works fine, but I can hear the rattle.

One problem I've noticed is that the A6 1450 seems to have the same problem some other 1 GHz AMD processors had (like the C-50 and C-60) with installing printer drivers for some HP printers. HP had a patch to correct the problem:

'HP Installer Setup has stopped working' or Setup Does Not Run When Installing the HP Printer Software in Windows 7 | HP® Support

I have an HP LaserJet M2727. I needed that patch to install my drivers on an Acer Aspire One with a C-60. I have the same issue with the V5-122P where all I get is a spinning circle for a few seconds and then nothing. After I install the patch I do get the HP install box to pop up, but there is no "INSTALL" button to press. So I'm still unable to install my printer drivers at this point. I haven't had any problems installing the drivers on other computers.

 

Some things I noticed with the V5 122P, when on battery and once you hit 10% battery warning, the cpu speed throttles and locks itself to 600mhz, it is probably normal and it does this to conserve power? Once the battery level goes above 11% then the cpu clock goes back to 1-1.4ghz.

There's also a glitch with hwinfo32 when it's running in the background, when you play an mp4 video via windows media player, the laptop just restarts itself, did some testing and it keeps doing it with any mp4 video file I play on windows media, it doesn't do it with other video file type. When I don't have hwinfo32 running, playing mp4 videos on windows media player doesn't restart the laptop anymore.

 

I noticed you said you picked this lappy at Costco for $350. Was that Costco.com on local warehouse? I wanted to pickup also but all I found is $400 in my area? Thanks in advance!

 

Which model is better, the -0643, or the -0649? I have a choice to get either for the same price.

From what I know, the -0643 has an HDMI port, while the -0649 has a backlit keyboard. Can anyone confirm whether the Acer Display port is really a miniDP port or not?

Update:
Nvm, found out that -0643 does not come with an HDMI port, and it is a miniDP port

 

I got it at a Costco warehouse in the Denver area. The first Costco I visited didn't stock it, but the second one did. So you might give them a call in your area and check all the nearby stores.

Also, I see the same -0649 model for just $319 at Amazon, though the seller doesn't give a very complete description of it.

Amazon.com: Acer 11.6" Aspire Netbook 4GB 500GB | V5-122P-0649: Computers & Accessories

 

I ordered from this seller on Thursday after seeing the -0649 at my local Costco. Costco only had the floor display left for $350, with the regular price set at $499. The seller on Amazon seems to deal in refurbs but they do specifically say "This item is brand new and is still sealed in the manufacturer's retail box, complete with all accessories." Its set to be delivered on Wednesday, seems like a great deal if it is really brand new.

I'll be setting it up for my daughter for schoolwork and skype calls. Aside from creating a recovery flash drive like OP recommends and deleting unwanted programs, what else should be done to set up this laptop before I hand it over to her? Best internet browser for it?

Thanks, brand new here and this thread has given me a ton of info about the v5-122p's and I can't wait to get my hands on it and see what it can do.
ed.

edit: Also, she spends a few months out of the year in England, does anyone have any experience with power supplies that work on planes and/or adapters for English power outlets?

 

It's strange that the price varies so much at Costco.

I got it new for $350 at the Arvada, CO Costco. Maybe one store will match another's price?

Hopefully that Amazon seller will be reliable. At least Amazon will usually back up the product if it is defective. With Costco you do at least get the warranty extended to two years. And I forgot to mention that the -0649 model does have the back lit keyboard. But it's not clear if it has the IPS display.

 

Hard to determine the difference from -0649 and -0600 even at Acer's Website:

-0649
http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model-datasheet/NX.M91AA.020

-0600
http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model-datasheet/NX.M91AA.016

$319 is a great price though for the A6 version of the laptop.

 

HT, have you decided If you are going to keep this lil computer?

 

The one significant difference to me is if you look at the Datasheet in your links.

Under "Display & Graphics" and then under "Screen Size", the -0600 model adds "Display Screen Technology" plus "In-plane Switching (IPS) Technology"

The -0649 model makes no mention of "Display Screen Technology".

Is that Acer just screwing up, or does the -0649 lack an IPS screen?

