3820TG Owner's Lounge - Part Two

Hi guys,

A strange problem has come up for me after I installed the latest display drivers found here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/7480048-post800.html

When I boot my computer up everything is fine on the 6550M. It also seems fine when I switch to the Intel. However when I switch back to the 6550M the display is extremely dim. Like dimmer than even the lowest usual setting. And there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to make it brighter. It is so dim I thought that it was off, but then I saw some movement when I was moving the mouse around and realized that its just extremely extremely dim.

Any idea on what causes this and how it can be fixed? Thanks


A few more details:

After restarting, the screen the screen is at the expected brightness until I replicate the conditions as described above. I tried installing the drivers twice to no avail. I have now rolled back to whatever I had installed before which works fine (ATI_11.3_W7x64_Alien9_Hybrid_v3). When installing the newer drivers I had a VGA monitor connected. Could this at all be related to the issues?

 

First of all, I did not provide false information. I just forgot that the 3820TG uses the Phoenix BIOS, while the 4820TG uses InsydeH2O BIOS. They are not the same thing and the Modded BIOS for 3820TG could be fully compatible. The Modded BIOS for the 4820TG was highly unstable which required many reboots to successfully enter BIOS or it would just hang on the black screen during startup. Secondly, many people failed to flash their laptops with the Modded BIOS on the 4820TG and bricked it. Lastly, here are some photos of the Modded BIOS on my 4820TG.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...tg-5820tg-modded-bios-insyde.html#post7354829

 

had the same problem, seems that the 11.8 driver has that bug and leshcat said he would look into it...find a different set of drivers, i recommend doing the method of installed both intel and ati drivers from acer then boot in discrete mode and install the latest driver from the amd site then reboot back in switchable mode.

 

I meant to post a reply to these posts a while back, then I completely forgot and never got around to it.

If there is anyone else out there looking to add some additional protection to the lid, palm rests, or other areas, I happily recommend using some 3M DI-NOC film. It's really an amazing product! It comes in all sorts of patterns/colors, it's really easy to work with, and pretty cheap too.

You can buy it all sorts of places. I found some locally by the foot at a higher end automotive shop, but ebay seems to be a popular place for it.

As soon as I can steal my camera back from my gf, I'll post some pictures of how it turned out!

 

I think zsero's point might be that most of the information in the last few posts you made was somewhat false and inaccurate concerning the 3820TG which is the main focus of this thread.

As you already pointed out the laptops are similar but not the same, including the BIOS.

 

i made a custom cover from skinit and it looks great, found a 30% off coupon code online too

 

by the way boostjunkie92, your graphic card is a "6550m" not "6650m" you might want to fix that typo in your signature

 

<strike>Is it? HD6650 is a rebadged HD5650 (+50 MHz OC).
I think that's what he has on board.</strike>

EDIT: You're right actually. I made the same mistake- my bad.

 

I had the same issue, installed Alien9 11.6 drivers and everything's fine

 

Do you have a link for those drivers? A cursory google search found me nothing.

Thanks

 

11.6 modded drivers:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22674757/ATI_11.6_W7x64_Alien9_switchable_v3.exe

 

I don't wish to switch GPU mode by going into the BIOS every time when I suddenly wish to play a game or finish playing a game.

 

amen, it totally destroys the convenience of having switchable graphics to begin with, might as well just have 2 seperate rigs

 

Too bad the modded hybrid drivers still won't let me install Windows 7 SP1. I have no clue why. It was a clean install. I'm going to go back to latest Acer drivers then see if I can get Windows 7 SP1 to install. I tried both the Windows Update and force install method, but it doesn't work either way.

Also trying to upgrade to the latest Atheros WLAN drivers, but after installation, it still can't detect the network card. Tried using Device Manager to manually find the drivers in the folder but no luck.

 

You have to install the Intel Media Codec Package within the Catalyst installer to install the latest Intel drivers. Select custom installation and ensure everything is selected in order to update the Intel package. As for the WLAN drivers, make sure your card is from Atheros, because they will not work with other manufacturers.

 

I never see the Intel Media Codec package when I install the drivers, whether official from Acer or the modded hybrid ones. I always use custom installation too. I'll try again later today.

