eMachines W4620 Review (pics, specs)

[dryanwilson]

emachines replacement battery for w4620

strangely, it is listed as 8 cell, i thought the stock battery was 6 cells and the "extended" was 9 cells.

Also, the emachines site is incorrect, this battery will NOT fit the W4605 or W4620--that is the M series battery---totally different shape--would NEVER fit in the W series.

Emachines is having alot of quality issues on their website since the gateway move.

[dryanwilson]

I have not tried replacing the wireless card--I am getting good enough reception for my application.

[dryanwilson]

keyboard is a bit flimsy. the right arrow key already came loose, one of the little metal hooks that hold the key down was bent and the key came off. i repaired it with needlenose pliers, but it's obvious it was a manufacturing defect that should have been caught during QC but was missed.

the 4200rpm hitachi is a bit slow, i might upgrade to a 5400 when i get the chance.

my display has 0 dead pixels, yay!

I did some additional research on the gateway M320 (cousin) keyboard and verified there are potential issues with this keyboard--alot of replacements out there.... Not sure if this is good or bad, time will tell.

[dryanwilson]

UPDATE: I called emachines corporate headquarters today, and they have now added the W4620 information to their website Hopefully a little bit helpful for those of you considering this notebook.

View here:
http://www.emachines.com/support/pro...es&model=W4620

[bani]

the W4620's ethernet is actually gigabit ethernet, not 10/100

[bani]

just a little warning to anyone planning to wipe and reload xp pro or whatnot on this notebook. the 4gb partition contains the drivers, so back it up before deleting it.

[Dustymack]

ok.. I've been reading and it looks like no one has bought the 8 cell replacement (from eMachine) for the w4620 (i think). If you have replaced it please tell us how long the battery last. Also, i noticed that m320 gateway battery was said to fit this model (is this true). If it is does the 9 cell (m320) battery work for the w4620 and how long does the battery last? I greatly appreciate it as i will probably buy this steel of a deal laptop and many others.

[Dustymack]

I got my eMachines w4620 in the mail last week. I looked at the battery and compared it to the m320 and looks identical pluss the specs match. I cant afford the battery now but i will get it in the future(ie. 9cells).The battery shown on eMachines website looks like the wrong battery (i would recomend the 9cell from gateway). The pros of this notebook is that it is light, cd/dvdburner works good, lcd looks great,and its pritty fast. Its been a week since i bought this notebook and the lower lcd bezal is starting to worp (you would hardly ever notice it). I think its the lights (maby circut bord) in the lcd bezal that heat up and that is what couses the worping.The brodcom wireless nic only works with "G" networks and wont pick up "B" or "A"(well at least its G). I like the fact that you can open a lach and clean the prossesser easy (also good for moding). I dont like the power cord by the cd/dvd burner (it gets in the way) and same thing go's for the usb port on that side.

[Dustymack]

Well I got board so I decided to fix my own warped LCD bezel. It took me a while to think of something that would resist the heat generated buy the chip that controls the two light on the bottom as well a the LCD back light. Then I downed on me that silicone can resist high tempercher and holds well after it sets. I was amazed how easy it was to take the bezel off. Once taken off be careful because the bezel is flimsy and easy to break. Once off apply a decent bead horizontally on the top side where the bottomed bezel meets the LCD. Here is the hard part…Put it back together and find some way to keep the bezel flush with the metal behind it. If you notice two inches from the right hinge the chip actually pushes the bezel out so you have to figure out a way to push it in and keep it that way so the silicone get a good hold. I actual held it in for about an hour (it sucked). I used the silicone that you use to seal windows. It takes 30min to become non tacky and I think 24 hours fully cure. It’s been five day’s since the mod with my notebook running 24/7 and no warping took place. I even tested it buy moving the screen and charging the battery and no warping. Also silicone won’t short any thing. Next I want to figure out some way to water cool my laptop. Theirs enough room but things like a water pump and supplying power to the fan and water pump are going to be tough (I want every thing concealed with in the notebook).

[Dustymack]

Well... Today i tryed to install windows xp 64bit. I got the broadcom nic(not wireless) to work but could not get the sound to work or the 5 in one card reader. I hope new drivers come out for 64bit.