Aspire V5-552G owner's thread

Just throwing a quicky up since I seem to be one of the only people on the internet to pick one of these up.

Relevant to V5-552G-X414, but others should fall in line neatly.

To enter BIOS hold F2 while booting.
F12 menu is off by default.
To alter secureboot settings you need to put in a bios managerial password.
To boot linux you'll want to switch it to Legacy BIOS.

Ubuntu 13.04 works flawlessly out of the box. Probably room for tweaking that i'll get around to later, like installing catalyst drivers.

Windows Drivers: Acer | Download just search v5-552G

Don't bother with their GPU drivers. go to ATI.
You'll need lan/wlan drivers if you want to reinstall windows 7 or 8. Neither contains them in the install base.

Tweaks:
For proper colors on LCD install ATI catalyst, or on stock install run catalyst control center. Switch to advanced view and go to built-in displays, - > display color -> enable "Use EDID"

Technical info
4GB of ram is soldered to the motherboard. + there is one SO-DIMM slot that can take up to 8gb, that came with a 2gb module in it.
There is one SATA port in a 2.5" x 7mm drive bay. No mSATA.
There is one mPCI-E occupied by the wifi/bt module (Atheros if ABGN, Broadcom if BGN)
There are two heatsinks. One cools one chip, but both cool another. Cant tell which is which.
There are technically 4 speakers, but theyre situated in a stereo setup at either front corner, NOT a 4.0 array.
Highly suspect better thermal paste will improve performance due to TDP scaling, but it's fast as is.
APU and dGPU are soldered to mobo. Other than THOSE, I'd rate repair-ability of the machine as high

Overclocking. (yes. Overclocking an ultrabook form factor with tiny heatsinks *can* work).

the AMD overdrive utility will let you adjust the iGPU clock. I had success at 825mhz and didn't venture further.

It can't seem to get a lock on adjusting any of the CPU clock boost,

Will put benchmarks (here) as I run them.

3dmark 11 APU only.
Total P1279
Graphics Score
1188
Physics Score
2512
Combined Score
1106

3dmark dGPU only P1687
Graphics Score
1588
Physics Score
2446
Combined Score
1697

 

Can you replace the LCD screen to Full HD or the graphics/processor are too insufficient to use it?

 

Just got my 552g from newegg. I got the 8632 SKU, I'd really like to build out this owners thread so more users can learn about this awesome budget gaming laptop. I've already make a few changes to the machine, Did a clean install of win8 to clear all of the bloat and I've installed a Samsung 840 EVO SSD. I've played a few games so far and the 8750m seems to be able to handle most games at Medium preset 720p.

I'll add gameplay videos as I test games. So far i've tested GRID 2 and CS:GO

 

Hey,

I will soon get my new Acer V5-552g-85554G50 laptop and I have a few questions! I would like to upgrade this notebook to an SSD and 8 GB RAM but noticed on newegg, that there's no removable maintenance cover on the bottom. So, you have to take out all these screws for a upgrade? Does it hurt the warranty or is it a really big maintenance cover? And is the battery soldered on the mainboard or can you take it out with screws?

Also, can you switch between the 8550g and the 8750m? On my old Notebook with a 6520g and 6470m, it never used the 6470m, just in Dual Graphics. Even with high performance in switchable graphics option, the DX9 applications just used the 6520g but never the 6470m... (used AMD System Monitor and/or GPU Observer to check)

 

Good questions dampflokfreund, unfortunately you're correct about replacing the RAM and HDD. You will have to take off the whole bottom-case of the laptop (about 15 screws) getting the plastics can be difficult but once you pop one of the plastic clips out the rest of the cover is pretty easy to get off. Warranty wise I didn't notice anything that would display whether or not the bottom had been removed so I think you'll be fine .

From the looks of the battery it does look like it would be replaceable I didn't notice any signs of soldered connections.

GPU wise I'm running the newest AMD beta drivers (13.10) and there is a power tab which allows you to disable the discrete GPU when you want to save battery life while not gaming, but otherwise it seems like the APU/GPU function just like they did on your previous machine with the exception of some minor driver enhancements.

All in all I don't have many complaints with the machine thus far and i'm sure Acer/AMD driver support will continue to improve as time goes on!

 

Thank you for your helpful response But there's one thing I didn't understand, so is the system now fully capable of switching graphics or not? You say it's like my system where only the iGPU is used in games (besides of dual graphics) but the 3DMark score from blackgo indicates, that the system can switch between 8550g and 8750m (3dmark 11 APU only.
Total P1279, 3dmark dGPU only P1687
Graphics Score
1588 )

So what's correct now ? Honestly, I couldn't image that the 8750m is just used for dual graphics, because the 8550g is much slower than the 8750m, while the dedicated 6470m from my old machine is a bit less powerful than the iGPU 6520g.

Other question: How is the case stability? I tested in a electronic market the V5-573g and the case stability was bad... I layed down my hands on the Notebook and the case was really easing... But then I tested the 572P and it had a much better stability. So how is the case stability of the 552g? Is the display case in aluminum too, or is it just aluminum painted plastic?

