Check Out 15.6INCH COREI5/4G/500 W7

15.6INCH COREI5/4G/500 W7 Review

The 6491 configuration of Acer’s AS5740 boasts Intel’s new Core i5 processor, and a quick review of the spec sheet reveals that this configuration is amazingly “tricked out” for the price. For those wondering, the “Gemstone” blue color is very dark, almost black.
I’m extremely pleased with the notebook, but offer the following for those who may be considering this purchase. Note that I actually ordered a replacement from J&R because of the following concerns, but will ultimately be keeping the original.
First, you’ll need to live with the fact that the speakers are simply no good in the AS5740s. They’ll pass at low volume, and are OK for general computing, i.e. Windows system sounds, but for music and movies — not so good. At increased volumes they vibrate a bit, and the different settings available, i.e Dolby, Surround, etc., just change the sound without really improving it. I thought I had a dud machine with bad speakers, but the replacement was just as bad, and other reviews point to the speakers as one of the few criticisms. If you plan to use this as a mobile media player, then you may not be satisfied. Again, for general use, it’s OK.
Second, as with many of the newer energy saving hard drives, the HD in the AS5740s (in my case a Western Digital Scorpio 500G drive) frequently parks its heads – causing a noticeable click (or tink) that was driving me absolutely crazy. I would describe the sound as kind of like a camera shutter, and at first I thought it was a Windows system sound — perhaps the Internet Explorer “Start Navigation” sound, i.e. the click you get when you move to a new web page. I muted all Windows sounds and it was still there, so I knew it was mechanical. When the replacement machine made the same sound, I researched the issue and found that it was indeed the heads parking — a common complaint with many different brands of hard drives these days.
It’s a power-saving feature that can be modified with any Hard Drive management software. I tried a program called Drive Power Manager (drivepowermanager dot com) and adjusted the settings to high performance 254 and disabled the standby mode, and now the HD is quiet as a mouse. In effect, you just need to keep the HD working so it doesn’t constantly park. And you can always go back to the power-saving settings if you wish, or if the sound does not bother you (unlikely).
So, bottom line, I’m keeping the original machine, sending the replacement back to J&R (who were wonderful throughout), and rate the AS5740-6491 with 5 stars, notwithstanding its less than impressive speakers. The other features more than make up for that shortcoming.

Product Feature

Box Contents – Acer Aspire AS5740-6491 Notebook, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
Intel Core i5-430M 2.26GHz Processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz
3MB L3 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
4096MB Dual-Channel DDR3 1066MHz RAM
500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

15.6INCH COREI5/4G/500 W7 Overview

15.6INCH COREI5/4G/500 W7

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Customer Reviews

2 failures so far – abadebos –
I bought an Acer AS5740G-6979. When I received it in May (2010), it would only connect to my wireless router when closer than 3″. Called Newegg, sent it back for repair. Received it back about 7 days later, the wireless worked fine. They said it was a “loose connection”. On 7/2/10, the system rebooted itself and gave the error “operating system not found”. Called Acer Tech Support. Troubleshooting over the phone seems to lead to the conclusion that the hard drive is dead. Now I have to sent it to Acer in Texas for repair. Another 7-10 days and all data will be lost. Fortunately I have a backup. Consider my experience with this Acer product when looking to buy an Acer. Also, back up immediately and often.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 22, 2010 18:00:05

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