Acer Ethos AS8951G/AS5951G Owners Lounge

[zealouz]

I think you answered usz's question about whether the wifi module includes bluetooth. Where did you find out the 8951G's bluetooth module location?

We keep on misreading each others post...lol I have a 8943G that I will install the BT module in. I have to get under the keyboard to install it. That is why i said I will have practice for when I purchase the 8951G, because I will max out the memory in that one. I am not sure where the Bluetooth module is in the 8951G and/or if it is contained on the wifi card.

[RAY24]

Yeah, haven't gotten that far yet but mine had 8 gigs preinstalled so I have no need.

"Who would ever need more than 12 gigs?" lol. Reminds me of "who would ever need more than 640k?"

I haven't looked for/noticed the "weird-looking" screws, sounds like torx heads (star shape) or something like that, you'd have to purchase that.

Lol.. Yeah who would ever need more than 12 GB?" (prob' just like how it was with 'more than 640k' .......eventually we will..

---ah,.. ok that's what they're called, "torx heads"! they are indeed -star shape- ..It's a first for me to ever have come accross those...
Guess now all I have to do is looking for the right tool to go with those
torx heads .. -----Thanks!

Ya, when I replied about disassembly I was speaking of the memory under the keyboard...I will have to get under my 8943's keyboard to get to the bluetooth module slot so that is why I mentioned I will be getting practice.

I am sure the service guide for the 8951 will pop its head out soon. I have the one for the 8943...I would think there are a lot of similarities.

--I was allready looking for a service guide,
Its as you've said, "the service guide for the 8951G will pop its head out soon"
so.. untill someone finds it and putts the link here,.. guess we'll / I'll keep searching for it. ---either way, I'll check on the one from the 8943 & 8950, just to get some pre-info on how to do things..

[vgorilla]

I'm having trouble getting the HDMI out to work. It worked briefly until my pc hibernated. Now I can't get any output. I've tried rebooting, fn-f5 only brings up one icon. What else can I try?
---------------------
Nevermind, apparently it does not like the HDMI cable. That cable works fine on other devices but not on this machine. I found another cable that does work.

[MANoWAR]

so how is everyone liking their AS8951Gs/AS5951Gs? i'm looking to buy a new laptop and so far this looks like one of the favorites (i know very little about laptops).

i want a laptop that is very fast, has a good graphics card, has a solid build (some metal, no cheap plastic), ~15inches, and has no functional problems (my Dell M1330 XPS just died for the 4th time so i'm looking to avoid that mess again). i'm willing to spend up to $1,600

anyways, the Acer Ethos AS5951G looks to meet all those requirements and it looks sexy. what do you guys think? would you recommend it over, say, an HP Envy? is it available in any stores to test? can you customize it? if so, how does the price you paid differ from the $1,400 starting price in the US?

thanks

[vgorilla]

Just curious, if you're considering a 15" laptop, why would you also be considering this, which feels about twice as big?

Performance wise, it is awesome, though it needs SSD or or faster hdd, which you can add for minimal cost.

Sturdiness, not so much. Most any 15" unit will be sturdier. Lot of flex in the screen, and the round pieces by the hinge feel like they might fall off with minimal stress.

[sammcc]

Just curious, if you're considering a 15" laptop, why would you also be considering this, which feels about twice as big?

I believe you're talking about the AS5951G 15" model, Man-o-war? Most of us have the 18" screen and all the reviews I've read are about the 18", I haven't heard from anyone with the 15". We can tell you about our experience but it's not going to be the same - some of the specs are different, but mostly they should perform similarly.

I love mine, the battery life and build quality seem excellent. The touchpad is fantastic except that (so far) there's no sensitivity adjustment for it so it's easy to accidentally "click" by touching it while you're typing, and it's got a slight lag. Otherwise the machine is very cool and quiet, good keyboard with backlighting, easy to work on except for the first two ram sticks are hidden under the keyboard. There have been negative comments about the screen, it's not super bright and the colors shift pretty quickly off-axis but I don't know if the 15" is the same. It's a step up from any other laptop I've owned (HP's), so I'm very happy with it.

