AS6920 Owners Lounge

[mtbizzle]

Hey guys,

I apologize if this problem has already been posted about. For some reason the thread search function is not working (I end up at a 'do process' page which is blank instead of the search working).

My power jack on my 6920G is obviously messed up. In order to manage a secure power connection, I have to rig the plug at an odd angle which will almost certainly bend the jack with the result that eventually it will not work at all. This is particularly a problem because my battery is completely shot, and I don't have the $ to replace it. So I'm trying to either fix the jack myself, or replace the jack (on eBay they sell for ~4$, see link below).
Symptoms wise, because the connection is not secure, the 'plugged in' light flickers on and off, and the screen does the same (to reflect plugged in vs not plugged in power settings).

Does anyone know exactly how to do this? It looks like you simply have to take off the cover that says "Dolby Home Theater" or the rounded peice behind it; how do you remove these?
Also, will this take any soldering/etc or would I simply need to remove and replace the power jacks? Or might there be a solution without buying a new jack?

Thanks in advance!!!!!




Jack:
OEM NEW ACER ASPIRE 6920 6920G 6935 AC DC IN POWER JACK CABLE HARNESS CJ89D | eBay

[downloads]

It should be easy enough to replace although you'll have dismantle the whole notebook to route the power cable properly.
Service manual can help you do that properly.

[mistermojo]

just uploaded the PPL hardware unlock info for anyone that wants to overclock their 6920g.

acer 6920g setfsb overclock and upgrade - 9600 + ssd + overclock = happy

hope it helps others.

[j8048188]

Hello Everyone!

I'm back from my mission. If anyone needs help, just post here or PM me.

Cheers!

[gazzacbr]

just uploaded the PPL hardware unlock info for anyone that wants to overclock their 6920g.

acer 6920g setfsb overclock and upgrade - 9600 + ssd + overclock = happy

hope it helps others.

just ordered 2 x 512GB Crucial M4s for my 6020g.
I intend to clone my current disks as i have 9 OS's on there right now.
cloning partitions will be properly aligned for ssd (using BootIT).
i will enable trim for ubuntu, various windows and another os.
anything else i need to know or do to get the best from the ssd's?

[BNRJJ8]

Has anyone tried running Win8 on this thing? Will the Windows 7 drivers work?

[gazzacbr]

@BNRJJ8, yes and yes.
almost everything working oob, sound, networking, even IR.
needed win 7 driver for card reader.
and fingerprint reader but win 7 driver seems to be ok.

launch manager says windows is wrong version.
its using a setup.inf to check, any ideas what i have to change (regedit?) to force it to run?
EDIT: win 8 has its own OSD (on screen display) for volume and brightness which works with FN control and cinedash.
so all is well

[trollisljotiresns]

Hello!

I just registered here and I am looking forward to get some advice from fellows 6920 owners. I am not expecting you to give me everything on a ''silver plate'', I can read through information myself but lack knowledge of reliable reference web-pages.

I have had my Acer Aspire 6920G (by the way, why does the topic title does not contain the ''G''?) I have mine with the T5750 CPU, Nvidia 9500M GS. Win Vista Home Premium, 32 bit edition, original, the one that came with the laptop, all updates applied. Have reduced all visual settings to increase performance, since I really do not need them, have also turned off indexing for now.

I bought this laptop to use it mostly like a regular PC, and I barely carry it about. A year ago I bought a cooling bad (some Thermaltake model, I have to keep the laptop a bit off-set to the right edge of the pad to keep it cooled efficiently, and I ever since I have the pad, I have the bottom cover removed).

I have had very few problems so far. The ''biggest'' one has been that for some reason one day 1 of the RAM modules refused to keep working (as my fellow electrician-enthusiast with quite some experience found). So, he changed the module. 2nd problem I have been having, as it seems, mostly after having switched the laptop off using the main power button, is that upon switching it on again it does not switch on with the first try (its random, usually takes it 2-3 times or a battery removal to be sure). What happens? It turns on to the black screen and in white it says that the system folder is corrupted or something like that. It really is not an often thing, barely happens when I turn the laptop off using the Start Menu. I have checked my HDD, it has no bad sectors not has it shown any signs of ''dying''.

That is about it regarding ''problems''. Lucky you. Now, it has been a very faithful companion, and I have played some games on and off (Bioshock, CoH, World of Tanks, currently, those are the most ''heavy ones'' that have made the GPU/CPU heat up.

I regularly clean the air outlet (you know, the dust cover from the fan outlet). If you do not do that on a regular bases, the dust can make quite a ''wall''.

Anyway, when playing games my CPU temperature has not gone above 41 degrees Celsium, and my GPU - 65 degrees Celsium. Have ha donly 1 instance where I THINK there were some artifact-like thingies on the screen but it only happened once.

What I would like to know is:

1) Any use changing the thermo paste on both the CPU as well as the GPU? As far as I know one of them has the ''pad-like'' thing instead of a regular paste on it, will that be a problem if I replace it with a regular paste? (I have disassembled the laptop as far as the HDD, heatsink, fan, RAMs, network card goes but have not had the stomach to try remove the heatsing heads from CPU/GPU). I know a specialist would be the best but can I take them off myself? They seem to have sticked to the CPU/GPU so I do nto want to break anything, can I?

2) What other maintenance works would you recommend to prolong its life-time?

3) Is it worth installing Windows 7 on this machine? Hardware wise.

4) Should I update the BIOS? Have not done it after I bought this laptop.


Hope someone still reads this topic...

[downloads]

1. Yes it's probably a good idea to change the thermal paste- might not be worth much but decrease of several degrees is always good. Thermal pads are for RAM modules on GPU and you can leave them in place.

2. Nothing more than what's being discussed comes to mind. You can't do anything about nVidia bumpgate issue so prolonging won't work here. If your card decides to die on you it will regardless of your best efforts. Upgrade-wise SSD is always a good thing to go for assuming you have the cash and feel like spending that much.

3. Yes it is worth it. Vista is heavy and slow- for whatever reason Win 7 feels more snappy and it doesn't put more load on a system. So that one is definitely worth it.

4. One version of BIOS resolved an issue with this Win XP-based Acer Arcade thingy that would sometimes launch instead of normal OS once you've pressed power button.
I'm not ure if the issue you describe with starting a laptop is not indeed related to this. You could update BIOS to the most recent one which definitely employs this fix and see if it helps.

[trollisljotiresns]

What is the bumpgate issue you are referring to? Do not get the meaning of that term.

I have acquired the service manual, just need to get a small screwdriver and print the manual and I shall attempt to change the thermal paste this weekend, hopefully. And, if there are those pads, should I remove them or leave them? Since the way I understand it is either pads or paste but not both, right?

I am tempted to clear it thoroughly, since I know there might be crums and dust beneath the keyboard but I will have to disassemble the whole laptop, thats what puts me off a bit...