How to open Acer Aspire 5 (A517-58M) – disassembly and upgrade options
Step 1: Opening the Acer Aspire 5 (A517-58M)
- Ensure the Acer Aspire 5 is powered off and placed on a protective surface to avoid scratches.
- Remove the 11 Philips head screws from the bottom of the laptop.
- Use a lever tool to gently lift the bottom panel at the hinge areas, then use a plastic pry tool to detach the rear and continue prying around the sides and front.
Note: The internal layout reveals a notably compact motherboard surrounded by a significant amount of unused space.
Step 2: Battery Removal
- Disconnect the 50Wh battery by detaching its connector from the motherboard.
- Unscrew the two Philips head screws and carefully remove the battery from its compartment.
More info: This standard battery offers up to 9 hours of web browsing or 11 hours of video playback, with an optional 65Wh model available for extended use.
Memory Overview
The Acer Aspire 5 features soldered memory, providing up to 32GB of LPDDR5-4800MHz RAM in dual-channel mode.
Storage Upgrade
Locate the sole M.2 slot intended for a 2280 Gen 4 NVMe drive, which allows for fast data transfer rates and significant storage capacity expansion.
You can buy Gen 4 M.2 SSD modules here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)
Hint: Don’t forget to check out our Top M.2 SSDs Performance Rankings to choose the best storage solution for your needs.
Cooling System Overview
The cooling system includes one fan and two heat pipes that work in tandem with a heat sink and a heat spreader to effectively dissipate heat, ensuring stable performance for an iGPU-centric notebook.
Acer Aspire 5 (A517-58M) in-depth review
Not everyone needs a small and compact device for daily tasks or office work. Some people prefer to use big-screen notebooks with full-sized keyboards alongside a NumPad section. Even if your budget is tight, you can still find adequate devices in this category like the Acer Aspire 5 (A517-58M). This one offers 15W Raptor Lake-U series CPU options which are battery-friendly chips that don't dissipate a lot of heat. You can opt for a GeForce RTX 2050 if the iGPU inside of the processor isn't enough for your needs.There is just one display model but that's fine given the price class. Moreove[...]
Pros
- Good battery life
- Decent chassis rigidity
- The keyboard is comfortable enough for work and has a NumPad
- Great CPU clocks especially under full CPU load
- 1080p Web camera with Temporal Noise Reduction
- PWM-free + good viewing angles (BOE NV173FHM-N49 (BOE084E))
- Has a Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 port
- Good audio quality
- Air inlet keyboard + lifting hinge design
- The cooling fan isn't too noisy even in "Performance" mode
- Has an optional fingerprint reader
Cons
- Soldered memory and just one M.2 slot
- Limited port selection
- High NVMe temperatures during benchmarking
- The touchpad could be way better