3820TG Owner's Lounge - Part Two

If you're talking about the driver direct from Broadcom, follow the instructions here under the bluetooth section.

 

I have looked through every offering on ebay and couldnt find one. it appears to be a proprietary slot, your only option would be using the adaptor that goes of the mini PCIe pins or soldering a different sim slot in place and soldering the pins to their corresponding solder pads using small wire.

 

Does the screen brightness controls in power plans disappear when setting BIOS to "Discrete" graphics? First I thought it was driver related and I've tried driver cleaners but the controls are still not visible. I can adjust the brightness levels with Fn+left/right but the brightness levels don't change automatically when I switch between power plans.

 

Right, but I don't know the difference pins between acer sim holder and that one. Where can I find it ?

 

total n00b question but will this ram work with the 3820tg?

Buy the Centon 8GB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit at TigerDirect.ca

thanks in advance

 

Thanks. But suddenly it worked, broadcom drivers installed without error.

BUT! I connected the bluetooth to my receiver to play audio. And the sound is TERRIBLE!!! LOL, crap

With my other pc the sound is excellent!

Crappy 3820tg

 

i think yes, but i5 supports only 1066MHz DDR3. nevertheless it should work.

 

that's a 100% wrong isn't it?

 

ok as you asked i'm reporting back, got the same memory as you.
with stock memory i was able to do 170 stable 172 was my limit
after the upgrade to 8 geg ram i got max 140 and was crashing fast so i toke a look at this http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-use-setpll-overclock-your-r2-over-166-a.html

AND did an SPD mod to 9-8-8-20 and running now at 164 giving me almost 3.2 Gh witch is all that i need and my ram rating now is 7 by windows up from 5.9 stock ram.
i know i can do better but i'll do that later. i only have the i5 430

 

Thanks. The Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 looks cheap on e-bay but none of them look like the actual card off Intels website.

Wonder if there's anywhere a little more legit to buy one? EDIT: I'm don;t feel like opening the laptop just to see which size I need, does the 3820TG require a half-size wifi card or does the full length fit?

 

If you do not have 3G installed, you will need a half size card for sure. the card you buy online should look something like the one found here: Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 | SpecReport The pictures on Intel's website show the actual chips used as the shielding has been removed whilst the pictures on the page I linked are of the actual product.

You are looking for model code: 533AN_HMW the sticker on the card can vary from country to country but the model code will remain the same.

The only way I can see you getting the pinout is by using a digital multimeter in continuity tester mode to check which pins in the Mini PCIe slot correspond with which pins on the motherboard, I would do this but havent had my 3820tg open for a while. From here, you can match up the pins with the UIM signal pins found in the pinout available here: Mini PCI Express Pinouts | SpecReport to the pinouts found here: Smart Card (SIM Card) interface pinout and wiring @ pinouts.ru

I'll have another look for a suitable sim connector tonight.

 

yes it is permanent until you change it

 

So, ... We can install a 3G simcard slot? Also, "without" 3G installed wouldn't that mean there's more room inside the machine? Sorry if that's a dumb question but I stripped a screw removing the back panel and now I only remove screws when I absolutely have to.

Thanks for info on model number too!

 

If you don't have a 3g module installed from the factory, It's more than likely that your 3820TG is missing the Mini PCIe Header so the secondary slot may not be used (unless you want to solder on a header - See tgoode's thread regarding that)

If you can find a suitable SIM/UIM card slot to be soldered to the main board and remove the piece of plastic blocking the sim slot behind the battery, then the sim will connect to Mobile broadband cards inserted in the 3G slot through the UIM pins.

 

Ahhh, I do remember from the few times I've had this one open it does NOT have a sim slot from factory. So I need a half size card then? Gonna order a cheap one from China today to see how that goes...

 

Ordering an Intel Wifi Link 5300 is useless because it is 3x3, but a 3820 has only 2 antennas unless your com comes with a 3G module as well. In other words, the 5300 will function as a 2x2. Try to avoid the ES cards because they do not have unique MAC addresses and can screw up big time if there's another wifi card with the same MAC address on the same network. Try to get those from US, those are usually better and if possible get retail versions.

 

So I cant just get a 3rd antenna and stuff the wire in the laptop myself to make it 3x3? If not I guess the 6200 would be the better buy right?
EDIT: I mean, I have 8GB Ram in it so running many applications is smooth as butter but I have a 120GB SSD and a separate large home server so it does get laggy when I have a lot of stuff on the move here over wi-fi. All my computers are hard wired ethernet and the 3820TG is the only wi-fi so there's no interference. I just need a faster card.