Can someone with a -0600 model let me know at what horizontal angle you can view your screen before it starts to dim a lot? On my -0649 it starts to dim in the 40-45 degree range, though the colors still look good.

I'm just trying to figure out how to tell if you have an IPS screen or not, and all I can think of is the viewing angle unless someone comes up with a better way...

 

According to HWiNFO64 v4.24-2000, my panel is shown as an " AU Optronics B116XW03 V2" and " AUO B116XAN03.2" and " AUO325C." Device Manager Hardware ID says "MONITOR\AUO325C
."

As to your Synaptics touchpad, what driver version did it come with preinstalled? Can you test the latest Generic Synaptics drivers for me and test out some of the features it may have that the Acer Synaptics drivers may not?

Drivers | Synaptics

Also, the warranty on the v5-122p is 1 year. How is yours 2?

I have the 0600 model. Without having a measuring tool, mine also dims at about 45 degrees. The color stay fine but the screen becomes slightly dim. I wouldn't put too much trust in the Acer spec sheet. They say this computer has 3 USB ports, lol and I think HDMI.

According to HWiNFO64 v4.24-2000, my panel is shown as an " AU Optronics B116XW03 V2" and " AUO B116XAN03.2" and " AUO325C."

According to the notebookcheck.net review of the v5-122p, theirs also has the panel "AUO_B116XAN03_2" and "AUO B116XW03" and they're calling it an IPS display too.

If you check on eBay, you will find these panels in touch and non-touch versions.

 

OK, I did a google search to find your HWiNF064 software. I loaded it and ran it. Here is what it said about my display:

Monitor Name: AU Optronics B116XW03 V2
Monitor Name (Manuf): AUO B116XAN03.2

I don't know what it means, but is that an IPS? I'm still not convinced I have one because even though the viewing angle is fine with me at close to 40-45 deg, I'm not sure that is what an IPS can do. Then again, I don't think you need a huge viewing angle on an 11.6" screen. This display is very good for one viewer, or a couple of viewers near by.

But it seems like we may have the same display?

I have too much stuff open to make sure the numbers are exactly the same, and I don't want to lose this post. So I'll post now and also get back to you about my Synaptics touchpad version in a few minutes...

 

The Synaptics driver I have is dated 4/12/2013 and is version 16.3.12.34.

The two year warranty is what you get from Costco since they extend computer warranties, but it's an Acer warranty. When I registered the computer with Acer, it showed the 2 year warranty and I think it also said it included shipping both ways.

Once again to be clear, the Costco version I'm talking about is the -0649.

I'm starting to think all of these have the same display, but Acer doesn't want to mention it for the "special" versions they offer to warehouse places. Then again, I could be wrong.

 

It's not IPS, it's TN: AUO B116XW03 V2 Overview - Panelook.com

look under "display mode".

 

It arrived yesterday still sealed, brand new from the factory. Really happy with it so far. Great deal for anyone who jumped on it at that price.

 

Looks like my daughter will be sending her unit to the Temple Texas depot for repair over the Christmas break. The earphone jack seems to be messed up and is only connecting on a single channel. Has to be a hardware issue right? Software issue would not present like that. Minor problem but still a PITA. Luckily, Acer service is top notch in the US. Other than that, she loves her 122p.

 

If sound can be heard on both speakers but on headphones only from one than yes- sounds like a hardware issue.

Just to be on the safe side confirm in driver settings that balance is not set all the way to one side and that a different set of headphones produces the same results.

 

Just ordered this tonight through the eMachines redeem site. It's the 122P-0643, but has conflicting information which sounds like it's caused by Acer including the 'to-be-determined' dongle in the specs? Will probably get an SSD to help the speed.

A thanks to Mr.Mischief for the good video review back on pg 4!

 

So far as I know, Acer is only shipping a VGA dongle with the V5-122P.

Acer does sell a multifunction mini displayport to VGA/LAN/USB adaptor for a rather pricy $35, though...

Acer Store: MINI CP CABLE TO VGA/LAN/USB

I wish they added HDMI on it. I looked on eBay and Amazon to see if I could find something similar at a lower price, but no luck.

