Acer PREDATOR G5900 User manual

i
Acer
Predator G5900 Service Guide
PRINTED IN TAIWAN

ii
Revision History
Please refer to the table below for the updates made on this service guide.
Date Chapter Updates

iii
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by Acer Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.

iv
Disclaimer
The information in this guide is subject to change without notice.
Acer Incorporated makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the
contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular
purpose. Any Acer Incorporated software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the
programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not Acer Incorporated, its distributor, or its
dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential
damages resulting from any defect in the software.
Acer is a registered trademark of Acer Corporation.
Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Pentium Dual-Core, Celeron Dual-Core, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Celeron, and combinations thereof, are
trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

v
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
SCREEN
MESSAGES Denotes actual messages that appear on screen.
NOTE Gives additional information related to the current topic.
WARNING Alerts you to any physical risk or system damage that might result from doing
or not doing specific actions.
CAUTION Gives precautionary measures to avoid possible hardware or software
problems.
IMPORTANT Reminds you to do specific actions relevant to the accomplishment of
procedures.

vi
Service Guide Coverage
This Service Guide provides you with all technical information relating to the BASIC CONFIGURATION
decided for Acer's "global" product offering. To better fit local market requirements and enhance product
competitiveness, your regional office MAY have decided to extend the functionality of a machine (e.g. add-on
card, modem, or extra memory capability). These LOCALIZED FEATURES will NOT be covered in this generic
service guide. In such cases, please contact your regional offices or the responsible personnel/channel to
provide you with further technical details.
FRU Information
Please note WHEN ORDERING FRU PARTS, that you should check the most up-to-date information available
on your regional web or channel. If, for whatever reason, a part number change is made, it will not be noted in
the printed Service Guide. For ACER-AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS, your Acer office may have a
DIFFERENT part number code to those given in the FRU list of this printed Service Guide. You MUST use the
list provided by your regional Acer office to order FRU parts for repair and service of customer machines.

vii
System Tour 1
Features 1
Block Diagram 4
System Components 5
Front Panel 5
Rear Panel 6
Hardware Specifications and Configurations 7
Power Management Function(ACPI support function) 10
System Utilities 11
CMOS Setup Utility 11
Entering CMOS setup 12
Navigating Through the Setup Utility 12
Setup Utility Menus 13
System Disassembly 26
Disassembly Requirements 26
Pre-disassembly Procedure 27
Removing the Side Panel 28
Removing the Front Bezel 29
Removing the Heat Sink Fan Assembly 30
Removing the Processor 32
Removing the VGA Card 33
Removing the Wireless Card 35
Removing the Memory Modules 36
Removing the System Fan 37
Removing the Daughter Board 38
Removing Other Side Panel 40
Removing the Hard Disk Drive 41
Removing the Removable Hard Disk Drive 43
Removing the Optical Drive 46
Removing the Power Supply 48
Removing the Motherboard 49
Removing the Card Reader 52
Removing the Top Cover 54
Removing the Power Switch and LED Cable Assembly 55
Removing the Front I/O and USB Board 57
System Troubleshooting 59
Hardware Diagnostic Procedure 59
System Check Procedures 60
Power System Check 60
System External Inspection 60
System Internal Inspection 60
Beep Codes 61
Checkpoints 62
BIOS Recovery 65
Jumper and Connector Information 66
M/B Placement 66
Jumper Setting 68
Setting Jumper 68
Table of Contents

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FRU (Field Replaceable Unit) List 74
Predator G5900 Exploded Diagram 75
Predator G5900 FRU List 77
Inter RIAD SOP 82
Inter®Matrix Storage Technology Check(For Dos) 82
Inter RAID SOP(Windows for WIN7) 87

