The Acer Extensa 5420 has a fair amount of space for upgrading. The WLAN card can be upgraded to the latest and greatest 802.11 ac (no WLAN whitelist to worry about). The processor can be upgraded from a 1.9GHz to a 2.4GHz AMD Turion 64 X2. The memory can be bumped up to 4GB. And the real performance boost, an SATA SSD.
Before starting, here's the specification so of the machine.
Specifications:
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile TL-58 1.9 GHz processor
15.4-inch display
1280 x 800 (WXGA)
ATI Radeon X1250
2 GB DDR2 RAM; 120 GB hard drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed
Chipset: ATI RS690
Southbridge: ATI SB600
Memory: 2GB (2x 1GB) (4GB max)
160GB HDD
Broadcom BCM94311MCG 802.11 b/g
Slots
- PC Card
- ExpressCard/54
Interfaces
- Microphone
- S-Video output
- Line-out/headphones
- Line in
- Modem (RJ-11),
- Ethernet 10/100 (RJ-45)
- Infrared (IrDA)
- VGA
- 4x USB 2.0
- IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
- Network
Memory Card Reader
- 5 in 1 card reader (Memory Stick, SD Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card)
Removing the bottom panel reveals all the components of the machine so a complete disassemble isn't required.
Storage: 160GB HDD (mechanical drive)
Memory: 2GB (2x 1GB). This memory can easily be expandable to 4GB (2x 2GB), unlike other manufacturers (for example, HP...again. Lenovo does this too). Some manufacturers artificially limit the amount of total memory accessible by the system from 4GB to 3GB regardless of the operating system (32 bit or 64 bit).
Wireless: Broadcom BCM94311MCG 802.11 b/g. the Broadcom WLAN card can be replaced with a better 802.11 n card or better 802.11 ac WLAN mini PCIe card. Luckily the Acer's don't have a WLAN whitelist (for example, HP).
Here's the heatsink and fan assembly. The fan can be independently removed from the heatsink for easy maintenance. This particular machine was caked with dust. I used a can of air to knock the dust out and then cotton pads and 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean out the dust.
The processor is an AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-58 1.9GHz. This is the same processor line that the HP Pavilion tx1000 uses, so the maximum upgrade here is the AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-68 2.4GHz.
The video processor is the ATI Radeon Xpress 1250. AMD has Windows 7 drivers that work! Download them from AMD here.
Here are the leads for the MXM slot for the replaceable video card. To the left of the slot, you'll see the marking MXM1. In my opinion MXM was a great idea, but it didn't stick around. If you're interested in the topic, there's lots of information available:
- http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/396320-acer-mxm-models-cards.html
- http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/562390-solder-mxm-slot-onto-acer-aspire-5315-a.html
- http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/400285-aspire-5315-mxm-graphics-upgrade.html
The 5420 has a different side panel and is missing the vents on the case molding for the MXM card heatsink. Looks like the side panel is replaceable though.
Getting back to properly cooling the Acer Extensa 5420, to enhance the cooling function of the heatsink, I've cleaned off the original thermal compound and heatpad and replaced it with Artic Silver 5.
Over the video processor, I placed a 0.5mm copper shim.
Currently everything is running smoothly with no issues.
2014-02-05 Update
So here I thought I fixed the problem. Unfortunately, I did not. After returning the computer to the owner, on power up, the Acer Extensa 5420 hard drive indicator light flashed 3 times and shutdown. The monitor stayed black but the optical drive did start up. On occasion, the hard drive indicator light would flash 3 times and then the power indicator light would flash once and then the hard drive indicator light flashed an additional 3 times before shutting down. The problem manifested itself after the computer was moved around. By moving the notebook computer around again (fairly aggressively) the Acer Extensa 5420 started back up. I though it was a hard drive problem, but replacing the hard drive didn't fix it. However, there definitely is a problem something being loose or have a poor connection.
While researching this issue on the internet, there was discussion that the CMOS battery could be loose. I took to completely disassembling the computer to reseat the CMOS battery. While fully disassembling the Acer Extensa 5420, I cleaned out additional dust particles and reseated all the ribbon cables and the power jack cable. Other possible problems might have been related to the amount of dust in the computer, oxidized cable connections preventing a tight connection between the cable and cable slot. It's hard to say since I can't specifically determine the root cause. Once fully disassembled, I also pried the CMOS battery holder bottom pin up to create a tighter connection to the battery.
First remove the PC Card slot cover, ExpressCard/54 slot cover, and the SD Card slot cover.
Flip the computer over, remove the batter, and remove the bottom panel cover.
With the bottom pannel removed, remove the heatsink and fan assembly, the hard drive, and disconnect the WLAN antenna wires. Remove all the screws connecting the top cover from the bottom of the notebook computer.
Open the LCD lid and open it all the way back. Pick the indicator panel up from the left side using a pry tool, for example, the flat edge of a spudger (see here on amazon.com). Carefully pull apart. The right edge is very tight and will not want to pull apart. The hinge cover does not clamp down and should be pulled from back to front thus unclipping the indicator panel.