Acer also sells an HDMI adapter for $25, but eBay sells plenty of those at a much lower price. There are some links in the first few pages of this thread.

 

For HDMI, just use a mini DP to HDMI. Works great with the proprietary Acer port - no issues at all. Check this:

Amazon.com: HDE® Mini Display Port to HDMI Adapter Cable - 6 ft.: Electronics

 

This is good to know.

I just received the 0643 from the eMachines settlemet. Two things: I can't seem to get the USB3.0 port to function and I can't get the camera to work.

I plugged in an external hdd to the usb3 port and it lights up like it has power, but nothing else happens. Nothing shows up in windows. Is this something that needs to be enabled in bios perhaps?

As for the camera, I tried to update the drivers, but naturally it claims to have the best drivers to date. The screen just constantly flashes from a message that says connect a camera to a black screen. Not sure what else to do here either.

Any help appreciated.

 

That's strange. USB stick worked fine in my USB3.0 to create recovery drive. Assume you checked My Computer for the drive?

For the camera, maybe try Microsoft's Camera app - if it's not installed, just check the store. Free of course.

My V5-122P-0643 is working fine so far. For those wondering:

• 500 GB HDD
• 4GB RAM
• Bluetooth (site was unclear, but confirmed it's installed and works)
• No backlit keyboard
• A little slow (not unexpected)
• Touchpad is nice, very sensitive
• Screen is very good looking. Touch works surprisingly well and case is small enough it doesn't feel silly reaching up.

Trying not to get too attached as I really want to put in an SSD. Will probably go with the popular Samsung 840. Logically I could do the 120GB, since this is going to be primarily a "cloud" machine, but just don't think I can do it, so will go with 250GB.

 

Thanks for the response. Finally picked one up. Swapped HD with SSD. It is slower than I prefer but for $350 I really like everything about it.

 

I just bought the V5 122p with the quadcore A6-1450 processor and 4gb ram.

Im having some trouble.....

First of all, it takes 30-40 seconds to boot this thing. Why? My 4 year old intel core 2 duo boots under 10 secs (with W8 PRO even).

Opening a browser takes between 12-15 seconds. Which is just ridiculous. Again my intel core 2 duo does it in 1-3secs. Wifi is slow and loading a webpage takes up to 10-seconds, sometimes more... and then i have to wait 10-15 seconds more before even being able to scroll.

Opening THIS COMPUTER can take 2-3 seconds and changing tabs on any browser chops....

What gives!???? Does anyone have a clue is going on???.

I feel completely ripped off! Bought it as a present to my girlfriend who absolutely hates it after we spent the first 72 hours of purchase trying to get it to work at all. Touchpad drivers were all weird and the VGA driver totaly drains the system.


HELP ME!

 

Just a heads up: A new Bios update was released a couple of days ago. v2.09.

Installed and didn't notice any changes. Seems like acer doesn't do change logs either..
Anyway, my system still has some weird behavior like random locking up for a second or two, and being overall slower than I think it should be. I'm thinking of trying a clean install soon..

 

Sorry to hear about those issues, You could run the Acer Recovery or better yet perform a clean installation.

I recommend you perform a clean installation of windows 8. Install only the programs you will actually be using, disable most startup programs and services that are not absolutely needed . I've had a good experience so far with the G-Series SoC Catalyst drivers and the latest Chipset drivers. You can try using the latest whql Catalyst drivers but i haven't so I cannot comment on its side effects.

My V5 has been responsive, snappy enough, some times only laggy loading webpages but not more than 3-4 seconds on power saver, OS navigation has been smooth and consistent as well as cold boots, restarts, sleep and shut downs. No problems there. Finally, the keyboard and touchpad have been satisfactory. A bluetooth mouse saves a usb port. Best of all, BSODs are no longer happening as much as before, if at all. I don't recall the last BSOD since switching video drivers. I'm going to give that new bios a try.

I'm pretty happy using an HGST 500GB 7200RPM 16MB HDD; its snappy enough for me, apps and webpages load in seconds. No complaints from me except the short battery life this V5 provides. I still can't decide on the SSD to use so at this point I'll just keep on saving.

