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    3820TG Owner's Lounge - Part Two

    Discussion in 'Acer' started by Bronsky, Mar 13, 2011.

  1. Drezn

    Drezn Notebook Enthusiast

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    And now that you say none of the Acer software... Does that include the PowerSmart Manager? Won't I lose power saving features, or might I actually fix my problem instead by uninstalling said program?
     
    Drezn, Jul 25, 2011
    #1351
  2. Upabove

    Upabove Notebook Consultant

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    those that have 480m processor, can you tell me what is your idle temp with high performance GPU ?
     
    Upabove, Jul 25, 2011
    #1352
  3. Sxooter

    Sxooter Notebook Virtuoso

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    A windows 7 CD is either 64 or 32 bit, and that's it. it'll have all the other versions, home basic, home premium, professional ultimate etc on the same disk. Your CD Key will determine which gets installed. Do a google search on this site for legal windows 7 iso downloads.
     
    Sxooter, Jul 25, 2011
    #1353
  4. therizzle

    therizzle Notebook Enthusiast

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    Anyone have any experience with a "QS" processor? Those are the only ones I can find on eBay. According to the sellers, they are "identical" to an OEM processor.

    I have never heard of anything like this before, so I thought I'd ask before I buy some wonky bootleg processor.
     
    therizzle, Jul 26, 2011
    #1354
  5. too456

    too456 Resident Angry Bird

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    An ES processor is an engineering sample processor, where the processor is prerelease and not for sale. The multipliers are all unlocked, regardless of which processor you get. QS processors are qualification samples, where they are near-identical to the retail processors, with little discernible differences. They are basically release candidate processors if you want to look at them this way.
     
    too456, Jul 26, 2011
    #1355
  6. Drezn

    Drezn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Does that go for OEM installations as well? I've tried downloading the Digital River ISO's listed on this site when I first got the laptop, but it simply wouldn't accept my key.
     
    Drezn, Jul 26, 2011
    #1356
  7. sumdumguy

    sumdumguy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Acer published new ATI/AMD drivers for the 3820tg.

    It doesn't say whether it's for the 5650 or 6550 and I haven't tested it yet. If anybody feels like experimenting then I'm interested if it has a newer version of the Intel VGA driver, too.
    --------------

    Btw, I've got the Chicony webcam and I use the official 3820tg driver provided by Acer (which is over a year old). Anybody knows of a more recent laptop that sports the same/compatible webcam which I could use to ninja update my driver?
     
    sumdumguy, Jul 26, 2011
    #1357
  8. too456

    too456 Resident Angry Bird

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    You have to remove the ei.cfg file in the sources folder in order to be able to install any version of Windows (it will prompt you at the start of the install).

    It works for both 5650 and 6550. There is a modified hybrid driver that uses 8.861, which is Catalyst 11.6, which can be grabbed here under the VGA section. As for updating the camera software, google the device id of the camera.
     
    too456, Jul 26, 2011
    #1358
  9. Drezn

    Drezn Notebook Enthusiast

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    I did all of this back in the day when I first got the machine, following the steps in the guide on this site. I'll have another go at it tonight though, just to make sure I haven't screwed up somewhere along the road.

    Thanks for the input =)
     
    Drezn, Jul 26, 2011
    #1359
  10. Bronsky

    Bronsky Wait and Hope.

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    Here's the guide again. http://forum.notebookreview.com/6465732-post1612.html

    Bronsky :cool:
     
    Bronsky, Jul 26, 2011
    #1360
  11. zsero

    zsero Notebook Deity

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    1. While having the Acer windows installed, save you certificate and serial to an USB stick using ABR:
    ABR (Activation Backup and Restore) | directedge.us

    2. Download an untouched Windows 7 ISO with SP1 integrated from somewhere and delete the ei.cfg

    3. Install it using the Home Premium option and select don't activate.

    4. Activate using ABR.

    5. Do NOT install Power Manager by Acer. It is a terrible software. It actually makes your battery life shorter.
     
    zsero, Jul 26, 2011
    #1361
  12. eyelo

    eyelo Notebook Geek

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    I seemed to have lost one of my rubber feet. Any suggestions on what to do/how to replace?
     
    eyelo, Jul 26, 2011
    #1362
  13. lee_what2004

    lee_what2004 Wee...

