Aspire V7-482PG-9884

It is possible! I have done exactly this. You can buy the Intel Wireless-AC 7260 from Amazon for $30 and it is swappable with the N 7260 that the laptop has stock. I think the Intel drivers might even be the exact same for both cards. I was able to plug it in and go. My network connection status in Windows shows the download speeds at 866 Mbps between my laptop and my ASUS RT-AC66R.

 

Does the AC 7260 card actually work faster than the N 7260 card? Even with just an N router?

 

There's no benefit of using an "ac" card with "n" router.

 

Assuming you got the same N-7260 card with your laptop that I got with mine...

Intel has two different models of the N-7260. I'm fairly certain that my V7-482PG-9884 came stock with the dual band N-7260 model (supporting data transmission at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies). I think most 802.11n routers are dual band, so in that case, there would be no difference in performance

 

Most n routers are actually single band (2.4GHz only) but there is going to be no difference anyway.

Why the hell would Intel produce a card that has the same model number as ac card is beyond me though?
If I hadn't checked that I wouldn't have believed that 7260 can be "n" card too.

 

it does make it confusing. I was also confused by it and even had problems on which drivers it uses. but anyway, the difference would vary only if the provider uses such frequency that would make it advantageous for your connection and connecting speed. the only problem that I see is that the results are erratic. when I installed and reinstalled a fresh copy of Windows on a new SSD hardware, it connects well. when you install the new drivers, you lose the connection and render the system with no internet connection. even after having reinstalling a new copy again, the old drivers would show that it is incompatible. although I blame this on Microsoft and Acer for not providing good and appropriate drivers. plus the several model variations of the laptop make it more confusing as well. ahhhhh......

 

Yeah this laptop is dual band, per Intel Ultrabook standards.

I did not think an AC card would make a difference for most people, as there are not many AC routers. But I wanted to make sure. So at this point AC cards are not worth much. My apartment provides wifi and it is all N routers, and everywhere I go in public is using at best N routers. I mean a McDonalds I used to stop at before work is still using a G router.

AC cards wont matter to most people for another 5 years.

 

Got the V7-482PG-6629 from Amazon today. So far I like it. I'm coming from an Acer S7-391. Of course it's bigger, but the pros of this machine outweigh the cons in comparison. Screens are equal in my opinion. Keyboard on the V7 is far superior to the S7! Touchpad is a little inferior, but I was using some awesome Samsung drivers on the S7, which made it almost as nice as Apple. Hopefully I can use some similar drivers on this baby. Backlit keyboard is better than the S7. BLB is awful on my screen though... There is a huge spot in the upper left that is noticeable even with colors on the screen. I might exchange it because of that alone. Has anyone taken apart their screen to try and fix it themselves?

Also, I immediately installed my Crucial msata and did a fresh install of Windows 8.1 on it. It picked up the product key just fine, but I'm missing a driver for some reason. PCI Simple Communications Controller. Anyone know which driver covers that?

 

Anyone else have SC2 and be willing to benchmark it for me? I'm getting 30-40 fps on high 1080p settings. While not awful, I would expect this video card to max a game like that out, easily. Especially since the GTX 650(not M) on my wife's desktop can do 60fps on Ultra at 1440p. GTX 650 and GTX 750M perform very similar with the exception of the clock speed. I used to have y500 with this card, and I got 50fps on Skyrim - a much more demanding game. Could it be the i5 bottlenecking?

Edit: I'm using fraps, not the internal fps monitor in SC2

 

there are several actually. one is the driver for the USB 3.0. sometimes you have to install the intel chipset drivers inorder to identify it. two, it's the realtek sound driver. sometimes, it can be the bluetooth driver and the wireless driver. if I were to say, the driver support for the Acer laptops are pretty messed up.

 

yoiu might want to try and install the XTU software for it to run faster.

 

Thanks, it ended up being the WiDi driver which was only available in the Win8 list. All the Win8 drivers worked fine on 8.1

 

TellyBoi, i dropped by this model in a shop today after extensive search for all its details and noticed an issue with its keyboard - the space button's feedback is absent - totally and completely. Is it the case with all the series or i just stumbled upon a lemon? The rest of the keys are OK and there are no idiotic splits in russian layout =)
Also, how much does the screen glare affect the use in comparison to other laptops you had? I got used to matte FHD IPS in my current UX32VD and will be disappointed to look at a mirror instead of a screen when lowering backlight to save power. I couldn't compare it in the shop thoroughly - need help!

