[Acer Aspire 1410/1810t/1810tz] Timeline Tweaks (2)

The core speed says ~ 1600MHz though. What's up with that? It shouldn't exceed 1400MHz?

 

It's CPU-Z' fault. It's 8x/2=800MHz

 

Installed Win7 RC x64, and upon completion I found that boot and resume were taking 30secs or more each time. Research indicated that the delay could be a problem with W7 x64 and AHCI settings, so I set the BIOS to use IDE instead. Of course, W7 complained that the disk had some kind of error, so I did a little digging.

At first I set things back to AHCI and installed the latest Intel drivers I could find (Chipset drives, Matrix drives, SATA drivers, etc.)...still had the 30 second delay, and still got errors when I tried to boot with the BIOS set to IDE.

The answer was in the discussions I found about how to enable AHCI *after* installation (originally on XP, but the issue remains on Vista AND W7). Reading these, it dawned on my that the IDE drivers probably hadn't been loaded by W7 once it detected AHCI. And in fact, I learned that you can enable BOTH IDE and AHCI by setting the appropriate registry flags - W7 will load both, and use which-ever matches the way you've set your BIOS.

So...to enable BIOS selection of AHCI or IDE in W7:

1. Exit all Windows-based programs.
2. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
3. If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
4. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
5. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Services/Msahci
6. In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
8. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Services/PSIIde
9. In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
10. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
11. On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
12. Reboot, F2 to Setup, and select your preferred drive interface...

I don't know if I've sacrificed anything important by using IDE instead of AHCI. The system still feels as fast as ever (I'm using 4GB of matched PC800 dual-channel DIMMs), and I haven't seen any other errors. In any event, I won't switch back to ACHI until a) they fix the 30-second delay problem and b) there's compelling value over using IDE.

That said, I have an Intel 160GB X25M (gen 2) on the way for this puppy...I may try both ways once I get that thing installed.

 

FWIW - the referenced Atheros drivers are the same ones you'll get automatically when you install Windows 7 x64.

Or at least, when I told W7 x64 to look for an updated Atheros driver, it installed these exact same drivers.

 

Has anyone else had issues with their laptops waking up from sleep by themselves? (Quickly and consistently.)

Started happening to me lately - although I don't remember changing anything. Maybe running windows update.

In my case, using windows 7 - x64. Running 'powercfg lastwake' claims that it was woken by the power button. Anyone else? Ideas?

 

That's interesting. I first installed on my first SSD with IDE mode. But then with my 2nd SSD I converted to AHCI mode by editing the registry. It does seem slower now that you mention it. I'm running Win7 X64. I'll flip the BIOS back to IDE to see if there's a difference in performance.

 

If Acer uses the same numbering scheme as Intel, then it looks like Acer has a newer wireless driver. 12.5.0.57 added on 2009/09/10.

 

I tried to install that driver from the Acer site and it killed my wireless. I had to download a driver from intel to get it back up and working again.

 

While it didn't kill my wireless, when I tried to install it, it just never updated my driver. I still had the old Acer one. I downloaded the latest from Intel, and it worked fine.

 

Does anybody here know if any Touch Screen mods are available for this?

 

As soon as you figure it out, install one and post the pictures, there will be!

As of yet, I haven't heard of anyone else doing one. I would do the legwork but I'm strapped for cash.

 

A question for any Canadians... does the Acer 751 keyboard fit this? Reason I want to replace it is because the canadian one has a bilingual keyboard and I would like a US english one. I've read that the gateway EC1803H keyboard can be replaced with the 751's... but just want to make sure if by chance anyone else has done it on the 1410.

If not, I'll try it out and let you guys know how it goes

 

http://us.acer.com/acer/service.do?LanguageISOCtxParam=en&miu10einu24.current.attN2B2F2EEF=3750&sp=page15e&ctx2.c2att1=25&miu10ekcond13.attN2B2F2EEF=3750&CountryISOCtxParam=US&ctx1g.c2att92=453&ctx1.att21k=1&CRC=2054404012

Looks like a new BIOS came out yesterday.

 

I can confirm that the v3115 bios does not have the VT option enabled by default, but the bios hack does work with exactly the same instructions as for the v3113.

Don't know what changes are in this bios, but I am currently running it (with the VT hack) and it is fine.

 

There is not only one new BIOS, there are two!

3115 and 3117!

Are there any new features? Better fancontrol?

 

Where do you see 3117?

 

You should try 1810tray for fan control, it works in DC and AC mode.

 

I am running windows 7 RTM X64, 1810tray does not work.

However, your overclock hack does. I did the resistor mod and it works like a charm! 1750mhz is no problem. I have Gskill 2x2gb PC2 6400 memory.

I also upgraded the wifi to the intel 5300 card and added the 3rd antenna just to the left of the trackpad, on top of the left speaker. I purchased the card and 3 antennas off ebay for 19.99 shipped.