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    lee_what2004, Jul 27, 2011
    #1363
  14. argkunn

    argkunn Newbie

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    How so? Can you explain a little further or is this just something you have noticed?
    And is the Power Manager same thing as "Acer PowersSmart Manager"

    Cheers.
     
    argkunn, Jul 27, 2011
    #1364
  15. too456

    too456 Resident Angry Bird

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    Yes, both are the same. I have never used PowerSmart Manager before, but based on the stories others have said, it seems it does impact battery life a fair bit.
     
    too456, Jul 27, 2011
    #1365
  16. Drezn

    Drezn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Allright, I've got it working now. I must've gotten the damn key on the bottom wrong several times when I did this the last time... ;)

    How awesome it is not being held back by Acer's crappy software anymore! =)

    I notice that my power consumption has actually gone up a bit... The machine used to idle at 6.5W in batterycare, but now it doesn't drop below 7.5. Putting it in sleep and resuming makes it even worse, taking it to 8.5 afterwards. Has anyone messed around with this?

    Also, the Intel HD Graphics driver mentioned in the guide doesn't work on my machine. It just unpacks and proceeds to tell me that the driver isn't verified for my system. I've tried switching graphics chips and such, but to no avail.

    Thanks for all your help and input fellas, much appreciated! =)
     
    Drezn, Jul 27, 2011
    #1366
  17. AcerAce

    AcerAce Notebook Enthusiast

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    AcerAce, Jul 27, 2011
    #1367
  18. fscussel

    fscussel Notebook Evangelist

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    can you install it directly in 3820tg or does it need to be modded so switchable graphics works?

    also, I would like to ask bronsky if is it possible to install a language pack in the windows that comes with 3820tg, I believe it's home premium 64 bits
     
    fscussel, Jul 27, 2011
    #1368
  19. eyelo

    eyelo Notebook Geek

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    eyelo, Jul 27, 2011
    #1369
  20. Mikaelft

    Mikaelft Notebook Consultant

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    Guess it has to be modded like the previous one. Think my driver is from alienware
     
    Mikaelft, Jul 27, 2011
    #1370
  21. Lennong

    Lennong Notebook Consultant

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    Well, I can answer that if you don't mind. ;) As for MS, they do not support to install LP on 7Premium, but there are methods to deal with it if you are prepared to hack it a bit. I suggest you have a look at this:
    How To Install Language Pack In Windows 7 Home Premium
     
    Lennong, Jul 27, 2011
    #1371
  22. Bronsky

    Bronsky Wait and Hope.

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    Nobody ever minds good advice. ;) Anybody using Acer's 6/11 AMD driver on the HD5650? Any problems with it? I use Firepro drivers mostly, but when I switched back to the 6/11 driver, I'm seeing a lot of issues in my wordprocessor, IE9, etc. Is the update for the HD6550 only?

    Bronsky :cool:
     
    Bronsky, Jul 28, 2011
    #1372
  23. PringlessS

    PringlessS Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi guys!

    I'm about to buy a 3820tg since the 3830tg have some throtteling issues. I will mainly use it to play games with buddies like starcraft II and league of legend.

    I found someone who sells a 3820tg with a i5 450m and 5650, another one sell his 3820 with a 480m and 6550 but a bit more expensive (+50€ ;). Will I see any difference in gaming ?

    What about overclocking, does 450m overclock well ?

    Thanks for your help.
     
    PringlessS, Jul 28, 2011
    #1373
  24. Zapperpower

    Zapperpower Notebook Evangelist

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    6550 is an overclocked 5650, so basically the same card

    480m is a bit faster than 450m, but I'm pretty sure you wont really notice it (to be honest, I don't really see a big difference between my i5-480m and my girlfriend's i3-350m in "everyday's use" .... )
     