Chapter 1 1
Features
Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many feature:
NOTE: The features listed in this section is for your reference only. The exact configuration of the system
depends on the model purchased.
Operating System
•Microsofte Windows 7 Home Premium x64
•FreeDOS
Processor
•Lynnfield 95W CPU / Clarkdale CPU / Inel K-SKU
•Socket Type: LGA1156
•FMB 65W + 95W + 130W (OC)
Chipset
•PCH: Intel H57
•Must meet Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale platform design guides
PCB
•uATX / 244*244mm / 4 Layers
Memory subsystem
•DDR3 * 4
•Design requirement:
•2 channels, 2 DIMMs per channel. Different colors for DIMM 0 and DIMM 1.
•Dual channel should be enabled always when plug-in 2 same memory size DDRIII. memory
module.
•Max memory of 16 GB supported (using 4Gb tech).
•Support DDR3 1.5V 1066/1333 (1GB / 2GB / 4GB).
•Must meet Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale Chipset platform design guide.
Hard disk drive
•Support up to four SATA ports. 3.5”, 25.4mm.
•Capacity and models are listed on FRU list.
Optical disk drive
•Support up to two SATA 5.25” standard ODD.
•Support DVD-ROM, DVD-SuperMulti, BD-combo, BD-rewrite,
•Maximum ODD depth to 185mm with bezel.
•Models are listed on FRU list.
System Tour
Chapter 1

2Chapter 1
Graphics Card
•One PCI-E x 16 graphics card.
•Supported cards are identified on FRU list.
Onboard LAN
•REALTEK RTL8111E Giga LAN(ASF suport)
Audio
•Realtek ALC662-VC.
•5.1 Channel High Definition and Stereo Audio.
USB ports
•Supports 14 USB ports.
•All USB ports must be boot-capable includes USB-ODD, USB-HDD, USB-FDD, and etc…
•All USB ports must be 2.0 certified.
•All USB ports must provide the over current protection.
•6 USB ports located on rear panel and others located on front bezel and top bezel.
Expansion Slots
•1 PCIex16 slot
•2 PCIex1 slots
•1 PCI slot
Serial ATA controller
•Connector Type: SATA connector
•Connector Quantity:6
•Storage Type support:
•HDD : Support RAID 0/1/5/10
•Blue Ray ODD
•AHCI mode supported for internal SATA port
Rear I/O connectors
•1 * PS/2 keyboard & PS/2 mouse connector
•6 * USB ports
•1 * RJ45 LAN connector
•1 * Audio port (Line in, microphone in, line out)
Internal I/O Connectors & Headers
•1 * 1156 socket
•1 * SUBASSY.STEEL for LGA 1156 CPU
•1 * 24-pin ATX PWR connector
•1 * H2X4 Power Supply Connector
•4 * DDR3 DIMM Socket
•6 * SATAII
•4 * USB H5X2 Header (support 8 ports)

Chapter 1 3
•1 * Front Audio Pannel H5X2 header
•1 * Front Panel IO H7X2 Header for Acer pin define
•1 * H1X4 CPU with SAMRT FAN controller
•1 * H1X3 System with SAMRT FAN controller
•1 * H1X4 SPDIFOUT Header for Acer pin define
•1 * H3X1 Clear CMOS Header (with jumper)
•1 * onboard Buzzer
•2 * H1X2 GPIO header
System BIOS
•Kernel: AMI Kernel with Acer skin
•Size: 2Mb
Power supply
•FR500W / FR750W
•EUP lot6

4Chapter 1
Block Diagram

Chapter 1 5
System Components
This section is a virtual tour of the system’s interior and exterior components.
Front Panel
No. Component No. Component
1 Power button 8 Removable HDD bay door
Press bay door button to open HDD bay door and
access the removable HDD.
2 USB 2.0 ports 9 MS/MS PRO slot
3 Master optical drive crab 10 SD/MMC(Secure Digital/MultiMedia Card)slot
4 Slave optical drive crab 11 Master optical drive button
Press to open master optical drive crab and access
the master optical drive.
5 XD(XD-Picture) slot 12 Slave optical drive button
Press to open slave optical drive crab and access the
slave optical drive.
6 Micro SD slot 13 Microphone-in jack
7 CF I/II (CompactFlash Type I/II) slot 14 Headphone/Speaker-out/line-out jack
3
1
4
5
8
6
7
12
10
9
11
13
14
2

6Chapter 1
Rear Panel
No. Component
1 Power connector
2 PS2 keyboard port
3 USB 2.0 ports
4 Line-out jack
5 Microphone/speaker-out/line-in jack
6 Expansion slot(graphics card and Mode card etc.)
7 Line-in jack
8 RJ45 LAN connector
9 System Fan
10 PS2 mouse port Line-out jack
11 USB 2.0 ports
12 Power switch
1
3
6
8
4
5
2
7
9
10
11
12

