Aspire 5672WLMi with X1600 - Page 2

I must admit I placed my order at 1:30 am at the end of Feb, it was the core duo that got me going, I made the mistake of thinking the x1400 was the successor to x700 (silly me) I should have researched it more, and gone for an x1600 machine,
I was just too darn impatient, and I wanted to play

email is so far unanswered.

Same here.. i think i will make a call when i get back from lunch...

So, being the impatient bugger that i am, i made a call to Acer Tech support (1-800-816-2237). I spoke to a gentleman named Mark, and i was told this:

Right now, the new part is too new - it's not in thier system. He estimated that given a month (or less, it really depends) it should be in. However, they do not offer any upgrade services, so the mobo would have to be purchased yourself. This leads into other things; the mobo is not a standard sales item, and so would need to to eb requested. The results of the request generally vary on stock on hand (remember, they need stock to fill RMAs first) and reason for purchase. Now, i think that if they had decent stock, they won't shoot you down if you wanted to buy said motherboard.

As for price, once again, he could not look it up (not yet in the system), but our current mobos cost $395, and he estimated from expereince, that the new one should not be much more.

So guys, right now, give it some time, and lets see what happens. Watch stores like CompUSA and BestBuy - when we see the new 5672s there in volume, we will know its a good time to look into the x1600 upgrade.

Hope that helps guys!

ATI® MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1600 graphics, 128MB DDR

was i the only one who noticed this? isn't it supost to be 256mb (512 hypermem.?) and was't it suppost to have 667 mem not 533? hmmm oh well

Hah.. just got this from Acer...


So guys- call the number (1-800-816-2237) if you want a chance to get a new motherboard. I would write back and correct this guy (CPU and mobo are most certianly upgradable - hell, its what they did on the x1600!), but i will just leave my conversation on the phone as the more informed comment..

LOL yeah I got a stock answer , the guy didnt seem too sure what I had (erm I wrote that in the subject mr acer man)
here is what they said

Dear sir


You do not state what machine have. Is it a 5672. We do not have accurate records of what parts are upgradable for the laptop. We can book the unit in and then produce a quote once it is in with us. if you wish to do so please read the instructions below

There will be a £35 + VAT charge taken from you before your machine is brought in for repair. You will then be given courier details so that you may arrange collection of your machine for shipment to our repair centre. Upon receiving the machine in our warehouse, your machine will undergo assessment by one of our Repair Centre Engineers. They will draw up a written proposal for you containing full details pertaining to your repair, which will be sent to you via the postal service, giving you seven days to respond.

Once you have received the proposal, you have the option to reject the proposal, which means the £35 + VAT will then pay for the Engineer and Couriers fees, and the machine will be returned to you unrepaired.

If you accept the proposal, the £35 + VAT is deducted from the final bill, and the repair then goes ahead.

After seven days, if your proposal is not signed and returned to us by fax or post, the repair is defaulted as rejected, your machine is not repaired, and shipped back to you.

If you would like to book your machine in for an assessment. Please let us know and we will make the necessary arrangements.

Regards

Acer Technical Support Team

---------------------------------------------------------------------
so it seems they are non too keen to do much but lets see what happens with volume shipments

and @ wickettt , a 128mb x1600 will still be a massive upgrade....

Well, like i said. The guy i called was really nice, and gave me good hope for getting a mobo (literally buying one though). LIke i said - give it a month, and i bet stories will change.

Actually I am going to take back some of what I said, once I clarified to them exactly what I was trying to do, they sent me the number for the parts department, so its just waiting for the unit to be released.

I have a very sneaky suspicion that they are using the same motherboard that they put in the 8204 for the new machine, so parts might already be available (same chipset, machines similar in design)
Yes the switches on the front are different but I think they are attached to the edge of the mobo (like a back panel)

I think I will have a sneak peek inside an 8204 @ work, and then a peek at my mobo without the casing just to check part numbers design / shapes and measurements

BOFH - could you send me the parts # as well (not sure if it is the same number i have).

I have noticed that so many of the Acer Aspire's recently look exactly the same, so i would not be supprised if they are using the same mobos from other laptops.

Anyway, please keep us updated on what you find. It will be interesting to see.

No worries whatever I find out I will share on the forum, (its only fair ) plus that might encourage others to upgrade too creating a nice do's and dont's list and guides which is what this forum is here for amongst other things

You know guys, the other thing that may help us (I'm not really sure), is putting in a batch order with them. They may be more willing to work with us if we give them a reason to. Though, i may be wrong in how Acer''s part division works - either way, just an idea.

maybe , I think its high time parts were available through retail though, manufacturers can't expect I.T. professionals to want to pay for them to do a simple part fitting.

Hey.. service is a big part of thier business. they know parts will fail, and by holding control of them, they can easily make some NICE extra revenue. Yeah, it really sucks for us consumers, but through thier eyes... well, who cares? We either have the choice of ponying up the $, or making a bigger investment into something new. Unfortunatly, they will continue to be able to hold this control while everything remains proprietary (which is something i would REALLY like to see changed..).

*Sigh*.. what can you do, no?

since these things are officially *up* on their site. where can you buy one? newegg still only has the x1400 models, somone let me know whats up

Most sites are still showing ETA of June 1, so i would go wtih that...