 

I think you have a lemon there although I must say that the keyboard is the weakest point of the V7. it is flimsy in comparison with regular laptop keyboards. from what I noticed is that they didn't put enough or placed good quality key bumpers to avoid or make them last for heavy duty usage. it's either you have to find a better replacement keyboard or use separate keyboard for heavy use.

as far as the display is concerned, the Canadian version is of glossy build so no miracles there. although I must say that I find the glossy build just fine with or without the backlit keyboard lit. I understand why they made such design as this is to show the contrast and sharpness enhancement of the display. one thing to note do is to avoid using the screen at an angle directly facing a light source. just to be sure what I'm talking about, bring or use a pen light to the shop and point it directly to the screen. you could point the pen light on several angles and see the results. just my advice.

 

I finally pulled the trigger and hit the order button on the US version. My perfect laptop just doesn't exist, but this one comes close. Got it for $1080 with free shipping.

Can anyone walk me through installing a SSD? I bought a 500 GB Samsung 840 EVO during Black Friday. I assume that the laptop comes pre-loaded with a restore utility which I can save on to a USB drive. Then I'll take off the bottom plate, find the HDD and replace it. But I'm worried that having the cache drive in there would be redundant, and actually slow things down, so I'm wondering if there are any settings or anything I need to disable before I take that out.

 

just make sure the SSD is 7mm height. it is not compatible with the regular 9mm SSD. if you can find 24GB enough to fit files or programs to run on it, it would be fine as an additional storage. or you could use it to run a separate O/S like Linux which you could use for specific functions.

 

From my experience, it's best to disable the caching and use the msata as a separate hard drive. Caching a fast ssd such as yours would probably make it slower(I assume it wouldn't do anything at all but I never tried). I took the other route and used the slot as my primary and have the original hard disk used for media. Of course I installed a larger msata drive. As for backing up and restoring you can do what you suggested or just do a fresh install. If you do a fresh install, make sure it's Win 8 basic, not Pro - that way it picks up the embedded registry key. You have to install all the drivers on the website. I recommend installing all the Win 8 drivers and then upgrading to Win 8.1. If you start at Win 8.1, you have to install some of the win 8 drivers to get everything because Acer doesn't supply all the 8.1 drivers. I'm still looking for a Synaptics driver that doesn't grey out half of the options. If anyone happens to come across one, please let me know.

 

Is there any real windows competitor to this laptop?

 

Depends what you're willing to sacrifice. There's the y410p, but you have to deal with a significantly thicker laptop with no touchscreen. It's also slightly lower res but has a better cpu.

If cost isn't an option, the razer blade is a pretty good gaming Ultrabook. Weaknesses are lack of touchscreen, high cost and poor screen quality.

I forget the model but Lenovo also had a touch Ultrabook that is cheaper than this one. It's limited to 4gb of ram but has touch and a gt730m on some models.

The v7 looked like the most bang for the buck to me. I got the i5 version of Amazon for $850. I've been in search for the perfect laptop for me, for almost a year now. Went from an Alienware m11x, to a Lenovo y500, to a y510p, to asus transformer book, then asus vivo book 11", Acer s7-391, and finally to this one. Thank goodness for slickdeals and eBay because I really haven't spent more than $100 with all the exchanges and changes. Of all of them, I like the v7 the best though. My priorities, in order, are portability, graphics capability, cost and screen resolution/brightness. 750m is the perfect card for me especially since I'm used to the 770 on my desktop rig. I'm not about to fork out $2k for the 765m from razer...

Cpu speed used to be important to me until I got the asus vivobook, which had an i3. Sure it was slow, but once you put a ssd in it, it flew. Most laptops are highly limited by the hard drives including this one. Then I got the s7 with an i7-3517u. It really wasn't worth the extra money for the i7 over the i5 - in fact the benchmarks were almost the same in many categories. So from now on, I'm going i5. Oh my, it looks like I gave you a long winded answer. hope this helps!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

I don't know how to change the included SSD to a standard drive, I don't know what you mean by "embedded registry key," and I don't know where to get a copy of Windows 8.

 

One way would be to go into the bios and change ahci to legacy. That should break the caching feature and allow you to format the drive in disk management. Once you change it, you'll have to reinstall Windows, so do that after you change drives and before you reinstall Windows. There's probably another way to do it without disabling ahci. It's only 32gb so if you don't want the hassle, just remove it and sell it.

Registry keys for Windows 8 are embedded in the bios now. You'll notice it's no longer on a sticker on the bottom of your laptop. You can freely install the same version of Windows as you please, without the need of a product key. You used to be able to download Windows 8 from Microsoft's website but I heard they disabled or changed how you can get it. You can use a friend's copy or just Google where to download it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Got it, thank you.