The bonus from the upgrade is much better battery life when on wifi. Before the best I could do was 4.5hrs with wifi on (low bright). Now with wifi on and surfing I am getting near 5.5hrs (low bright) Both of these numbers are using max power save on wireless. This mod gets two thumbs up from me.

 

That's awesome
Please do some more tests how high you can overclock. I'm still searching for good RAM. My Kingston 2x2GB was a pure disappointment. I put it in my 15.4" now which can't be overclocked anyway because of its non-programmable PLL.

This weekend I'll try a hardware based CPU undervolting MOD. I want to check if it is stable at 0.8625V. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Do any of you got the problem with the wifi? mine is really unstable and just stop working for a couple of minutes during heavy load, and later starts working again. hrmms.

 

I'm from Canada also, and used the keyboard form the 751s to switch out a Gateway LT31 keyboard - perfect fit. Now I'm looking at my 1410, and the keyboard's exactly the same form factor. I have purchased another 751 keyboard and intend to make the switch just as soon as it arrives. I just can't stand the tiny left shift key on these bi-lingual keyboards.

 

It's on the support site.

 

with bios version 3117 VT is enabled ;o)

 

Hi all, im new here! )

Is that true? Just flashed modded 3115 version to enable VT...

 

Fantastic! I will be doing the same mod for sure. Definitely can't stand the bi-lingual keyboard.

 

3117 without modding

 

It's up there now, but last night I checked it in three different browsers and 3115 was the only one there. I'm just curious how some people could see it, and I couldn't.

 

@zrbarnes
It was on the US site, maybe you checked a different Acer site.

 

Is there any software/bios setting I need to tweak to have the 4500mhd take full advantage of the dual channel 800mhz RAM? I just installed a set and I'm not seeing a difference in framerates, although I admittedly haven't seriously tested it yet.

 

I had mixed results in my own tests. The difference in Half-Life 2 Lost Coast at 1.4GHz stock speed is 2fps between 2GB single channel 667MHz and 4GB dual channel 800MHz which is about 10%. It seems that 3D Mark is more sensitive to bandwith. I think the results will vary in different games depending on which component is the bottleneck in the system.

Fps aside, I have noticed in Half-Life 2 that the smoothness of movements greatly increased with higher bandwith. I don't know how I can explain it, it was like your speed when walking or driving wasn't constant as if the graphics card had a slowdown every few fractions of a seconds to reload textures or something like that.

The dual channel mode will just work, you don't have to switch it on somehow. Which games are you playing?

 

The 3117 BIOS seems to have fixed/improved the 30-second delays I was seeing on Boot and Resume in AHCI mode (flashing the BIOS resets everything back to defauls, it seems).

That said, things feel a little more sluggish now, I'll need to do a little digging around to see if I can quantify it and find out why.

 

Here is a little guide on how to save some battery power by doing a few simple tweaks.

If you have never used RMClock and don't know much (if anything) about undervolting then you MUST read The Undervolting Guide

To start undervolting your 1810/1410 SU3500 CPU you need to download and install RMClock utility.
If you are running Vista x64 or W7 x64 then you also need a signed RTCore64.sys driver. Download and extract it to your RMclock folder and overwrite the old driver. Do not start RMClock just yet.

Apply this hack:

Launch RMClock (if you are on Vista/W7 launch it with administrator privileges (right click -> "Run as administrator")).

You only need one multiplier, so in RMClock main window click on "Profiles" on the left and place a check box to the left of where it says "Normal | 7x" and click on drop down menu and select 0.8750V (lowest possible value on SU3500, if it doesnt work for you try increasing it until you find the one that works). Setting it to even lower values won't work.

The effect of this is, that all behind the scene settings are at power saving mode, while the CPU stays at full power. But the CPU is in deep sleep states when doing nothing and so saves at least as much power as in SuperLFM mode, while delivering full performance when you need it. Simply put: you run at full performance while saving max possible battery life.

Now configure RMClock as mentioned in the tutorial above.

After you have created your profile to set it at highest multiplier with lowest stable voltage (this is our 7x 0.8750V PState), activate RMClock (i.e. make it use one of the configured profiles). It's best to let it start automatically with Windows.
-- in Windows XP there is a special check box for enabling autorun
-- if you are using Windows Vista or W7 do the following:
click "Start" -> "All Programs" -> "Accessories" -> "System Tools" -> "Task Scheduler".
Now on the right side click "Create Task"
Set the settings to look similar to these:
Tab 1 Tab 2 Tab 3 Tab 4

Now click OK and you should be done =). Now every time your compuer starts RMClock will be loaded and undervolting will take place automatically.

If you are running Vista/W7 don't forget to go into power saving settings and activate battery saving mode.

Install Battery Bar to keep track of battery life and power consumption

You are DONE!

If you have any comments or corrections please let me know via PM or comment. Thank you!

(portions of these guide come from der mali's undervolting tweaks and from The Undervolting Guide)

 

i just got the 1410, is this different than the 1810? anywayss..
couple things i've noticed is:

the audio is soooo quiet for youtube and music. i have it on full blast and i can still barely hear it in a quiet room....

nice light and beautiful~

its pretty slow though, ordered my w7 hoping to update soon.