As an aside, I do hope to run Linux on it too if and when AMD provides working drivers. I could use more hands-on experience with Linux. My cpu WEI score now matches the HP and Samsung Temash models. Pic is month old but scores are still the same.

 

Just a word about clean install. It can take forever to install drivers and updates. Just have patience.

Beamed from my G2 Tricorder

 

Where do you find your product key for a clean install? I haven't seen it in any of the packaging.

 

The product key is in the UEFI. Microsoft no longer uses the COA sticker that use to include the product key. If your computer came with Windows 8, just reinstall Windows 8 and the installation will take care of the product key activation for you. Otherwise you could use a tool like KeyFinder to retrieve it.

KeyFinder | Magical Jelly Bean
I bought a new laptop running Windows 8
Product Key - Find for Windows 8

 

Thanks.

I liked my daughters -0649 so much that I just put in an order for an -0637 for myself, so I plan on doing a clean install when it gets here.

 

Anyone updating to Windows 8.1?

For some reason the update is not present in the Microsoft Store for me. I am performing some Windows Updates right now and hope that this is causing the hold up.

 

I'm downloading 8.1 now. I haven't timed it, but after about 3 hours I'm only 1/3 of the way. So it looks like the download might take 8-10 hours to load (the file size is about 3.2 gb as I recall which is huge). Hopefully it's just because Microsoft is swamped on the first day. It took about 5 tries just to get the download to start.

I followed the instructions at the Acer site. They said to update to the latest Bios (they just released 2.09) and run all the Windows 8 updates before going to the Microsoft store for the free 8.1 update. I saw the update at the Microsoft store even before I ran all the Windows 8 updates.

There were posts here that the Bluetooth driver wouldn't work with the beta version of 8.1. My Acer has a Qualquam Atheros Bluetooth and the Windows 8.1 site says it's compatible, so we'll see. Acer also has a Windows 8 driver for a Broadcom Bluetooth. I don't see any 8.1 drivers at the Acer site.

 

please report on the experience, good or bad of the win 8.1 update.

 

OK, I just finished the 8.1 update. At this point all I can say is that it did install and I'm still here. I haven't had a chance to test much yet.

The download did "speed up" this evening after it was about 40% done, and ended up taking about 5 hours (as I mentioned, I didn't time it so this is a rough number). I assume it will be much faster when there is less demand, but it's still a 3 gig file and it will take a long time to load.

After downloading, it also took about an hour to install on the computer. And I'm not counting the time it took to update the Bios to 2.09 (think I earlier said 2.9 by mistake) and to run all the Windows 8 updates before you even start the 8.1 update (plus I created a system image before the update which took another 30 min or so and system image is hard to find in Windows 8 but it is there). So plan to spend a good part of a day, not that you have to watch everything. Once the 8.1 download starts, I think it was mostly all automatic (though there was a restart request that would of taken 15 min more if you didn't respond, and there was other license stuff and other stuff to reply too after the install).

Looking at Device Manager, it looks like all devices are working. The Bluetooth looks good too, but it shows a Microsoft Enumerator, whatever that is. I don't see the Qualcom Atheros I saw before the update. I haven't tested the Bluetooth yet to actually confirm it really still works. I never tested it before either with Windows 8, so that will wait until tomorrow. But at least it's nice I see no errors in Device Manager.

 

After installing some pending updates in Windows Update, I was able to successfully download and install 8.1. I ran the download overnight and this morning was greeted by the terms and agreements. The initial setup process took like 5-10 minutes at most. Like renoguy said, there aren't any missing device drivers in the Device Manager however it appears that the 8.1 update erased all my previous 13.9 embedded G-Series SoC video and 13.9 chipset drivers. I checked AMD's website and it looks like embedded G-Series SoC video drivers only support 8 at the moment. In the mean time, I will be installing 8.1 WHQL 13.9 video drivers instead and let you guys know if I run into any issues. I haven't updated the UEFI to 2.09 but will be doing that today too.

It's odd that the GPU identification tool from AMD does not recognize my A6-1450 or the OS.

I gotta say I like the new 8.1 features and GUI changes.