 

I don't know if anyone else watched this video from about 30 pages back showing the keyboard flex: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/um7554gbkxh3gkv/4pusWB6q0S#lh:null-VIDEO0007.mp4

This seems really weak to me. Is he just pushing really, really hard or what? I don't know how someone could think that is aluminum. I'm on a MBP unibody from 2008 right now, and I there is no way it would move at all.

 

I just cracked the screen of my V7. It dropped from a height of 5 feet onto a thin carpet and the top corner of the lcd cracked and the body is partially bent. I uploaded pictures. This is a really sturdy laptop, although, something with a metal base and metal top might have shown no screen cracking.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k28f1h2tg9czqie/mwud-AL3MF
my camera has some smudges and scratches on the lense, the laptop and screen do not have a bunch of scratches on them

Edit: just realized the pictures could be misleading. The screen still works except for where the black is. I just chose a fullscreen white page to showcase the damage. Also, the plastic holding one of the corner screws popped off (pic 6) along with the screw so now the laptop cannot be screwed in there.
The LCD cracked in the corner but the actual glass screen is perfectly fine. The touchscreen works fine including in the broken lcd part.

 

He is pushing really hard.

 

I wouldn't worry about it really. As long as you don't plan on placing heavy objects on your laptop, I can't see a reason why that kind of flex would be a problem. As long as you type normally(i.e. you don't jam on the keys like a model M keyboard or a typewriter) you won't notice it much. Honestly I didn't notice until your post and only when I push between the keys. I've certainly seen worse.

 

Does anyone know where I can buy a replacement screen?

 

you have to send it to an authorized Acer service center near you. depending on what is covered by your warranty, the parts could be free of charge, same with the labor. you have to ask them just to be sure.

funny video. I never did that to any of my laptops. besides, why would you do that? also, he's pushing it like a retard.

 

He's just testing how sturdy it is. When you do it on my current laptop (2008 macbook) it doesn't move whatsoever. I kind of like that.

I know this is stupid but, do these laptops specs exist in ANY other laptop right now? (.8" thick, 14" 1080p IPS display, 4500u, 750m)?

 

Similar stats are on the gigabyte p34g XOTIC PC | GIGABYTE P34G-CF1 1400$
It has: .8" thick, 14" 1080p (matte) IPS (not sure if touchscreen), quad core i7, 760m, 120gb SSD, 1TB hdd. I hear the battery life is terrible though. only around 3.5 hours. I only get about 4.5-5 hours on my v7 though.

 

Where is your screen brightness when you get 4.5-5?

 

I understand what you mean but that is pretty basic. it's not made of metal and surely it lacked some proper number of beams to support or prevent flexing. it may feel solid or sturdy with adding a few more beams to prevent movement but I don't think it wouldn't break if you drop it 5 feet off the ground. also, this would make disassembling a bit more tedious considering the number of screws that needed to be included. I believe this flex is more prevalent due to the inclusion of a backlit (spacing necessity) compared to something without one. on the otherhand, I do not argue the flimsiness of the keyboard on the V7 which I have stated eversince I got the laptop and I have reiterated in my review about the laptop in these forum about a couple of weeks back. what I do contest is the methodology of doing it which is ill-advised. I can pretty much tell if the keyboard is that poor by touching normally but not at the extent of pressing it hard like a maniac. you might risk breaking it.

is that the maximum battery life on the gigabyte? battery life is dependent on what it is running.

 

There are a couple HPs with similar specs but they're a lot more expensive. Also the FHD options don't have touchscreens. Because of this, they're a bit thinner and lighter.

 

If the V7 had a metal or very rigid case I would pay much more.

Anyone know what their battery life is when the 750m is disabled the entire time?

 

Is the Amazon version @ $850 with the i5 and 8gb of ram a good deal for this one?

What's the horror story on the severe light bleeds on the display?

 

Its probably the best deal for those who live in the US, but be aware that you might get slammed with sales tax depending on which state you live in. As for the model itself, once you remove all the bloatware it seems to be fairly snappy and smooth, the i5 is plenty power IMO. I had read reviews about it heating up a ton during gaming but mine isn't so bad, might be worse on the i7 model maybe? As far as I can tell, I have no light bleed so I'm pretty pleased. I was also surprised by the speaker quality since its not really talked about too much, but for what it is I find it to be pretty good - especially if you turn on the simulated surround sound on the Dolby interface. Overall, im happy with my purchase, hope this helps.