 

So to be honest it looks like I wasn't properly understanding how this dual graphics system works. I was able to do some additional testing this afternoon and was messing around with a few settings in the amd control panel and found the dual graphics option (when you turn dual graphics off the system only uses the discrete graphics). So it would seem that you can use the amd control panel to tell the system which graphics chip to use based on application, but i can't say for sure.

In regards to the build quality of the case, the screen does give some flex... but what do you expect on a budget system like this. The bottom case is a bit better, you can grab either of the front corners and there is minimal flex, so the bottom case is pretty sturdy!

I'll have to look a bit deeper into this AMD "dual graphics" configuration, still need to do more testing to see how the they system determines which gpu to use.

On another note I picked up an 8gig stick of dd3 and when viewing the system configuration in CPU-Z the memory configuration shows the system running in dual channel mode? this doesn't make sense to me. System is blazing fast now really excited to get some benchmarks and gameplay videos done!

 

Hey black did you have a chance to monitor the temps at all while running benchmarks or gaming? I've gotten GRID 2 and BF3 running at really impressive settings but WOW this laptop gets hot, i've had HWMonitor running in the background and the APU under load gets over 100 deg. C, i'm not quite sure the program is reading the sensors correctly. What have your temps looked like?

 

Hey black did you monitor temps at all while running benchmarks and games. I've done some testing with GRID2 and BF3 and while this thing it is under load i'll see the APU reach temps of 100c +. Note: I'm using HWMonitor to keep an eye on the temps.

 

I did some Benchmarks too.

3Dmark11 8750m only

AMD Radeon HD 8750M video card benchmark result - AMD A8-5557M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics ,Acer Dazzle_RL

8550g APU only (don't mind the 8750m, that combination is too new for 3DMark )

AMD Radeon HD 8750M video card benchmark result - AMD A8-5557M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics ,Acer Dazzle_RL

With Dual Graphics

AMD Radeon HD 8750M video card benchmark result - AMD A8-5557M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics ,Acer Dazzle_RL

@foot that's normal and a reading error because the hardware is so new.

 

C'mon guys, why is this Notebook so unpopular? It's really the best in its price group and has a superb performance with a thin and stable case. It really makes me sad that it doesn't get any attention.

 

I got one through work, and even after uninstalling the POS macafee antivirus, my cpu load spikes very high just with normal windows usage. This is INSANELY annoying since the fan goes bananas and sounds like a jet-engine. This is very distracting.

It varies with being svchost taking up to 70%, microsoft skydrive 60% or just chrome suddenly using 40% cpu on opening one tab (with no videos or anything up) to a normal webpage.

Other then that, the computer is fine, but damnit that cpu-fan is ANNOYING as all hell.

 

Yeah, I had that problem too. But after installing all Windows updates, the problem was gone and the notebook is very silent now. You could also limit the CPU speed in the Catalyst Control Center, the reasons why the fans are going nuts is because its using turbo core combined with the strange Windows load.

Is the problem gone now? If you limit the CPU speed the fans should be silent even at a higher load. But the Windows 8 load is not normal, did you installed all updates?

 

Has anyone else had trouble installing the drivers on this machine? I picked up one of these notebooks yesterday. It came with linux so I installed windows 7 but I'm missing several drivers e.g. LAN, WiFi, GFX, SN controller. Now I downloaded the drivers from the acer website but none of them seem to be the corrct drivers for my model. I know there are a few configurations so I must be missing something.
Specs are

AMD A8-5557M Quad Core 2.10GHz
AMD Radeon HD8750M 2GB
8GB DDR3

I can't find anywhere that says whether it's an Atheros or Broadcom WiFi card or any mention of chipset drivers. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hey, the Win 8 drivers should also work with Win 7. Acer | Download just enter V5-552g in "search by product model" and choose it then scroll down.

There is a tool which tells you if you have Atheros or Broadcom Wifi.You just have to click "need to know the hardware on your system to choose the right drivers?"

 

Hey guys just noticed that Acer updated its drivers for the 552g for win 8.1 it's definitely nice to see updated drivers since the previous ones were dated from sometime in July. I also noticed that there is now a BIOS update for the machine, but the changelog doesn't specify what changes have been made... just wanted to know if anyone has updated and what/if any changes they've noticed!

 

I updated but I noticed no changes

 

These are my results of Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (Basic Edition):

No GPU OC:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

With GPU OC (950MHz/1000MHz Core/Memory):


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

What do you think about the result ?
Is that good or too low ?
Any suggestions to improve it ?
TIA

PS: Catalyst 13.11 Beta 9.2 modded by LeeKM drivers :hi2:

 

edited OP with iGPU overclock info

 

Additional note:

I replaced the thermal goop with a (rather poor) application of arctic silver ceramique. On both cpu and dGPU.

Heaven benchmark (on dgpu only) went from CPU cores = 66'C to 62'C

wprime maxes the cpu at 55'C.

Both fans are now very quiet, even while gaming, and the area above the keyboard only gets "warm" as opposed to "burning my fingers off",


Highly recommended mod.