 

I'm surprised it only took 5-10 minutes for you to run setup. It took over an hour for me, but that included the install time after the download. I'm guessing your install already happened during the night?

I tried out my Bluetooth speaker and it is working well with 8.1.

I've had two problems so far which may or may not have anything to do with 8.1. Every time I rebooted I lost wireless internet connection and had to connect manually. But I simply rechecked the auto connect box to fix that. My trackpad also stopped working and a restart did not fix it. I had to do a full shut down and now it's working fine again. That hasn't happened before.

Both my printers are still working fine as well. I still haven't had much time to play with the features.

 

That is correct, my download and installation happened while I was asleep. Pretty happy with that actually. Everything went buttery smooth. So far, I haven't had any issues come up. I'm currently downloading official Acer drivers for 8.1.

Acer Download drivers and support page for 8.1 are now available and are dated 2013/10/08.
Acer | Download

EDIT: Ok, something weird just happened. I was uninstalling all previous AMD video and chipset drivers and had to restart. Went back to the Acer website after restarting and now I'm not seeing the 8.1 drivers!? WTH

EDIT: Phew, ok they're back now. Maybe I forgot to click on "ALL" instead of "LATEST" at the top right corner. Was going crazy for a moment there.

 

Same exact thing happened last night to my daughter. When she hit Fn-F7 it would only flash the "no touchpad" symbol up on the screen. I restarted and still nothing. Did a full shutdown and waited a couple minutes to reboot. The mouse icon appeared but the touchpad was still not working. Tried Fn-F7 again and it flashed the touchpad on symbol and everything worked properly again.
She has the 2.09 BIOS and Windows 8, not 8.1.

 

So it looks like there is a problem with the touchpad driver after updating to Windows 8.1, at least for the Synaptics touch pad which I have (Acer also has an Elantech driver).

Mine is random. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't work I lose all finger gestures, I have to double click instead of single click to select something, and sometimes I lose the tap to click feature. Plus the cursor gets real jerky.

Thanks for the link to the Acer 8.1 drivers. I'm installing the 8.1 Synaptics driver now to see if it fixes the touch pad issues.

I don't recall if this is a Windows 8 or new Windows 8.1 issue but I don't like the driver download. It doesn't show your progress. You just get some blinking dots so you have no idea how much longer the download will take. Maybe there is a downloads window somewhere that will show the progress?

Edited to add...

It looks like those 8.1 drivers at the Acer site are all new versions so we need to add installing all of those to the total install time for 8.1. And of course most of those drivers are huge files.

 

So far the touchpad is once again working fine after I updated to the Windows 8.1 Synaptics driver at the Acer site.

One thing I notice is that looking at the same web page, Microsoft Explorer ver 11 text is darker and sharper than Google Chrome text. Chrome text is kind of gray and blurry, almost uncomfortable to read now. I wonder if Microsoft did something?

It is nice to have the start button back again. Right clicking it gives all kinds of useful features which took more thought and clicks to find in Windows 8.0.

 

Hi, I have just installed a 120gb Samsung SSD EVO and so far it seems to be working very well. However, I have noticed that my IOPS random Read and Write speed are well below par. I am reaching 18k max on both parameters( whilst testing using the magician software). My sequential read/write results are fine, max on both.
I am running windows 8.1 with all the ACER drivers updated. AHCI is unabled in the bios and in Windows 8.1, TRIM is actived as well. RAPID mode on the SSD is disabled due to the low CPU speed ( 1GHZ).

With regards to the my IOPS results, can they be considered as normal or is there a disabled feature that holding the SSD back ?

 

Hi, I currently have a V5-122P-0649. It is updated to Windows 8.1. Download take about 1.5 hours, installing and updating take about another hour. Everything work great for me. The bios was still 2.06 at the time. Nothing was wrong with the Synaptic touch pad. I have not update any driver from the Acer website yet. The Bluetooth still work as normal. Windows 8.1 update is in the Store, not the Windows update. I am planning to upgrade the hard drive and ram in a couple of week. So far, my only con on this laptop is it poor battery life. I hope Acer start selling that 2nd battery soon.