 

My US version came in the mail today. Seems pretty great so far, though I'm hoping the touchpad will smooth over a bit after some use. I like the keyboard personally, the only problem I have is that the Enter key is slightly farther right than on my previous laptop; it'll just take some getting used to.

Windows 8 is awful. Maybe once I customize it I can get it to show me everything I want, but man that Metro interface is crap at first glance. I'll probably download one of those boot-to-desktop programs.

The screen colors seem a little oversaturated. Some tweaking should fix that, but it's certainly nice and crisp. Its max brightness isn't particularly high, but it's higher than I will be using on a typical day; might like it to be brighter in the sunlight. I like how sturdy the lid is; a lot of ultrabooks have bouncy lids, which is a serious pain when you're using the touchscreen. Unfortunately you can't open it with one hand.

Haven't messed with it too much yet because I'm going to replace the hard drive with my SSD tomorrow, but my first impressions are very favorable.

 

Hi guys, Im planning to purchase this laptop very soon. Can the 24gb ssd be replaced with toshiba q series 256gb ssd?

 

No. you need an msata ssd as a replacement. also the Toshiba ssd that you mentioned is not compatible as replacement for the existing 500gb hdd. the laptop is thin and you need a 7mm version for it to fit. the q series that you are referring may be the regular 9mm.

 

Ah dam, that ssd is 9.4mm.
Are you sure about this? I've read in one of the forums that hdd can be replaced with any ssd.

 

unless ACER changed the height dimension of the V7 which I highly doubt. I got regular sized SSD's as well. I would have known it by now if it fits or not. this is why I had to buy newer ones. if you have any doubts, you could open up the laptop easily and check the hdd. if it's thinner or not. as far as SSD brand recommendation is concerned, I would probably get the Plextor M5P or Crucial M500 or Samsung EVO Pro.

 

Confirmed that only 7mm fits..you can force to fit the 9mm but your keyboard surface will not be flat and not working..I've done that before I realised sigh

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

thanks for confirming guys

 

Late reply, but I like the model on Amazon. To me, i7 for Ultrabooks just adds more cost and possibly more heat. This one is good enough for games(barely). My screen had terrible BLB but Amazon sent me another one and it was better. With a thin plastic lid, it's going to be REALLY tough to find an IPS screen with zero BLB. You'll notice that when you move the screen by opening and closing the laptop, the bleed is affected. It's all dependent on how evenly the screen is held in place. With thin plastic, you are actually bending the screen slightly, so the bleed changes. In the end, I look at the price and can accept minimal bleed. You really have to with budget machines. If this were $1200+, I would have returned it by now. Don't get me wrong, the second machine I got only has bleed noticeable when the screen is black. The first one, however, you could notice with pictures, games, etc. It was really bad! Amazon has a good return policy, however they do have their limits. From my experience, they will only send one replacement and will give you a choice for refund for the second one. Hopefully you get lucky.

 

exactly. although I must admit that Acer could have done better to make the lid sturdy which isn't really that difficult to do. I have plastic lappies as well that don't bend that way like the V7 and has better keyboard layout and durability. considering the cheap raw materials nowadays, Acer don't need to be that cheap with labor and contruction. it's a very nice machine for what it's worth, but not perfect and not something that I would be extremely happy about. I hope Acer is reading these forums but I would give a shout out that build quality is an issue. please do better if you want to compete with other better manufacturers.

 

The standard driver from the Synaptics web site refused to install on my computer, so I had to re-install the Acer one. I can't find any way to disable reverse two-finger scrolling.

 

Disable Zoom Prefect and you can change the two finger scrolling. Go into the setting settings settings, just keep clicking on setting until you get deep enough into the menus. Stick with Acer drivers, I have had sever issues with other drivers.

 

I thought the colors were really bad out of the box. To adjust them, you can right click on the Intel HD Graphics icon in the task bar, select Graphical Properties, then Display, then the colors tab. I don't have any calibration tools or anything but after spending a lot of time eyeballing it, here are the settings I like.

Red:
Brightness -2
Contrast 49
Gamma 1.5

Green:
Brightness 3
Contrast 48
Gamma 1.4

Blue:
Brightness -4
Contrast 53
Gamma 1.7

This brightened things up considerably for me and made whites less yellow while making blues less purple. Of course not all monitors are the same, and this is all subjective, so your mileage may vary.

 

Thanks that worked.

 

anyone having a problem with their computer knocking out their wireless router? thought maybe the router was bad so i bought a new one and that router is doing the same thing. modem is fine. i can plug into the wall and get online. just seams like after i updated the wifi drivers from acer this happened. just making sure it's not coincidence.

have to unplug wireless router constantly to hard reset... only works for a short period of time.