My card is from Atheros, which is why the latest drivers should work no problem. But it doesn't. Right now I reverted to the latest Atheros drivers on Acer's site. I just hope it works fine and I an connect to my university's network properly. It doesn't connect properly half the time for some reason.

 

Strange. I tested the driver I posted, works fine for me for an Atheros AR5B93/AR9287 and AR9002WB-1NGCD. What's the model of your card?

For VGA, the driver by Alien9 has a package called "Intel Media Codec" or something along those lines that installs the Intel driver. You might want to see if you selected it when you install it.

 

So many posts on these both threads and so hard to find instructions..

Question:

I have bios 1.13. Where can I find instructions how to update latest 1.19 bios? Can I do it from windows, or do i need to use usb flash?

 

The Acer bios is self executing and will load from windows. I still use the USB method since I'm paranoid.

 

What will give me BIOS uptade?

 

guys im looking for help. Just installed 8.81 drivers for my 6550m from leshcat and ...well almost everything work fine. The only problem is that after switching to Intel Gpu everything is ok and after Switching Back to hd6550m there is no backlit , screen is almost black.

 

read a page or 2 back...its a problem with the driver and leshcat is looking into it...go with a different set of drivers

 

thx dude... Thank God i was clever enough this time to make a restore point .... Updating Display Drivers on Acers is always a pain

 

Using the official Acer drivers, says the model is AR5B97.

Hmm I didn't de-select anything when I installed the drivers using the custom method. Maybe I need to format?

 

Guys, I'm looking for advice on setting up the system for longest time on battery. Some of you write the 3820tg can run up to 8 hrs, for me the longest is about 5. Any hints?

 

I'd like to know the same, although those people may have the 9 cell battery version of the 3820TG

 

To get 8 hours, you're really limited to doing offline work, ie turning off wifi, bluetooth etc. Don't even bother using LAN, it uses more power than wifi. You have to turn down your screen brightness and use the Intel integrated graphics. Pretty much the only thing you can do to get 8 hours is read e-books and do something actually useful, like work

 

I haven't used my 9-cell for a while, but from what I remember I was able to get about 7-8 hours with full/half-full brightness and IGP (with wifi on)

With the 6-cell on high brightness with IGP I get 3-4 hours (wifi on).

That's still very good though!

 

And no one understands why do I prefer BIOS switching. For example because I can get 8 hours with wifi on, on medium brightness. OK, its not with internet browsing on Youtube and other flash websites, but with Skype running in the background.

What you are talking about (low brightness, wifi off, reading or writing documents) gives me 10-11 hours.

On a 6 cell.

 

If you've ever decompiled the drivers and looked at its functions, it does pretty much the same as bios switching (ie. turning the dGPU off almost entirely, save for a very small amount of power, no more than 1W to allow it to be able to be powered on properly should the user opt to enable it without a reboot). While it does impact battery life, there are far more variables, like background processes that can have much bigger impact on battery life. And I think most people would prefer the convenience of switching within Windows rather than rebooting in order to enter the bios to change the card. Furthermore, by installing the drivers which don't have switchable graphics support, there is a higher risk of screwups because the driver might not reference addresses properly if they conflict with each other. Now can we please stop this "debate"? I think NBR users will be able to judge for themselves after reading both camps' arguments

 

I use stock Acer drivers when I travel and average 6 hours use. I'm fairly frugal with power use on-the-road, so some of that is due to conservation. I turm things off when I'm not using them. I also limit access to hard drives, etc. I have 2 batteries in my travel bag so I have 10-12 hour use if needed.

I'm not sure where I come down on the modded bios vs modded drivers debate but will say the Zero has always been able to sqeek 20% more battery life out of his unit than I could mine. Mine has always been sufficient for my needs so I haven't spent a lot of time tweaking it.

 

there is a folder for Launch Manager but using any of the applications in the folder to try to replicate fn+f3 does not work.

I need to create a icon to activate the fn+f3 function as i am using an external keyboard, not the laptop's. Incidentally, fn+f3 on the external keyboard does not do the same thing.

if anyone can point me to creating an icon that i can double click and activate the equivalent of the fn+f3, much appreciated!