    Zapperpower, Jul 28, 2011
    #1374
  25. Lennong

    Lennong Notebook Consultant

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    Well, you won't see that much difference in gaming, perhaps 2-3fps or so, depending on the game. I would still go for the 480m based on the better OC'ability on both CPU and GPU. For me OC is half the computing experience. :D
    The 6550 is of the same type as 5650, but feeded with 0.1v more, rendering it OC a fair bit higher, some 100+ MHz or so. As for the CPU the higher multi will be of help when OC, and even more so if you plug in 2x4GB RAM in there. The density of the 4GB modules does not allow as high bclk/fsb as the 2GB modules, so the RAM is the limiting factor in that scenario, rendering a higher multi very useful.
    If I'm not mistaken do you get a 500GB HDD in the 480m model, and only a 320GB in the 450m? I would shell out the extra 50€ anyway, based on the pleasure of a higher OC. :D

    I use the 6/11, no problems on my HD6550. Installed ATI_11.6_W7x64_Alien9_switchable_v3 over the previous one with no tricks or extraordinary methods except those given by the modder of the driver.
     
    Lennong, Jul 28, 2011
    #1375
  26. Bronsky

    Bronsky Wait and Hope.

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    Thanks, I'm wondering if the update is for HD 6550's only. I was fine until I installed it. I also updated flash, however, and am wondering if that could be a problem. Then again, I've been pushinh my GPU really hard the past few months using it for a lot of modeling and simulations and am wondering if the stress is starting to take its toll.

    @PringlessS, I5-450M overclocks like mad. If you can find the original 3820TG thread there are a lot of benchmarks from all of us OC'ing our 450's. But, the I5-480M OC's just as well and it starts from a higer frequency to begin with. For 50E, I would go with the I5-480M/HD 6550.

    Bronsky :cool:
     
    Bronsky, Jul 28, 2011
    #1376
  27. fscussel

    fscussel Notebook Evangelist

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    fscussel, Jul 28, 2011
    #1377
  28. PringlessS

    PringlessS Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks you all for helping me chosing the best 3820tg ^^
     
    PringlessS, Jul 28, 2011
    #1378
  29. Sxooter

    Sxooter Notebook Virtuoso

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    Typical overclocks of the 5650 with a core i5 460M or 480M go from 7700 to the 8400 to 8800 range. Occasional outliers in the 9000 ranger. The 6550 with 480M has typical increase from 8200 or so to the 9000 to 9400 range, with outliers in the 10,000 range.

    That puts the 6550 right into the GT540M and above. For a laptop that can do that while making only moderate heat, at 13" is amazing.
     
    Sxooter, Jul 28, 2011
    #1379
  30. Ponjornoh²³

    Ponjornoh²³ Notebook Consultant

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    11.6 has several known problems... e.g. screen flickering and BSOD when using HDMI. I've installed Alien9's package yesterday and got the BSOD :(

    Installed 11.7 in dedicated mode over 11.6 and didn't experience any problems thus far :cool:
     
    Ponjornoh²³, Jul 28, 2011
    #1380
  31. fscussel

    fscussel Notebook Evangelist

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    3DMark06
    7/28/11 10:30:48 PM
    7789
    Get it! Intel Core i5
    Details Delete
    Get it! ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650/5750

    http://3dmark.com/3dm06/15917791

    Is it a regular result for a 3820TG with 6550?
     
    fscussel, Jul 28, 2011
    #1381
  32. Lennong

    Lennong Notebook Consultant

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    Good to know. I actually use a regular VGA cable, so it's quite possible I have some flickering on HDMI as well.
     
    Lennong, Jul 28, 2011
    #1382
  33. Neo69

    Neo69 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Neo69, Jul 29, 2011
    #1383
  34. troun

    troun Notebook Enthusiast

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    Has anybody some experience/returns on soft modding the ATI to FirePro M5800?
     
    troun, Jul 31, 2011
    #1384
  35. Sxooter

    Sxooter Notebook Virtuoso

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    Look up the user Bronsky on this very forum. He did it and it works quite well according to him.
     
    Sxooter, Jul 31, 2011
    #1385
  36. Maurik

    Maurik Notebook Consultant

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    Not sure when this started happening, but my "P" button doesn't change between switchable and high performance batteries... any clue how I can fix this?
     