Chapter 1 7
Hardware Specifications and Configurations
Processor
BIOS
IOS Hotkey List
Main Board Major Chips
Item Specification
Processor Type Intel Lynnfield / Clarkdale / Intel K-SKU
Socket Type LGA1156
Socket quantity 1
Item Specification
BIOS code programer AMI Kernel with Acer skin
BIOS version P01-A0
BIOS ROM type SPI ROM
BIOS ROM size 2Mb
Support protocol SMBIOS 2.6/PCI2.3/PCIE1.1/PCIE2.0/USB2.0
Device Boot Support Support BBS spec
1st priority:HDD
2nd priority:CD&DVD
3th priority:Removable device
4th priority:LAN
Support to LS-120 drive YES
Support to BIOS boot block feature YES
Hotkey Function Description
Del Enter BIOS Setup Utility Press while the system is booting to enter BIOS Setup Utility.
Item Specification
North Bridge Intel H57
Audio controller Realtek ALC662-VC
LAN controller Realtek 8111E
VGA controller Intel H57
USB controller Intel H57
SATA controller Intel H57
Super I/O controller ITE 8721F-BX

8Chapter 1
Memory Combinations
System Memory
Audio Interface
Slot Memory Total Memory
Slot 1 1MB,2GB,4GB 1G ~4GB
Slot 2 1MB,2GB,4GB 1G ~4GB
Slot 3 1MB,2GB,4GB 1G ~4GB
Slot 4 1MB,2GB,4GB 1G ~4GB
Maximum System Memory Supported 1G~16GB
Item Specification
Memory slot number 4 slot
Support Memory size per socket 1GB/2GB/4GB
Support memory type DDRIII
Support memory interface DDRIII 1333/1066MHz
Support memory voltage 1.5V
Support memory module package 240-pin DDRIII
Support to parity check feature Yes
Support to error correction code (ECC) feature No
Memory module combinations You can install memory modules in any combination as long as
they match the above specifications.
Item Specification
Audio controller Realtek ALC662VC-0
Audio controller type HD Audio
Audio channel codec 5.1
Audio function control Enable/disable by BIOS Setup
Mono or stereo Stereo
Compatibility Support host audio controller from the Intel ICH series chipset, and also from
any other HDA compatible audio controller. With EAX/Direct Sound 3D/I3DL2/
A3D compatibility, and excellent software utilities like environment sound
emulation, multiple bands of software equalizer and dynamic range control,
optional Dolby, Digital Live, DTS CONNECT, and Dolby Home Theater
programs, provides an excellent home entertainment package and game
experience for PC users.
Sampling rate 192 KHz (max.)
Microphone/Headphone jack Supported

Chapter 1 9
SATA Interface
USB Port
Environmental Requirements
Power Management
•Devices wake up from S3 should be less than.
•Devices wake up from S5 should be less than 10 seconds.
Item Specification
SATA controller Intel H57
Number of SATA channel SATA X 6
Support mode AHCI mode option
Item Specification
Universal HCI USB 2.0
USB Class Support legacy keyboard for legacy mode
USB Connectors Quantity 6 USB ports located on rear panel.
2 USB for the DB on rear side
others located on front bezel and top bezel
Item Specification
Temperature
Operating +5°C ~ +35°C
Non-operating -20 ~ +60°C (Storage package)
Humidity
Operating 15% to 80% RH
Non-operating 10% to 90% RH
Vibration
Operating (unpacked) 5 ~ 500 Hz: 2.20g RMS random, 10 minutes per axis in all 3 axes.
5 ~500 Hz: 1.09g RMS random, 1 hour per axis in all 3 axes.
Devices S1 S3 S4 S5
PowerButtonVVVV
USB Keyboard/Mouse V V N/A N/A
PME Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled
RCT Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled
WOR Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled

10 Chapter 1
Power Management Function(ACPI support function)
Device Standby Mode
•Independent power management timer for hard disk drive devices(0-15 minutes,time step=1minute).
•Hard Disk drive goes into Standby mode(for ATA standard interface).
•Disable V-sync to control the VESA DPMS monitor.
•Resume method:device activated (keyboard for DOS, keyboard &mouse for Windows.
•Resume recovery time 3-5sec
Global Standby Mode
•Global power management timer(2-120minutes,time step=10minute).
•Hard disk drive goes into Standby mode(for ATA standard interface).
•Disable H-sync and V-sync signals to control the VESA DPMS monitor.
•Resume method: Resume to original state by pushing external switch Button,modem ring in,keyboard
an mouse for APM mode.
•Resume recovery time :7-10sec
Suspend Mode
•Independent power management timer(2-120minutes,time step=10minute)or pushing extern switch
button.
•CPU goes into SMM
•CPU asserts STPCLK# and goes into the Stop Grant State.
•LED on panel turns amber colour.
•Hard disk drive goes into SLEEP mode (for ATA standard interface).
•Disable H-sync and V-sync signals to control the VESA DPMS monitor.
•Ultra I/O and VGA chip go into power saving mode.
•Resume method: Resume to original state by pushing external switch Button,modem ring in,keyboard
an mouse for APM mode
•Return to original state by pushing external switch button,modem ring in and USB keyboard for ACPI
mode.
ACPI
•ACPI specification 1.0b
•S0,S1,S2 and S5 sleep state support.
•On board device power management support.
•On board device configuration support.

Chapter 2 11
CMOS Setup Utility
CMOS setup is a hardware configuration program built into the system ROM, called the complementary metal-
oxide semiconductor (CMOS) Setup Utility. Since most systems are already properly configured and
optimized, there is no need to run this utility. You will need to run this utility under the following conditions.
•When changing the system configuration settings
•When redefining the communication ports to prevent any conflicts
•When modifying the power management configuration
•When changing the password or making other changes to the security setup
•When a configuration error is detected by the system and you are prompted ("Run Setup"
message) to make changes to the CMOS setup
NOTE: If you repeatedly receive Run Setup messages, the battery may be bad. In this case, the system
cannot retain configuration values in CMOS. Ask a qualified technician for assistance.
CMOS setup loads the configuration values in a battery-backed nonvolatile memory called CMOS RAM. This
memory area is not part of the system RAM which allows configuration data to be retained when power is
turned off.
Before you run the CMOS Setup Utility, make sure that you have saved all open files. The system reboots
immediately after you close the Setup.
NOTE: CMOS Setup Utility will be simply referred to as “BIOS”, "Setup", or "Setup utility" in this guide.
The screenshots used in this guide display default system values. These values may not be the same
those found in your system.
System Utilities
Chapter 2

12 Chapter 2
Entering CMOS setup
1. Turn on the server and the monitor.
If the server is already turned on, close all open applications, then restart the server.
2. During POST, press Delete.
If you fail to press Delete before POST is completed, you will need to restart the server.
The Setup Main menu will be displayed showing the Setup’s menu bar. Use the left and right arrow keys
to move between selections on the menu bar.
Navigating Through the Setup Utility
Use the following keys to move around the Setup utility.
•Left and Right arrow keys – Move between selections on the menu bar.
•Up and Down arrow keys – Move the cursor to the field you want.
•PgUp and PgDn keys – Move the cursor to the previous and next page of a multiple page menu.
•Home – Move the cursor to the first page of a multiple page menu.
•End – Move the cursor to the last page of a multiple page menu.
•+and -keys – Select a value for the currently selected field (only if it is user-configurable). Press
these keys repeatedly to display each possible entry, or the Enter key to choose from a pop-up
menu.
NOTE: Grayed-out fields are not user-configurable.
•Enter key – Display a submenu screen.
NOTE: Availability of submenu screen is indicated by a (>).
•Esc – If you press this key:
•On one of the primary menu screens, the Exit menu displays.
•On a submenu screen, the previous screen displays.
•When you are making selections from a pop-up menu, closes the pop-up without making a
selection.
•F1 – Display the General Help panel.
•F6 – Press to load optimized default system values.
•F7 – Press to load fail-safe default system values.
•F10 – Save changes made the Setup and close the utility.