Acer Store: MINI CP CABLE TO VGA/LAN/USB, this is the link for the Mini CP to VGA/LAN/USB. (NP.OTH11.00C)

I was wondering if anyone know of a good screen protector for the laptop and if the Nifty MiniDrive would flush with the SD slot.

 

I've read through 190+ posts, and unless i missed it, I've having an issue.

I'm trying to upgrade the ram my 0600 model from 4GB to 6GB. The BIOS detects that there is 6144 MB, and windows 8 shows that 6GB DDR3 is installed, but apparently only 1.44 GB is usable.

Task manager shows that 4.6GB is hardware reserved. I tried 5 different memory modules, all of which show the same. I checked with the original ram, and it shows 4GB installed / 3.44 usable. I've opened this thing so many times trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Here's what I've done:
- Upgraded/Downgraded BIOS (2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09). Couldn't downgrade to 2.04 or 2.03 as the machine says firmware invalid.
- msconfig: max processors and max memory (maxed out values, unchecked both)
- windows 8 factory reset
- removed CMOS battery (ended up breaking the clip. now held together with electrical tape :-/ )
- restored UEFI/BIOS to default
- tried looking for anything to do with memory mapping/remapping or memory holes, but to no avail.

I know the ram modules are good as they work on all other laptops. I'm ready to give up and switch back to the stock 4GB and live with it, but I'd like to know if I missed something or if there's a problem with the mobo.

Would really appreciate any input. Thanks!

 

Sounds like that you are trying to install RAM that is not compatible with the laptop. Hence why it is only showing the 2 Gb of built in (soldered) RAM. Here's a link of all compatible RAM:
Computer memory upgrades for Acer Aspire V5-122P Laptop/Notebook from Crucial.com
It might worth running this as well :
Use the Crucial System Scanner software to find out what type of memory is in your computer

All the best!

 

Hey guys, you know about the ASUS Q200E right?

For almost the same price range as the acer v5-122p within $330-450, you get an 11.6" ivy bridge ulv i3-3217u, a multi touch screen same as the acer v5-122p plus it comes with an ethernet and hdmi port. It might not be IPS or backlit keyboard like the v5-122p but if anyone wants a snappier/faster cpu on an 11.6" with the same price then this is probably better.

Amazon.com: Asus - 11.6" Windows 8 Touch-Screen Laptop - Q200E-BSI3T08: Computers & Accessories

 

The Crucial Scanner reports that you could add up to an 8 GB chip in place of the stock 2 or 4 GB removable chip. Has anyone done a memory chip replacement with an 8 GB chip? How were your results?

 

I used Samsung PC3-10600, Samsung PC3-12800, and Elpida PC3-12800 (All 4GB). I checked with crucial, and unless I missed a feature to check for, these should theoretically work.

 

The only thing I can think of is that you can only upgrade with single channel RAM.

 

You brought up a good point. I'm not too familiar with RAM specifications. So I double checked the original 2GB Kingston module and noticed two things:

* it is 1Rx8 (single channel?)
* it is PC3L - 12800S - 11 - 11B3

Not sure what the 11 - 11B3 part means (latency?), but I do know that the 12800 refers to the data transfer rate. But I compared this to all of my other RAM modules and only this one says PC3L (vs PC3). This has to do with voltage apparently (1.35V vs 1.5V).

So on top of the possibility that I can only use single channel RAM, the RAM must also be a PC3L module.

Thinking about all of this now, is there really a point to upgrading the memory on this machine from 4GB? This machine will be a tertiary device (next to my workhorse laptop and heavy-duty desktop), and the most stressful things I will use it for would be Playstation/N64 emulation, 1080p videos (BD-rips), and light photo-editing. I appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

I think this is where your issue lies. You need to go for DDR3L (1.35V) RAM. Tbh, increasing the RAM won't have a massive impact on your laptop performance. You are better off spending 70 quids on a 120 GB SSD, then you will notice a significant improvement. Quick note regarding the Samsung 840 SSD range.. due to the low frequency of the A6-1450 CPU ( 1GHz nominal), it is not possible to access the RAPID mode.
Cheers!