 

Hey how many monitors does your laptop show in device manager?

I used to have 1...now I installed the stock Intel HD driver and it's up to two. It says one for the Radeon and one for the Intel.

Is that how it's supposed to work?

I used to have it where I could use an external monitor but now I can't because it ends up being the third monitor. All I can do is extend the desktop instead of it being the only monitor.

 

Wait you installed the stock Intel HD Graphics driver from Intel? You cannot do that, you can only install the Intel driver that comes with the switchable graphics package from Acer or the modded switchable graphics package. The only way you can install the stock driver is if you have the modded bios.

 

I guess what I mean to say was that I installed the stock Acer driver for the Intel HD (8.15.10.2189) and then the 8.881.0.0 for the AMD Radeon 5650.

In order to get the external LCD working as the only monitor, I now have to disable the Intel HD graphics in Device Manager. Now there's only two 'monitors' showing up in Device Manager, instead of three.

Anyone have an idea why this is?

 

No you don't do that. You have to install the switchable graphics package v8.771 from Acer, then update the AMD driver from AMD. You don't install the Intel package alone.

 

Thanks, that fixed it!

 

Hi.I wonder, is there a way, a workaround to use the Intel HD Graphics instead of the ATI card when I want to plug in my HDTV using the HDMI ?

Thanks a lot

 

the answer is no

 

I was afraid so. Thanks for answering, anyway.

 

Haven't been around here in a while. Are there any good competitors to the 3820TG? I've been using mine several months now and it's been great for everything. Just wondering if there is anything else available in this size with equal power and cooling system.

Also has anyone figured out if we can put a better LCD into the 3820TG like from a higher end Samsung or Lenovo laptop? My LCD has terrible viewing angles and often looks washed out / low contrast.

 

Hey guys,

I installed this driver from the 5820TG.
http://global-download.acer.com/GDF...=Aspire 5820TG&OS=721&LC=de&BC=Acer&SC=EMEA_8
It works 100% perfectly with my 3820tg HD6550 and its the Catalysm 11.8 driver
EDIT: i've been testing it for about 1 week now

 

@voltron1337

I think a pannel of an Acer travelmate 13'' should fit. It's a matte display, but not that good either.

As for 3820tg's competitor, well....
3830tg: throttles quickly, battery problems. Performance with throttlestop < 3820tg.
M11x R3: Ugly/unprofessional, low voltage cpu. Very noisy during gaming (fan at full speed).
Vaio Z: $$$, gpu on a dock. GPU more or less = 3820tg
Vaio SA: $$ High noise. gpu more or less = 3820tg.

in short, nothing is, in my opinion, worth buying over a 3820tg (for now)

 

Could not agree more.

 

the 3830/b

-i5 or i7 core
-gt 540m
-usb 3.0
-dual cooling back in action
-ssd hd option
-color vairiants

 

Is this really being made or is it something you want made?

I don't know why they don't just put dual cooling into every laptop with a dedicated card. I really hate shared heatpipes and single fan designs. I've seen hundreds of failed laptops due to this.

 

Full ack. The speed up with a sandy bridge is not very high for my daily usecase and a faster gpu is not so important, because I'm not the a gamer.

The 3820TG is doing the daily work fast and silence.

 

If you're not gaming and if you have the extra money to spend I think it's probably worth it to get a 13" MBP or MBA simply because the screen is so much better than the 3820TG. (And Magsafe is pretty cool!)

 

A MBA or MBP is not a solution, because the necessary applications are not available for Mac OS and to run Windows or Linux on Mac isn't worth it.

 

You can install Windows on a Mac

Will give it a try! Got the whole day to play with my 3820TG today! I just hope I can finally install SP1 on it. Still can't find that Intel thing that was mentioned earlier.

Still no go with the school's WiFi. It can detect it and there's great signal, but half the time connection is spotty. I see some people have the same problems with their laptops, while others don't so I'm not sure anymore if it's the school's WiFi problem, or a problem with our wireless adapters.

I was able to get around 6 or 7 hours once. It was a long time ago so I don't remember how I did it, but my unit is completely stock minus the BIOS mod.