 

I have 8gb of DDR3 PC10700 installed, shouldn't it be running at 1066 Mhz not 533?

Or am I being an idiot here because it's dual channel, so it's like the individual cores of a CPU and its effective speed is 533x2 ?

http://i.imgur.com/yxMHw.jpg

 

Here's a hint. DDR stands for "double data rate" it is accessed on both edges of the clock, going up and going down. So, it's effectively 1066MHz throughput on a 533MHz clock.

 

You can but it would require dissasembly of more or less the entire notebook. it sounds like the 6200 would be most suitable.

 

Just as I thought. Seems reasonable.

Should be able to run it at 667MHz though, right?

 

i5 only supports 1066MHz DDR3

 

I really don't mind spending a day taking my time and taking the whole thing apart. If I can get a 3x3 going in this thing, I'd like to try it... Only if some of the more knowledgeable people here such as your self say it can be done. The work required doesn't bother or scare me.

But if I install a 3rd antenna myself it'll work 3x3 right? I'll avoid ES and and I don't need a 3G module.

EDIT: Sorry folks, I'm just trying to be thorough.

 

Ah, that's what I was looking for. Didn't know!

Thanks

 

It will work as 3x3 then but that matters only if you have a three stream router capable of 450mbps- otherwise save yourself the trouble of installing a third antenna.

 

Awesome! New router too! Thanks Downloads. (Seriously, I'll start lookin around at some)

Edit: Eyeing the NETGEAR WNDR4000-100NAS, and TRENDnet TEW-691GR. I like the look of the TRENDnet but the Netgear seems to be more popular. Suggestions from networking guys here?

 

You'll have to find an antenna of a suitable length, and then pretty much pry the screen bezel open while trying not to damage the screen. With a service manual it's manageable, but make sure you know what to do and when. A copy of the manual next to you while disassembling the laptop would be handy.

 

Anybody playing BF3 on a 3820TG yet?

 

I seem to have noticed something strange with my GPU lately. When power is plugged in and not running on battery, 3dmark 2006 scores are always about 100 points lower than when running on battery. I've tested the benchmark about 10 times now, on and off battery power. When running on battery the score is always higher. You guys think the GPU is not drawing enough power when the laptop is plugged in?



EDIT: I ran the tests again for overclocked vs stock. It seems the scores only differ when the GPU is overclocked.

 

TRENDnet is completely pointless- it's 2.4GHz band router and you need three adjusting channels combined and free of traffic. It's impossible these days.

WNDR4000 is capable of 450mbps only on 5GHz band just like Linksys E4200- 5GHz band is free so you'll be able to get good throughput there.

My recommendation would be Linksys E4200- it has great 2.4GHz range and is capable of 450mbps on 5GHz range, followed by Netgear WNDR4000.

 

That's also another concern of mine. Is there a particular place to purchase these or will any wire of the correct gauge work?

Then that's what I'll get.

Also, I don't need much range at the moment, only speed. I have decent security but its a personal paranoia thing. So just dropping TX until I'm satisfied and still getting max speed in my apartment is all I really need to do right?

Not yet, although judging by the min requirements we might get 40fps on lowest settings. That's just my guess though.

 

Check your settings in the CCC, it could be that when battery you're running on "optimized for battery life" or something.

 

Surprised at how well my Acer runs BF3. Runs really smooth at stock GPU clocks. Graphics are all middle or high settings. Game looks great. Was running it on the Acer display. Can't wait to plug into the LG 24". Game is stressful, however. It's been some time since I've seen CPU temps in mid 80C range.

 

I'm trying to play BF3 on the laptop, but I'm getting the error message of the drivers not being up-to-date. (I'm running on 11.6 at the moment). Bronsky, do you have a link for 11.8 switchable?

 

You can try the newest Acer VGA driver for the 4820tg. I think someone in the forums said it had the 11.8 drivers. Not 100% sure though. I am using those drivers for my 3820tg and they have worked flawlessly for every game so far. The driver is version 8.84.7.4 and dated august 25th. You can find them on Acer's support pages for the 4820tg.

 

I installed Leshcat's 11.8 v2, works great on BF3 on medium without OC.

Very impressive.

