Need to fix and upgrade an Aspire 5740

I have an Aspire 5740 that needs to be both fixed and upgraded.

I am aware that service manuals cannot be shared here. I have tried Acer's chat tech support and was refused a service manual, with no explanation as to why. They are only giving me the option of their pay-tech-support-service or to send in my computer for paid repairs.

I have no desire to use either of these as I am perfectly comfortable repairing and upgrading my system on my own.

So, my questions are:

1. Is it the general policy of Acer to not provide hardware maintenance manuals upon request? If so, any idea why? If not, what department at Acer should I contact to request it? The tech support chat clearly is not it. Please note that I am only asking about legitimate means of obtaining the manual.

2. If ultimately I cannot obtain this, the first thing I need to know how to do is remove the top keyboard bezel piece. The keyboard broke, and in removing it I found that one of the tabs holding it in place is cracked, so I'd like to replace that along with the keyboard.

Other questions:

- Is the max memory supported 8GB? Or can I (unofficially) go beyond that? Related to this - known memory brand/model recommendations that work well with the 5740 is appreciated. I just upgraded the memory on a Lenovo T400 and found that even though the memory was technically compatible as far as specs, the T400 was not working well with it, while another system that uses the same memory spec had no problem with it whatsoever.

- Where can I find information on gaining access to and replacing the CPU? I read some threads on here where people have upgraded the CPU, but did not find accompanying instructions.

Thank you for your help.

 

Google "Aspire 5740 service guide"- that will settle the search part.

As for RAM 16GB should work too but I haven't tested that myself. I did however upgrade CPU in my 5740G and it wasn't hard- just take your time first time you dismantle any laptop.

The bezel above the keyboard has to be pried- you can feel a place on the right side of it. It's only kept in place by plastic clips.

 

What vendors do people here typically use to obtain replacement parts? (aside from ebay). Looking for Acer manufactured parts. Acer gave me 3 "partner" companies, but the prices seem awfully high for parts.

 

Ok, so I removed that bezel piece. What concerns me is that it seems to actually be 3 parts, permanently assembled? I say this because there are 3 stickers on it:

From left to right:

Sticker 1:
KSKZ-MOLDING
09.12.19 (date of manufacturer maybe)?

Sticker 2:
KAN-FOX-PAINT
2009.12.21

Sticker 3 (the largest with a sku):
FOX604CG34003091226-02 REV:A03


Also, on the topic of aesthetics, did the 5740 come in colors other than blue? It looks like the blue screen cover is 2 pieces, I'm wondering if there is a black replacement out there? Stupid question I know.

So, moving on - I got the manual - thanks for the hint.

Now, up to bat - I want to max out the CPU. Max out the memory, and max out the HDD space, then install Win 7 Ultimate. I have a very specific intended use for this system.

Thanks for all the help.

 

It came only in blue- it's the last hurra of Gemstone Blue series.
What CPU are you interested in?
You have a choice of several units the fastest Core i5 (560M/580M), 2 core Core i7s (620M and 640M) and a quad core Core i7 720QM.

All of those will work provided you update BIOS before upgrading.

 

Which of those will give me the most performance? The quad core i7?

Also, I'm having a lot of trouble locating the part mentioned above. Any help would be appreciated. I've called Acer's part supply partners and they don't have it.

The service manual refers to it as the "middle cover"

I also ebay searched "Acer Aspire 5740 Middle cover" and some similar terms. I'm not coming up with it.

 

This is all I could find:

Acer original cover - AC13594 - $34.95US : Notebook Solutions, Parts, Service & Support

I called to see if I could get a better photo, but they told me to call back tomorrow and ask again.

Also, I don't know anything about the seller. I found this: Is notebooksolutions.ca/zc a valid site? - AnandTech Forums but it's from 2008.

 

Any information on the above "middle cover" question would be appreciated ( see posts #4, #6, and #7). If necessary, I can start a new thread on it and other individual topics if that's easier to follow.

As far as the CPU upgrade some further help with the issue would be appreciated. It was left at:

I still am curious about which CPU will provide the best performance for multimedia editing/creation (specifically Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom, Nikon software, and other similar applications like Photomatix working with very very high megapixel RAW images). The large image size requires the fastest processor I can put into this machine so that I can work with a large number of them very quickly, especially when essentially merging properties of 7 very large images for a very high resolution HDR image.

I was under the impression when I purchased the unit that the i7 was more for gaming than for other applications, which is why I went with an i5. I may been mistaken though.

Also, as far as a bios update, how does that work - do I just update the bios to the current up-to-date bios for my system as provided on the Acer site (if it is), or do I need to flash a different bios, perhaps for a different system, or a hacked bios of some sort?

Additionally, will I need a new heat-sink?

 

You won't need a new heatsink. Flash the most recent BIOS from Acer support site directly.
As for CPU- I don't know if Photoshop supports multiple cores and what benefit do you get from a quad-core. from what I've heard it might be beneficial but I admit I wasn't paying attention back then.

Middle cover (part with sound up/down and power button) goes by the part number 42.PAW01.001

 

looks like modern version of the software I'll be using can utilize quad core, but the benefit isn't huge. Nonetheless, if it's possible - I think I should do it.

I basically want to max the system out to it's max capabilities.

Has anybody tested 16 GB RAM in a 5740?

 

Just noticed the quad-core mentioned is 1.6ghz? I'm unclear on whether a faster i5 or dual core i7 is more powerful than this quad-core CPU?

 

That depends on software. Software optimized to use 4 core (i.e. video rendering software) will benefit form a quad core, applications that just work with 4 cores (as in do not crash) but do not fully utilize 3 cores won't be faster on Core i7 720QM.

Also keep in mind that 720QM has TSP of 45W while for the rest of them TDP is 35W. More heat, higher temperatures under load etc.