Jump to content
  • entries
    189
  • comments
    1,315
  • views
    173,618

New Computer


Velox

1,366 views

So my old laptop died, and it looked like trying to fix it would cost a fairly good amount, plus I needed a new laptop anyway, so my dad decided he'd get me a new one. Ended up being able to get this:

 

316113-acer-aspire-m5-581t-6405-angle.jpg

 

Acer Aspire Ultrabook M5-581T-6405

 

Really, really happy with it. Ended up costing ~$100 less too because it was a display model. I was originally planning on actually waiting 7-10 days for them to ship one to a nearby store (as no one had it in stock), but when visiting my local BestBuy they found out that a store ~45 minutes from my house had this last one, so me and my dad drove up and got it.

 

Windows 8 is taking a little getting used to, but I'm still loving the computer so far--so much better than my old laptop, fairly thin and lightweight, fast, backlit keyboard, etc. (and it has a DVD player ^^) I wanted this one specifically because a friend from school has an older version and completely loves it, plus I had seen her laptop before and used it. And for just the basic stuff that I'm using it for, it's definitely nice.

 

Hopefully going to be able to recover all of my files...if not, at the very least I had a few of my main things (mostly large writing projects) saved onto Dropbox, so I still have those, plus I backed up my computer a few months ago, which means I'll only lose some recent things if I'm not able to recover them.

8 Comments


Recommended Comments

It's never fun when your computer dies. ;_; But the one you got is a great computer. Nice choice. Does it have a touch screen? I forgot whether it did or not. :P

 

-Rez

 

EDIT: Just noticed the link. Whoa, it came with an HDD and an SSD? I wish my laptop had come with both. The processor is nice too. It's overclockable as it seems, which is good. 6GB of RAM, nice. :D Too bad there isn't a dedicated graphics card. But integrated graphics work well unless you're into gaming a lot.

Link to comment

The processor is nice too. It's overclockable as it seems, which is good.

Actually, given that it's a laptop, the processor can't be overclocked. Or at least it'd be difficult to overclock it and there wouldn't be any advantage to it. What it can do is automatically OC itself from 1.8GHz to 2.7GHz based on how demanding the task you're doing is, which is a nice feature. It'll also slow itself down if it overheats. Personally I'd have gone with an "M" processor rather than a "U" - the i5 3210M, for example, has a base speed of 2.5GHz and Turbo Boosts to 3.1GHz. But that comes at the cost of increased power consumption, so depending on what you're doing with it a U may be a better choice.

 

Retrieving the data from your old laptop shouldn't be that hard, assuming it wasn't the hard drive that failed.

Link to comment

@ Reznas ~ Yeah, unfortunately it's not a touch screen, though at the same time, I don't really care much. =P I was thinking about getting the 14" touchscreen version (M5-481PT), but with tax and the savings I got on this one, it would've been nearly $300 more. =P But yeah, the SSD was one of my favorite things, too, and I won't really be gaming at all, so the graphics card (or lack thereof =P) didn't bother me. I did like how it has dedicated video memory--basically all I use my computer for is writing, browsing, and watching videos (don't have a TV so I use my laptop).

 

@ Baltarc ~ I'm not completely sure which would be the better choice for my uses, but I know that the U is definitely fine for me, at the very least. =P I definitely wanted less power consumption (and therefore longer battery life), but I wasn't even really looking in to U vs. M. I did like how it'll go to 2.7GHz and slow down if it overheats. And yeah, hopefully I'll be able to. GSR works for Microsoft and he's looking into things for me, and I can always try taking it places as well. Fingers crossed!

Link to comment

 

The processor is nice too. It's overclockable as it seems, which is good.

Actually, given that it's a laptop, the processor can't be overclocked. Or at least it'd be difficult to overclock it and there wouldn't be any advantage to it. What it can do is automatically OC itself from 1.8GHz to 2.7GHz based on how demanding the task you're doing is, which is a nice feature. It'll also slow itself down if it overheats. Personally I'd have gone with an "M" processor rather than a "U" - the i5 3210M, for example, has a base speed of 2.5GHz and Turbo Boosts to 3.1GHz. But that comes at the cost of increased power consumption, so depending on what you're doing with it a U may be a better choice.

 

Retrieving the data from your old laptop shouldn't be that hard, assuming it wasn't the hard drive that failed.

 

 

Laptops can definitely be overclocked, but it the performance can actually be reduced when overclocking certain computers due to the increased heat. Overclocking can cause thermal shutdown a lot more frequently, and possibly damage your processor and other respective parts.

 

-Rez

Link to comment

If you're using Windows 8, I recommend downloading Classic Shell. You can use it to re-add the Start Menu button in Desktop mode among some other things, which, for me at least, is helpful.

Link to comment

Duuuuude. I was totally considering buying the exact same laptop today. My tower is awesome, having a tablet is great, but it is nice to still have a laptop to use on occasion. People used to love Acer or hate it, and there are still customers that come in and say "that's a cheap brand I don't want it." That is not true anymore. I decided to not buy the laptop because the money I have been saving is for vacation. Congratulations on the computer though! It is stylish, nice and thin, and it does not get too hot when using it.

 

If the hard drive in your last laptop is intact, you could just purchase an enclosure. It effectively turns the hard drive into an external one. All you have to do is plug it in and connect it via usb and viola all of your data.

Link to comment

@ LL ~ Yeah, my dad has that and he told me I should, too. =P I'm actually getting used to Windows 8, though, so I think I'll just keep it as-is for now. I'm glad there's an option out there, though, in case I do want to go back to the start menu and whatnot.

 

@ Sisen ~ Yeah, I think Acer also used to have a pretty bad reputation, so there's still a lot left over from that. But I know a lot of people who completely love Acer and I've read that they've turned around and whatnot. But yeah, it's definitely an amazing computer. ^^ It's awesome being able to take it wherever I want without needing a power cord (unless I'm there for more than like 6 hours) or to worry about it overheating or anything.

 

As for the hard drive, GSR actually saved me without having to spend any money. : D I was able to put Linux on a flash drive and boot from Linux to retrieve all my files. ^^ So yeah, I'm really happy that I was able to get all my info back.

Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...