Acer Predator Orion 5000 PO5-640 overal performance upgrades.

Hello there.

Just recently bought myself a Predator 5000 PO5-640 for a very competitive price ( the last PC on display at the store is almost always cheaper for 40%) and I'm trying to modify it lightly now and preferably even more in the upcoming month.

I've read these forums about all PO5-640 and even PO7-640 modifications that are suggested and that were done. So let me recap on what I'm actually trying to upgrade and what questions are still left unanswered or not understandable. The users that gave the most input are welcome to answer here as well if possible @NeoGeo @chugzilla .

Day 1 upgrade is additional SSD for 1TB Samsung EVO 990 PRO

https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Internal-Expansion-MZ-V9P1T0B-AM/dp/B0BHJF2VRN?th=1 2. Day 2 update is actually adding a heatsink to above SSD. SABRENT M.2 2280 SSD Rocket Heatsink (SB-HTSP)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5FGHHN6/ref%3Dsspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0B5FGHHN6&pd_rd_w=ABYhe&content-id=amzn1.sym.f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_p=f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_r=8ZBPYQ51WWWDWY1VPZ0Y&pd_rd_wg=gwua5&pd_rd_r=65557182-54d9-438d-9c93-91c8472efbbf&s=pc&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw

Installed into pc looks like below.

3. Next one that is already ordered - Acer Predator Vesta II DDR5 RGB RAM 32GB Kit (16GBx2). I have not received them yet but they are on the way and installation is the easiest one.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-5200MHz-PC5-41600-Temperature/dp/B0B7KRPW6X?th=1

And the next few updates are the ones where it gets tricky for me.

I ordered a FrostBlade Fan from UK ACER official retailer , and I'm planning on installing it above CPU for additional ventilation. Is it a good idea? And is there additional pins on the motherboard for that? I see some pins are empty so I hope they will be used for that.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255585159715

My temps are low anyway since I don't have a super modern gaming 4k monitor to stress my system enough. I will change that during next year AND that will bring me to my next question of installing AIO liquid cooling. Im looking into - iCUE H100i ELITE LCD XT Display Liquid CPU Cooler 240mm to install above CPU. Is that a good system? And also should I consider next year changing a motherboard to something more 13 gen intel proof? I can see a lot off ppl suggest doing that by switching to MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI. Let me know if it perfectly fits the case and can be upgraded with AIO liquid cooling.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MPG-Z690-CARBON-WIFI/Overview

And my final few questions ( GOD I know its a lot) :

What is the logical/practical benefit of PO7-640 top flat panel? Over PO5-640 top panel that's curved inside? Is it better? Worse?

And let me know if it is possible to further update case internals to be more like PO7-640.

Im thinking - ICE tunnel. Graphics card vertical holder as in PO7-640. Maybe something else thats should be done?

Thank you for staying with me and reading all of this. This is my first PC build that I'm going to re-build. Not a professional in these things.

Accepted answers

All comments

chugzilla

well, this is what i did and i get amazing temperatures BUT my ambient room temperatures are most likely far better than what most people have, I'm in an air-conditioned basement its 62-66F down here on average, that helps so much it's not even funny, then when i game i leave my front cover and side panel off and that top cover it helps a lot, i have 2 20 inch fans blowing cold air at my case from 12-20 feet away ha-ha, it may seem goofy but it all adds up and cools the pc to where it's so cold down here i have to wear a long sleeve shirt and sweats when gaming. but my average temps are 32-38C CPU and 48-50C GPU. then i added a Noctua NH-U12A it rivals the best AIO liquid coolers out there so why bother, air cooling is so much easier and safer IMO. i removed the HDD caddy and GPU bracket all blocking air flow from the 2x140mm front fans and i also added the thermal right correction plate on the CPU and 4x16 crucial DDR5@4800MHz and a 2tb crucial p5 gaming SSD. and 2 frost blade fans on the top rack for exhaust. and then the cooler master bracket under my 3070.

you can do what you want i can only tell you what i did and what works for me. as far as what you have bought for parts, they are all awesome and good and getting a new MB is only recommended if you want more features ours doesn't have and a new PSU also might be a good option, I'm not sure what card your 5000 came with and PSU.

Alijoh

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/690340/acer-predator-orion-5000-po5-640-overal-performance-upgrades

I love these RAM sticks! Too bad they don't seem to ship to Canada, so I went by XPG sticks instead! Please let me know after you install these, is their RGB features controlled by the PredatorSense software?

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-5200MHz-PC5-41600-Temperature/dp/B0B7KRPW6X?th=1

chugzilla

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1225135#Comment_1225135

i know a member here who bought those 5200 predator memory sticks and they won't run any higher than 4400. with XMP enabled he cant even get them to boot and he has the same 5000 as us all.

Teslovik

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1225175#Comment_1225175

I'm still awaiting Predator DDR5 RAM sticks to test them properly, they are coming from the U.S. I can and I will update BIOS version of this Motherboard as well to insure everything works and then share my results. And yes, they also were not shipping to my country (Latvia)so I had to find them NEW on Ebay from the sellers that are willing to ship them my way.

