Scrapheap find - Acer Aspire 5516

[Torn Mind]

CPU: AMD TF-20
2GB RAM, single channel from Hyundai Electronics
HDD: don't know yet but I know it wasn't wiped. *EVIL GRIN*. Alas, the drive might as well be bare. No damning files to be seen.
OS: Vista Basic 32-bit
It does have Office, or at least Word.

Bootup and hibernation are surprisingly fast for this laptop. Alas, those are about the fastest things about the laptop. The chip is a real dog when running FirefoxPortable 50. Youtube vids at 480p or even 360p can easily saturated it after an extended session on Firefox. This is just as much about Firefox being unsuitable for weak systems as it is about a weak CPU. When things like opening a tab is enough to make the CPU hit 100%, you are talking about some heavy software right here.

Of course, Chrome Portable doesn't work on Vista 32-bit, so I'll need to use something like Iron to see if snappier hardware can spare this weak CPU
.
This laptop comes with a card reader lot, DVD write drive, VGA port, mic, Ethernet port, and headphones

The CPU is a dog, but yet the feel is that it is "close" to being adequate. The smoothness when starting things up gets dampened as the load becomes heavy and is overwhelmed. This thing is thirsting for clock speed AND cores very much. A CPU upgrade and memory to dual channel is needed, but those things would have been expensive back in 2009. This CPU is better than what was in netbooks though. Having used an Atom N270, the drag on this computer is better than on the netbook, and the benchmarks also bear that out.

Upgrading RAM and CPU would cost about $23 in parts, time dissassembling this thing, and the risk of breaking things with ESD. Maybe someone would buy this thing off Craigslist for $60-$70

 

[whm1974]

Upgrading RAM and CPU would cost about $23 in parts, time dissassembling this thing, and the risk of breaking things with ESD. Maybe someone would buy this thing off Craigslist for $60-$70

I wouldn't buy it since I can get something better from Newegg for a little more then what you are asking for plus the cost of upgrading.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5WM29M3788

Anything with less then 4 GB of memory isn't worth using.

 

[Torn Mind]

That is assuming people know about it. It is craigslist or nothing for me because the selling fees online would make my potential profit a pittance. If it can be rid of for even 70 dollars after spending 24 dollars on a TL-64 and 4 GBs RAM, that is 45 bucks coming my way.

Or I just use it myself as an emergency browser/printer computer.

 

[whm1974]

I suppose $45 is $45 then. Too bad you didn't find a whole pallet of these. You could really make some money.

 

[Torn Mind]

I now can't remember exactly how I got it, but it was either prior to bulk trash pickup OR some family moved out after bulk trash pickup and left behind their old junk, and this laptop was among the goods.

I was checking Ebay, and a couple were sold for $109. Obviously, that is a really optimistic and would take months before being sold, imo, but the market can clear at that price.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/PC-Laptops-...=R40&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_nkw=aspire+5516
These sales were with the original processor too. Some guys on youtube have done a CPU upgrade on laptops in this laptop's "family(Aspire 5517, 5532, etc) and I suppose the extra core and bump in clock speed was enough to turn it from lethargic to snappy.

CPU is a definite need to make this thing sellable. Probably, the PSU and battery are next in order. Finally, the RAM might be upgraded. This laptop wasn't more than a light office box that could game a little in 2009 to begin with. I'm deliberating between the TL-60 and TL-62. A matter little more clockspeed or just save the money($9 vs $7.81). The TL-64 is about $13, and was my initial choice, but with the PSU proving itself bad in a stressful run of charging the rundown battery while using the computer, my budget got tightened. 12 cell batteries go for about $22.50 or best offer on Ebay. PSUs about $10.

Alternatively, I could include a Targus APA31US universal charger and buy the appropriate tip for $3.50. It's a find from craigslist free. Given how expensive the tips are, the charger is not that valuable to me.

 

[whm1974]

Be careful this thing is starting to sound like a huge money sink.

 

[Torn Mind]

I haven't bought anything yet.

If I keep this thing, I won't be needing the battery or RAM. Or even the PSU. I just let the battery stay fully charged and the 1 volt of AC will not do anything noticeable. Or buy the "Tip A" for the Targus psu fot 3.50 on EBay.

I could install a standard battery for 12-13 bucks instead. Save myself ten bucks.

An SSD is not happening without a surcharge.