    Maurik, Jul 31, 2011
    #1386
  37. Mikaelft

    Mikaelft Notebook Consultant

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    Anyone have the newest drivers for ATI 5650? I have a problem that firefox that a lot f black boxes when the pc switched between graphics.
    When I start Windows everything is gray. I have to close the lid and open it to enter password to login.
     
    Mikaelft, Jul 31, 2011
    #1387
  38. too456

    too456 Resident Angry Bird

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    You have to add the device id of your 5650 to the ini file of the driver package. It will complain that the driver signature cannot be verified, but you can safely ignore the error :)
     
    too456, Aug 1, 2011
    #1388
  39. hgnc

    hgnc Newbie

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    This laptop seems to fit my preferences quite good, and I have a few questions I hope some of you can answer. I can only find the "Intel Core i3 370M / 2.4 GHz" version with an HD 5650 in my country. The only "new" games I plan to play are Assassins Creed Revelations and Mass Effect 3. Do any of you know if the i3 370M processor is sufficient to play Mass Effect 2 and Assassins Creed 2/Brotherhood? Will it have any trouble playing Anno 1404? I don't need to run the games on the highest settings, but I hope the 3820tg will at least manage 30fps on medium settings.
     
    hgnc, Aug 1, 2011
    #1389
  40. too456

    too456 Resident Angry Bird

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    Usually, the processor is not a major factor in terms of gaming performance. It's the GPU that counts, and the 5650 should be enough to meet your expectations. If it doesn't, you can always overclock it :)
     
    too456, Aug 1, 2011
    #1390
  41. aylafan

    aylafan TimelineX Elite

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    The "P" button only works when you are running on battery; not when you are plugged in an outlet.
     
    aylafan, Aug 1, 2011
    #1391
  42. Damarious25

    Damarious25 Notebook Consultant

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    I had the i3, 5650 and ME 1/2 and Assassins Creed 1. It killed ME and was awesome! Also, I prefer 60fps so I can't remember if I played AC on low or med but whatever it was I'm pretty sure I was getting 60fps so you might get 30fps on med/high on AC..
     
    Damarious25, Aug 1, 2011
    #1392
  43. Maurik

    Maurik Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah, I mean when on battery. It was working fine before.
     
    Maurik, Aug 2, 2011
    #1393
  44. aylafan

    aylafan TimelineX Elite

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    Try reinstalling Launch Manager to see if that fixes the problem.
     
    aylafan, Aug 2, 2011
    #1394
  45. Looking4Laptop

    Looking4Laptop Newbie

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    Does anyone know what this driver is supposed to be:

    VGA AMD VGA Driver 8.771.1 197.0 MB 2011/07/06

    It is the latest VGA Driver from Acer support site but for what configuration?

    The 8.752.0.0 driver version had the supported cards identified:

    VGA AMD VGA Driver (Radeon HD 5650 & Radeon HD 5470) 8.752.0.0 195.3 MB 2011/01/31

    Thanks!
     
    Looking4Laptop, Aug 3, 2011
    #1395
  46. Zapperpower

    Zapperpower Notebook Evangelist

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    hey guys, I just reinstalled windows 7 and I can't find the right driver for blutooth and wifi, when I press "fn+f3", it kills the wifi, than bluetooth, etc, but I want the box-like software ^^
     
    Zapperpower, Aug 3, 2011
    #1396
  47. lee_what2004

    lee_what2004 Wee...

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    lee_what2004, Aug 3, 2011
    #1397
  48. Zapperpower

    Zapperpower Notebook Evangelist

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    Yeah that was that, quick answer.
    I guess that's why I love nbr. Thanks!
     
    Zapperpower, Aug 3, 2011
    #1398
  49. eyelo

    eyelo Notebook Geek

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    Just wondering, what's the proper way to update video drivers or any drivers in general? I'm using the modded hybrid drivers. Do I need to uninstall the old ones first and clean it up somehow? Or can I just install over the old ones?
     
    eyelo, Aug 4, 2011
    #1399
  50. Mikaelft

    Mikaelft Notebook Consultant

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    I wonder the same thing. I need to update my drivers because firefox gets all these black boxes. After windows has started the screen becomes black. I have to close the lid and open it to get a visible screen.
     
    Mikaelft, Aug 4, 2011
    #1400
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