I've asked a few questions in my main post that nobody was able to reply so maybe I ask them again + few new ones.

What is the logical/practical benefit of PO7-640 top flat panel? Over PO5-640 top panel that's curved inside? Is it better? Worse?
I can see a lot off ppl suggest switching to MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI. Let me know if it perfectly fits the case and can be upgraded with AIO liquid cooling. Also I can see in Amazon official MSI page MPG Z790 CARBON motherboard costs almost the same as Z690. Maybe its better to go for it instead?

And a new question:

Is there a place where I can get that TOP Swappable SSD enclosure and caddy for my PO5-640 case? It would really be a gamechanger for me. Maybe someone here took his one off and is willing to get rid of it?) can always PM me 😄

P.S I finally got myself that Flat top cover( I still don't fully understand how is it better or worse)

Also get yourself a THUMB SCREWS on the back of the case for really making tool less access to inside of the PC

Also with some 11$ adapter I've successfully inserted my Kingston 1tb SSD from old PC to hot swappable enclosure. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125891778022

It worked like a charm. You push it back . Hear a click. Turn on PC and it works without any additional inputs form your side.

chugzilla

well i looked at that top panel to swap out and to me it wasn't worth the money since i leave mine off anyways. and as far as a MB replacement i haven't bothered yet our works perfectly fine although there would definitely be a few advantages of having something better-different. just make sure it has enough argb ports in case you like that feature some don't. and as far as getting an AIO any 240mm would be good and work most of us went with Noctua air cooling with our 12700F there are no advantages of liquid over air IMO. i even know a guy here who put a 12900K in his with the same Noctua NH-U12A i have and it cools it about the same. so those are choices you have to make that aren't needed really. im not upgrading mine anymore ill just build one for my next one.

Teslovik

So to further develop this post I would like to show some more modifications that were recently made.

First is that I went on a long search on E-bay to find a completely empty but still intact "DONOR" case of that PO7-640 , and I was partially successful at that. Little under 50Eur I was able to find an empty PO7-640 case with some Frost-blade fans still there and working and some metal parts that can be used as well.

So I also got 1 additional 120MM Frost-blade Fan from that ebay official ACER parts store that we spoke here before. So now I have 2 120MM Frost-blade and its time to get to work.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255585159715

Removed TOP from my PO5-640 and was surprised that that metal mesh underneath is FLAT.

Unlike in PO7-640 (as in picture below) where you can clearly see that its Risen way up ( that's why they have a FLAT TOP cover as well).

2. So I took that RISED metal part from the "Donor" case of PO7-640 and installed 2 original frost blades there.

And yes, for those who noticed "Why does he have a HOT plugging SSD on top of the case if that's PO5-640?" I finally bought it from the same official ACER vendor on Ebay that we talk here.

Here is the link for the SSD BOX that goes inside and out : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265772673658

And here is a link for that Enclosure itself:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275379633264

And this is how it looks inside now with both Fans installed with that "RISED" metal mesh.

Do not forget that you have to buy ARGB (Addressable RBG) splitter to connect these extra FANS and have light effects on them.

And once everything was done here is the final result

As to conclusions, I have tested it before & after with some games like Starfield and Star Citizen , couple of others as well. On a silent "AUTO" mode it has become MUCH better but still CPU & GPU hits some heat marks that I personally don't like. But on that "Gaming" mode that produces a LOT of noise its as COOL as it gets, never hitting more that 51C+ on any of the parts (CPU or GPU). You can also try that "Custom" mode in that Predator Sense and it will do wonders without rising sound from your PC too much. So overall I'm happy for now. But lets face it - this PC needs new motherboard and AIO Liquid cooling to fully show its potential. I will do that in my next post once the time comes. Maybe in January.

One more funny story. I have received Acer Predator RAM sticks with heatsink and RGB but I cant put them since CPU FAN is too big and its simply blocking them to be inserted.

But no worries. Soon new motherboard and Liquid AIO will solve this problem.

mikecooper03

Thanks for all the information you've provided @Teslovik , it's helping my research dramatically.

I totally agree about the AIO - the system begs for top fans to extract heat, if you're going to go with top fans, why not mount a 240mm AIO in there to dramatically improve thermal performance.

I am curious why you think you need to upgrade the motherboard? The only thing I feel we're leaving on the table with the OEM motherboard is memory speed - but there have been people that have successfully achieved 5600mHz (if not more) with capable ram and XMP enabled. Although I am disappointed that there is no optical/toslink audio out, that's a real bummer for me.

chugzilla

well, you do not an AIO the Noctua NH-U12A beats all of them but a few when you watch comparison videos, and that's with the iCore 9 series. we all have the Icore7 series. I'm a fan of air cooling and i have had no issues and it's been almost a year now. IMO the PSU and MB are the weakest links in our PO5-640-650 models. I'm putting a new PSU in this upcoming week and I'm getting a Z690 MSI wi-fi edge DDR5 MB for Xmas.