 

Just got the 552g x412. Very nice maching, great for the money.

Hey black, I'm interested in this mod. How was it taking the heat sinks off.

Also: After some testing and tweaking Catalyst I've found that there's only two modes. Dual graphics or Dedicated only. In dual graphics mode the 8750m will not be used in normal use, however if you change switchable graphics for something like chrome to high performance then you will see chrome hitting the 8750m. I've noticed that all game are set to high performance by default.

 

I've done some gaming. So far everything is playable on default settings. I did some testing today while gaming, got my gpu up to 75C. Since then I've updated catalyst and will test again later.

Btw, I was playing metro 2033 on high settings at 40 fps when testing. Dual graphics on and the game is set to high performance, while plugged in.

 

Does anyone know if the Aspire V5-552G-X412 ( Acer | Aspire V5 | Aspire V5-552G-X412 | Overview) comes with a glossy or matte screen? Thanks!

 

Yes, SirMango,
I've bought it from Germany and comes with a mat screen
This is the exact model:
Review Acer Aspire V5-552G Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
Best :hi2:

 

Hey Omar, thank you for the reply. I was really hoping that the Aspire V5-552G-X412 had a matte screen too, but according to Acer's website the laptop comes with a glossy screen (CineCrystal).

Acer Store: Aspire V5-552G-X412 Ultra-Thin

 

Yes it is glossy. I have that exact model. But, I will say that its a semi-gloss. And the screen is really good. One of its selling points. Some of the angles aren't good but using it normally looks great. Also it's bright enough for most situations.

 

Hi all

need info about this Acer model because I want to bay one /ACER Aspire V5-552 AMD Quad-Core A8-5557 8GB 1TB HD8550G 15.6" /.

It comes wit Linux and I want to install Win 7 or 8.1 but noticed that this model does not have DVD-ROM.

So my question is does BIOS of this model support USB boot? If anyone undertook similar operation some advice or trick will be useful.

thanks in advance

 

Hi hepek071,
yes it does :thumbsup:
I have an external Samsung DVD drive (SE-208DB) and just reinstalled Windows 8 without any problem, simply modifying the boot sequence.
I strongly suggest to install Windows 8/8.1 with no Secure-Boot modifications.

 

Hey guys,

Where do you get WLan/Lan or whatever other Internet driver for this Acer that's compatible with Windows 7? Acer's official page only has them for Win8, but there's nothing for Win7. Win8 drivers do not work.

 

I used the instructions posted here: Install Windows 7 on Acer V5-552 - Pastebin.com -- which includes links to drivers.

Flynn

 

Hey I have to buy an SSD, you said to installed one on your notebook. Im about to buy the Samsung 840 EVO from amazon, but I dont know If I can buy this one ( Amazon.com: Samsung Electronics 840 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Single Unit Version Internal Solid State Drive MZ-7TE250BW: Electronics ) or I will need an adapter or something, please help me

 

I know this was started as a X414 thread but I have the 552G-8632 so I hope I'm not in the wrong thread.

I have a question about the wifi card, mine came with the atheros AR5BWB222. I can no longer connect to my network with this thing and I've tried many solutions from various forums. I have 5 other devices in my house with 5 other OS's all working fine except for this one...

Does anyone know if I can put an intel 7260 wifi card in this thing? I've read where HP has blocked wifi upgrades but haven't come across that for acer. I'm done messing with settings and drivers and just want to replace the crappy card.

Here's what I'm looking at: Intel Network 7260.HMWWB.R WiFi WIRELESS-AC 7260 H/T 2X2 AC 867 Mbps+ Bluetooth HMC Dual Band Brown Box - Newegg.com

Thx

 

@BSC249

Yes you can upgrade to Intel 7260 - Acer doesn't use white-listing unlike HP. Not that 7260 is without its own faults but that's a different story (see our networking section for more info)

 

Hey all, got a quick question.
I've had this laptop for over a year now, and I really do love it. It's a great little machine for school and even gaming. I'm using AMD Catalyst Omega drivers (14.12). However, I think the stock HDD holds it back. It seems that when I try to do multiple things at once sometimes, it locks up. But performance monitor says it's not the CPU or RAM that's topping out, it's the disk. So my question is this:

Since the stock HDD is 7.0mm tall ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=Seagate_Momentus_Thin-_-22-178-125-_-Product)

Can I replace it with this one, even though it's 9.5mm tall? Will it still fit?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236562

I'd like to squeeze as much performance as I can out of this thing. It does get really warm under heavy use, but I've always used an adequate cooler as well. Thanks for any help!

 

Hi people, is anyone here?

I have the V5-552G-8632 (integrated + 8750M). Tried Windows 10 and it seems there is no DirectX12 support in AMD Enduro systems. Any clue how to bypass it?

 

I did a lot of digging and it seems that it either won't have DX12 at ALL or iGPU needs to be disabled from BIOS. Tried to disable my iGPU but there's no option at all on 2.07 update. If anyone knows how to unlock BIOS to show Advanced and Power tabs in BIOS menu, I'd greatly appreciate letting me know.