 

I can confirm that! VT is indeed enabled by default.

Compared to 3113:
CPU temperature monitoring seems to have been fixed. On 3113 it used to be permanently stuck at the temp it was at the bootup and now it actually changes.

 

Check the first post for a tweak to increase loudness and remove Acer bloatware.

 

Correct, hwmonitor and rmclock do agree now

 

sorry if i sound like a nubie but what is the benefit of vt and how does one get it to work? ie multiple os running at the same time

 

Hardware based CPU undervolting MOD

On the right side of the solder pads for the SIM holder slot under the keyboard you will find the solder pads of PR70 and PR80, which are connected to ISL6261 on the other side of the PCB. ISL6261 is the core voltage regulator that receives its instructions from the VID pins of the CPU. PR80 is populated, the other solder pads are empty.

If you connect PR80 and PR70 like I describe in the attached schematic, 0.9V(6x and 7x multiplier) will be lowered to 0.85V and 0.875V(SuperLFM) will be lowered to 0.825V. This MOD sets VID2 from 0 to 1(see page 12 of ISL6261 datasheet).

Programs like CPU-Z or similar are not able to detect the new voltage and will display the old values(0.9V and 0.875V).

Edit:
Thanks to pirkolchik for creating a photomontage of the instructions:

 

Here, I've created a guide with photo in Photoshop. Acer Aspire 1410/1810T: Hardware undervolting mod SU3500/SU4100. Is that what you mean? Anything there needs to be corrected?

If CPU-Z is not able to detect the new voltage, how do you know the voltage has changed? RMClock?

Also, did you use a small metal wire to connect the two pads?

 

Curious if this would be the appropriate BlueTooth module for the 1410?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Acer-Aspire-592...in_0?hash=item3353c3ea42&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Also, I sure wish I was experienced enough to be able to confidently implement the HW mod necessary to enable over-clocking. Seems I'm just a few MHz away from getting stutter-free Slingbox (pseudo-) HD content with W7 x64 and PC6400 800MHz dual-ported DDR.

 

@prikolchik
Nice photomontage
I've measured the voltage on VID2 pin and it's 2.05V which is enough to trigger a high state(the VID pins are TTL level, everything above 2V is high).
A test if it works is setting the voltage to 0.875V(0.825V after this MOD) with RMC and overclock the processor. It would go up to 1.75GHz before and now it BSODs at around 1.6GHz. I've used a wire obtained from the junk box. I've used a single conductor of those flexible wires that use multiple conductors inside(I don't know how to explain, English is not my first language).

 

Does it mean that after hardware undervolting mod it would only OC up to 1.6GHz max as opposed to 1.75GHz before the mod? Or with the mod you just set higher voltage in RMClock and can also OC up to 1.75GHz?

As for counductor, do you mean that you used one of the wires of something like LAN cable or did you just use a tiny copper wire like this?

 

It will overclock like before to 1.75GHz or higher(depending on RAM overclockability) when not using RMC to lower Vcore. Before this MOD I used RMC to set Vcore to 0.875V(stock voltage is 0.9V). Now the new stock voltage is 0.85V and if I use RMC to lower the voltage it will be 0.825V instead, which is not enough to go up to 1.75GHz.

Before MOD without RMC
SuperLFM / 6x,7x
0.875V / 0.9V
Before MOD with RMC
0.875V / 0.875V

After MOD without RMC
SuperLFM / 6x,7x
0.825V / 0.85V
After MOD with RMC
0.825V / 0.825V ->BSOD when overclocking

0.825V is just too low for overclocking, 1.4GHz will work fine, though.

To be more precise, the conductor I used was from a yellow 12V cable from an ordinary PC power supply. Inside the insulation are many small conductors with a diameter of two or three hairs.

 

@der mali
OK. I understand now. Thanks for clarification.

I have just created another photomontage . It is called Acer Aspire 1410/1810: Hardware mod to unlock overclocking on SU3500 CPU and can be seen HERE

Please make sure I got it all right as I only have a very basic knowledge of electronics I wouldn't want anyone to fry their laptop following the wrong directions!

Also please update your post about hardware undervolting with newer version of photoguide (see my original post).

And, perhaps, you should also add my undervolting post to Optimizing battery life and undervolting on the first post as it includes more detailed information and instructions for adding RMClock to Task Scheduler.

 

Any idea what bios 3117 does or changes?

 

It has been said on page 8 of this thread:
1. VT is enabled by default
2. CPU temperature monitoring have been fixed
3. Seems to have fixed/improved the 30-second delays on Boot and Resume in AHCI mode

 

does anyone have problems with the audio?

mine is EXTREMELY quiet even though i "loudness enhanced" it
can someone help me?

 

I am running windows 7x64 RTM, using the microsoft drivers. No problems ever with my wifi 5100, or 5300. Now I have three antennas!

 

Thx! Dunno how I missed that.

 

Good to know. I just ordered one.