I'm coming from an HP DV8t, and another HP before that plus my wife has an HP, and I'm pretty negative about HP build quality and customer support based on those so even though the Envy seems to be a great machine I wouldn't recommend HP to anyone. Acer supposedly has had not-great customer support but apparently they're working on improving it.

[MANoWAR]

I believe you're talking about the AS5951G 15" model, Man-o-war? Most of us have the 18" screen and all the reviews I've read are about the 18", I haven't heard from anyone with the 15". We can tell you about our experience but it's not going to be the same - some of the specs are different, but mostly they should perform similarly.

I love mine, the battery life and build quality seem excellent. The touchpad is fantastic except that (so far) there's no sensitivity adjustment for it so it's easy to accidentally "click" by touching it while you're typing, and it's got a slight lag. Otherwise the machine is very cool and quiet, good keyboard with backlighting, easy to work on except for the first two ram sticks are hidden under the keyboard. There have been negative comments about the screen, it's not super bright and the colors shift pretty quickly off-axis but I don't know if the 15" is the same. It's a step up from any other laptop I've owned (HP's), so I'm very happy with it.

I'm coming from an HP DV8t, and another HP before that plus my wife has an HP, and I'm pretty negative about HP build quality and customer support based on those so even though the Envy seems to be a great machine I wouldn't recommend HP to anyone. Acer supposedly has had not-great customer support but apparently they're working on improving it.

Thank you. Yes, I'm talking about the 15.6" AS5951G version.

I don't know much about computers (all the technical specifications mean nothing to me). I feel like I've narrowed it down to the Acer AS5951G, HP Envy 14, and MacBook Pro.

How would all 3 of those computers compare to each other in terms of display quality, processing speed, keyboard comfort, touch pad, and overall reliabilty? I've heard on several occasions that MacBook Pros are excellent but for the price I could get a much better laptop. Is this true?

Right now, I'd say I'm definitely leaning towards the Acer Aspire Ethos 5951G as it has all of my requirements and it looks brilliant. I'm just concerned because its so new so there are very few reviews and that it might be difficult to buy and receive it in a timely manner in the US (perhaps I'm incorrect here).

[sammcc]

Thank you. Yes, I'm talking about the 15.6" AS5951G version.

I don't know much about computers (all the technical specifications mean nothing to me). I feel like I've narrowed it down to the Acer AS5951G, HP Envy 14, and MacBook Pro.

How would all 3 of those computers compare to each other in terms of display quality, processing speed, keyboard comfort, touch pad, and overall reliabilty? I've heard on several occasions that MacBook Pros are excellent but for the price I could get a much better laptop. Is this true?

Yes, the MacBook Pro is a great computer, my son has one and it's a design masterpiece. Apple has the best tech support, and OSX is in many ways a better operating system than Windows but there is the "Mac Tax" as it's called, the $300 or so premium price you pay for computers of similar specs. The HP Envy was designed to try to compete with Apple for the "coolness factor", it's a nice machine but as I said I don't trust the company any more, they make mistakes that they don't admit and don't fix. Acer is making better machines than HP in my opinion, the 8951G is very well designed and innovative. I personally like Windows better because I'm used to it, and the Mac approach of "this way or nothing" and "I know what you really want to do" makes me a little buggy.

Right now, I'd say I'm definitely leaning towards the Acer Aspire Ethos 5951G as it has all of my requirements and it looks brilliant. I'm just concerned because its so new so there are very few reviews and that it might be difficult to buy and receive it in a timely manner in the US (perhaps I'm incorrect here).

I think you'll find the 15" harder to find, it's not carried by NewEgg.com so far and I only see three places in Google Shopping that carry it.

[sammcc]

Okay, finally got the hard drive cable
Acer original cable - AC44753 - $24.95US : Notebook Solutions
and bracket
Acer original bracket - AC44033 - $19.95US : Notebook Solutions
from Notebook Solutions. They were delayed for several days due to the Canadian postal strike. I can report that they are both exact matches, the cable is the perfect length for the second HDD bay. You'll need to order two of the brackets and I'd suggest seeing if they have screws for them, they don't come with any. Based on very good interactions with Notebook Solutions, I recommend them.

[usz]

sammcc, please let us know ,if the cable and bracket are compatible and if the second hard drive work!