 

hi is there anything i can do to improve the temperature of my laptop? when i run something like borderlands for over half an hour with high settings it just seems to die. I'm using a coolermaster cooling pad and this is being displayed to an external monitor at 1650x1050 i think.

 

That is quite a demanding combination. I would try cleaning the fan vents. Repasting might help. Even with the cooler, prop up the back a bit.

You might also check out the 3820tray thread. I think there is a gaming fan profile that helps cooling. Anybody using this advise?

 

i know but i want to get RAGE on something when it comes out. I was testing out borderlands on my laptop to see how it handles it but by the looks of things, i might have to get rage for my PS3 or 360. I'll try looking fpr that thread thanks!

 

Absolutely, I always have my 9-cell in when gaming, the extra airflow on the bottom where the vents are really helps.

I have wondered whether repasting is a good idea. It's probably quite difficult and risky right? Still it would probably drop idle temps by 10-20°... My idle CPU temp is horrible at around 45°C.

 

with latest version of 3820tray you have the option to->

1. raise TDP/TCC to improve performance
AND
2. reduce the TDP/TDC and/or CpuSpeed if Temp raises i.e.90°C

this is far better then Throttleing down the CPU .....



look at settings->turboboost

 

Nice, what settings would you recommend in this case?

Any chance you can reduce the TDP to allow for very low temperature/power consumption for on-lap web browsing or something?

 

look screenshot

you can set the "max cpu usage" under profiles->powersheme

i set mine to 0% for surfing. this result in a maxcpufreq of ~1300mhz

 

Ah fantastic!! I really didn't know this was possible with TGtray
Looking forward to trying it out when I get home.

 

has anyone attempted to mod a usb 3.0 card into this machine?

 

45C is not that bad for an I5. Repasting is not for someone who has little experience disassembling a notebook. A local shop would probably do it for you and not charge an arm-and-a-leg. It brought my factory temps down by 8-10C but I had some crappy factory paste and temps were fairly high. I can run by CPU fully OC'd and get low 40C temps. Factory clocks idle in the high-30C range. My guess would be that you won't see more than 3-5C, even with IC Diamond 7, since your factory temps are not that bad.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

All:

Although I run by CPU permanently OC'd, I haven't been OC'ing my GPU for quite some time since I've been running firepro drivers. Now that I DL'ed BF3 Beta, I put the most recent Acer 3820TG AMD drivers back (8.771.1 - 7/6/11). I'll probably load the 8/11 4820TG AMD driver to replace this one. But, even with the 7/11 driver, BF3 plays smoothly. I've DL the latest version of MSI Afterburner and noticed that the voltage control can be selected. Does Afterburner allow voltage control of the HD 5650? That would be cool.

 

my cpu idle is about 43-45c and that is after I repasted with arctic cooling mx-4....its not terribly hard to do, just take your time and note your steps...idk why my laptop runs as hot as it does...the first time i reapplied the paste i was hitting about 45c and thought maybe i added too much so i pulled it apart again and reapplied with less...still hits around 45c (elevated and flat on the table makes little difference for me)...my full load temps are around 80c....all in all the process isnt hard but for me it didnt really make a difference like everyone is saying.

did i do something wrong?...how is it your getting such low temps bronsky...are those temps with flat service 6 cell battery or are you using a cooler?

 

@ Bronsky
what fan profil do you use to get these temps? at which temperature your fan starts to run? i have factory clocks and new mx-4. I get 45C with quiet fand mod (starts at 52C). Thats not good at all i think.

 

My I5-540M tends to run coooler than the I5-450/480M CPUs. I had the I5-450M in there and it ran a few degrees hotter. I was also really careful to get a very thin film. I've changed my CPU in this notebook so many times, I have gotten really good at pasting.

Temps are flat with 6 cell. Right now, my CPU is OC'd to a max speed to 3.64ghz, base speed of 2.9 ghz and temp (tray readout) is hovering at 42-43C at idle. My fans are not modded at all. I use Tray v22, with default settings so far, mostly for the temp read-out . BTW, I am religious about cleaning the fins in the dual cooling units so am getting maximum cooling from the sinks. I clean them every month.

 

hmm maybe ill have to pull her apart again and try to get a thinner layer of paste...any tips? i think i basically just did a bb sized dot in the center also on the gpu i did the same on both squares of the gpu...i was afraid i was using too little...is this possible?