acer extensa 5620-4801

hi-i needed some advice I bought this acer from circuit city for 500.00. I haven't opened it yet because I can't find any reviews. I was looking for decent specs on a laptop for home use-I wanted something durable without being to expensive. I have a desktop but it is in my childrens room and do not want to bother them when they are sleeping.My older daughter has a laptop with her at school. This is just for me and the kids when the desktop is unavailable or for them to play their games on when I am on the desktop. I don't want to spend a lot of money but I also don't want to throw away 500.00. Does anyone think that this is a decent notebook or is it not worth it.I would appreciate any input from people that are obviously more knowledgable than me. thank you for any help.
Customer rating: 4.4


Based on 17 ratings
• Intel Pentium Dual Core T2390
• 3GB of DDR2 memory
• 250GB hard drive• Burns DVDs and CDs
• Built-in wireless 802.11bg
• Built-in webcam

 

Have you already bought it....?? or still deciding....

 

I bought it -but haven't opened yet- I have 14 days and no restocking if i don't open

 

So, you want to upgrade and stuff....??

 

trying to decide if its worth it or not to purchase and upgrade- can't really find any reviews on acers are they stable

 

One of the BIOS releases included this info....
So it can be upgraded to a Penryn and can support an 8600M GT....If the notebook has an MXM-II slot....

 

cannot find that info because the notebook doesn't appear on the acer website and I haven't opened the box yet to see the laptop only in the store
so I am not sure about the slot

 

Which GPU has it got..?? (Graphics)
What are its specs..??

And it can be upgraded to a Penryn C2D easily....

 

Audio/video: This laptop features Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with 384MB of total available graphics memory. This video memory is perfect for everyday activities like casual movie watching or gaming. Built-in Acer Tuba CineBass Booster and optimized 2nd Generation Dolby Home Theater Audio provide compelling 3D sound.

 

That notebook has integrated graphics, so the graphics cannot be upgraded....

You can only upgrade the CPU, and the ram and hard drive....

 

so-are the graphics decent for the minimal work I will be doing or should I scratch this laptop and look around for another in this price range? How reliable are acers low end laptops if they are taken care of

 

Yeah, the X3100 will be fine, if you are not playing games and doing 3D-modelling and stuff..!!

Acers are fine....I have got the 3680, its working fine
It normally depends upon the user, how/she uses and treats the notebook....

 

how come there isn't enough info on acers out there it doesn't look like such a bad notebook

 

I have the Extensa 5620-4428, which has pretty much the same specs. I'm very happy with it. I wouldn't game on it, but I set mine up to dualboot Vista/XP, and I'm going to be using it for mobile video/sound editing. Very good specs for the $$$, and great build quality.

 

Post edited by ATG, reason: not allowed

 

i'm not looking to game on it just want to get a decent product that won't fall apart- not worried about big names just as long as they are a reliable machine and will get my monies worth. Its been very nice of all of your advice. you are very helpful

 

The notebook won't pose any problems....
The notebook is not made by Acer, but by Wistron....which is a company in Taiwan specialising in OEM products, PCs and notebooks....!!
Acer is just the brand and will provide you the After-Sales Support..!!

Drivers and updates are no problem, but I have heard complaints of their Technical Support....But that is not a major issue..!! They do respect their Warranty and Service Policies....

 

Just got mine over the weekend and I love it.

Downgrade to XP info:
http://betaparticle.com/post.aspx?id=b52dc93b-b694-4ab2-b090-98ed80320c41

Not adequate for intensive games (haven't really tested it yet though) but everything should be fine and I'll let this forum know if I have any issues.

I've updated my blog post with a novel way to update your drivers - if anyone wants more details on how to make your own driver installer for your notebook model then contact me.

Bonus: here's a rapidshare download that's an installer that has all of the drivers. I can verify that it was created using Driver Genius on a 5620-4801 system with all drivers working but I provide no guarantee that it will work (you're on your own) but if you're installing from scratch it can't hurt anything. Just run it after booting into windows with IDE mode set in the BIOS, then after installing change it to ACHI when it reboots. It may be a good idea to create a system restore point before installing.​

 

Sorry for butting in - but I have a 5920G with 8600M GS - does this mean I can upgrade to a GT? If so, can you point me in the right direction? Thanks =)