Carefully disconnect the ribbon cable to the indicator panel.
Remove screws holding down the keyboard. Flip the keyboard over and carefully remove the ribbon cable from the motherboard. Disconnect all visible cables. Lift up monitor and set aside. You may pull the antenna wires all the way out, but you will have to rethread the wires through the opening but the opening is very small. Be gentle.
With the monitor out of the way, you can remove the top cover. Clean any bits of dust you see. The CMOS battery is under the black plastic heat shield located towards the front of the notebook computer. Peel back the black plastic heat shield and remove the battery. The CMOS battery slot has a bottom prong, using the spudger, gently pry it up to improve the connection just in case the CMOS battery is causing the startup problem. Place the CMOS battery back into the holder.
While reassembling the Acer Extensa 5420, I noticed this chip underneath the keyboard. I'm not sure what it is. I'm guessing it's part of the chipset. To improve heat issues with this chip, I placed a thermal pad over it. I considered putting a copper shim over it, but it would be messy since the copper shim would have thermal paste to connect it to the bottom of the keyboard.
Once the Acer Extensa 5420 was reassembled, I'm happy to announce that the notebook computer turns on without any problems.
2014-02-05 Update
So here I thought I fixed the problem. Unfortunately, I did not. After returning the computer to the owner, on power up, the Acer Extensa 5420 hard drive indicator light flashed 3 times and shutdown. The monitor stayed black but the optical drive did start up. On occasion, the hard drive indicator light would flash 3 times and then the power indicator light would flash once and then the hard drive indicator light flashed an additional 3 times before shutting down. The problem manifested itself after the computer was moved around. By moving the notebook computer around again (fairly aggressively) the Acer Extensa 5420 started back up. I though it was a hard drive problem, but replacing the hard drive didn't fix it. However, there definitely is a problem something being loose or have a poor connection.
While researching this issue on the internet, there was discussion that the CMOS battery could be loose. I took to completely disassembling the computer to reseat the CMOS battery. While fully disassembling the Acer Extensa 5420, I cleaned out additional dust particles and reseated all the ribbon cables and the power jack cable. Other possible problems might have been related to the amount of dust in the computer, oxidized cable connections preventing a tight connection between the cable and cable slot. It's hard to say since I can't specifically determine the root cause. Once fully disassembled, I also pried the CMOS battery holder bottom pin up to create a tighter connection to the battery.
First remove the PC Card slot cover, ExpressCard/54 slot cover, and the SD Card slot cover.
Flip the computer over, remove the batter, and remove the bottom panel cover.
With the bottom pannel removed, remove the heatsink and fan assembly, the hard drive, and disconnect the WLAN antenna wires. Remove all the screws connecting the top cover from the bottom of the notebook computer.
Open the LCD lid and open it all the way back. Pick the indicator panel up from the left side using a pry tool, for example, the flat edge of a spudger (see here on amazon.com). Carefully pull apart. The right edge is very tight and will not want to pull apart. The hinge cover does not clamp down and should be pulled from back to front thus unclipping the indicator panel.
Carefully disconnect the ribbon cable to the indicator panel.
Remove screws holding down the keyboard. Flip the keyboard over and carefully remove the ribbon cable from the motherboard. Disconnect all visible cables. Lift up monitor and set aside. You may pull the antenna wires all the way out, but you will have to rethread the wires through the opening but the opening is very small. Be gentle.
With the monitor out of the way, you can remove the top cover. Clean any bits of dust you see. The CMOS battery is under the black plastic heat shield located towards the front of the notebook computer. Peel back the black plastic heat shield and remove the battery. The CMOS battery slot has a bottom prong, using the spudger, gently pry it up to improve the connection just in case the CMOS battery is causing the startup problem. Place the CMOS battery back into the holder.
While reassembling the Acer Extensa 5420, I noticed this chip underneath the keyboard. I'm not sure what it is. I'm guessing it's part of the chipset. To improve heat issues with this chip, I placed a thermal pad over it. I considered putting a copper shim over it, but it would be messy since the copper shim would have thermal paste to connect it to the bottom of the keyboard.
Once the Acer Extensa 5420 was reassembled, I'm happy to announce that the notebook computer turns on without any problems.
The reanimation of this dead computer was nothing short of necromancy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this. The CMOS battery was the issue and now the computer is back to 100%.
ReplyDeleteI too had random shutdown and when it started asking me to reset the clock, I suspected the battery. Replaced it and all is well. This was four years ago. I'm running Win 7 SP1 on it and it is so much more stable than Vista was. 4gb of ram, tho' only three is addressable and then biggest improvment has been the Crucial 500gb SSD. It's a new machine. Also, I replaced the top cover multiple times as it kept breaking at the hing points. Found a magnesium alloy version in Poland and THAT cured the problem. I bought this little box in 2007 and decided to see how long it could be made to run. A crash to the floor and landing on the power connection was a pain to repair, but hot glue solidly mounted the new socket and all is well again. The original construction of it secured the socket in the same manner.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Win 10 64 bit would run on this machine?
Great blog for those of us who are shade tree techs to needing learn things.
Thank you, Jaxn