3820TG Owner's Lounge - Part Two

When I click "Configure Switchable Graphichs", I get into Catalyst Center. How do I switch easily?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...ex-3820tg-mods-tweaks-only-5.html#post7281311

 

Everyone keeps assuming if you extract the bios and set it to 1.1v it will work. AFAIK its very likely that the supply rail to the chip will be 1.0v max.

 

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The Windows Update constantly fails. Why?

 

I just changed my CDN keyboard to US, and in fact, I got so used to the CDN I'm having trouble adapting to the US keyboard again!

It is something you could get used to...but I am still pleased to have changed keyboards. It was an extremely easy in-stall.

 

if only 1.0 and 0.9 supported, maybe it make sense to try out if your max overclock (i.e. 700Mhz) is stable with 0.9v

 

Reminder to everyone that issues about modding BIOS and overclocking are better addressed in the modding and overclocking 3820TG thread here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/562576-acer-aspire-timelinex-3820tg-mods-tweaks-only.html

You will likely get quicker and more quality response there. Please remember to keep these issues in separate threads.

Thanks!

Has anyone here tried to install SP1 on the stock Intel driver? I'm really not into all this "special configuration" stuff, but I do want to install SP1. Sometimes warnings from companies about things like the SP1 Intel compatibility issue are just that - warnings. There's not _always_ a problem.

Who thinks I could just go ahead and install the SP1 package without concerns? I don't mind waiting though.

 

Hi again,

Would downclocking the Intel GMA HD save battery power and is there a way to do so?

Thanks,

 

You can install the SP1 but a few Apps like MSN Messenger will crash, if you not install the patch for the faulty Intel driver from MS, which deactivate D2D draw on the Intel one.

 

I believe it already does by default. Check in the Intel GMA Driver control panel.

 

Yes, it does, but the question seems to be, to underclock the low values a few % more through a modification of something.

 

I haven't been able to find anything on this, so sorry if it has been addressed already: has anybody found the optimal 'color enhancement' settings, or settings in general, for the intel graphics?
I currently have:
Brightness: -15
Contrast: 50
Gamma: 1
H/S: 0.

Has anybody else found different settings to increase the quality of intel display? I think this would be something cool to add to the first page, no?

 

hi. anyone here is using the windows xp on the acer 3820? i'm too used to the windows xp and was wondering if anyone here has managed to installed xp on to the 3820.

 

I have Wondows 7 Pro installed and Run VM in XP Mode. It runs perfectly.

Bronsky

 

I set my powerplay in CCC to maximum performance when connected, and maximum battery lenght when on battery. However, everytime I connect power to the computer it changes the settings from max performance to max battery lengt even when connected. Any clues on how to solve it? I use acers version of catalyst 11.1.

 

Any pricing on the 3830T(G) refresh series?

Should I wait? Are the SandyBridges worth it?

Looking to get a i5-2410m with GeForce 540m if I do wait but I highly prefer Radeons as oppose to GeForce with half baked Optimus on laptops.

I can live with the new color scheme on the 3830T series and the keyboard does look better than that found on the 3820T series plus there's now one USB 3.0 slot.

Still, as mentioned above I dislike NVIDIA's half baked Optimus which cannot be manually controlled from what I've read though it might change with the 500m series cards (I have no hope).

3820T(G) now (Can get for really good deals now) or 3830T(G) latter (No pricing details yet)???

Any thoughts?

 

I'm not running out and upgrading my 3820TG. The SB will be a bit more powerful and efficient (but I already have an I5-540M in mine). The GT 540M is a bit more powerful than the HD 6550. But, the new 3820TG does not have the amazing dual fan system. I have no desire to have optimus. I actually like the island KB. The SB CPU may not OC. I like the current TimelineX styling better. You can get a 3820TG now for $699 in Canada. Hard to pass up.

Bronsky

 

Hey Bronsky, I would like to ask you if 8GB of ram is worth it at 90$, since you've done the upgrade earlier. Also I would like to know how much you paid for your ssd and a brand that you recommend me.

 

The ram is a question of your system usage.

If you are only surfing the net and writting with word, the 8GB is useless.

 

Did you change your windows power plan? Its based on the current plan you have active so if your change plan you will have settings. You can change it in the windows power options too but probably better to do it in CCC....

 

@ Bronsky

Would it hurt to get DDR3-1333, I know i5's run the ram at DDR3-1066 but price for DDR3-1066/1333 are the same here in Canada.

My question is:

If I buy DDR3-1333 Cas 9, the i5 would run it at DDR3-1066 Cas 9 or Cas 7?

Also, would DDR3-1333 help with overclocking the FSB at all?

Thanks,

 

It will run at lower latency @1066MHz and yes having 1333 will help where CPU OC is concerned.

 

As far as I know it will run at DDR3-1066 CAS 7

 

Sweet, thanks guys.

I'm going to upgrade to 6GB DDR3-1333 once I get my 3820/5820TG.

I don't mind the ram to be ran in Asynchronous Dual-Channel (Real world shows no difference even in games), I can use the extra 2GB from 4GB but 8GB is overkill for me.

 

After installing the hybrid-version of the modded driver, youtube is constant flickering in green. Also, I can't find out where to change graphics card.

Anyone?

 

What's wrong with the Official Catalyst 11.2 off AMD's website?

Is there a need or feature with the modded drivers?

I never install modded drivers or beta drivers, driver problems are the worst for me.

 

The modded drivers update the stock Acer Intel drivers which are known to cause problems with MSN Messenger, Youtube etc. The hybrid mod a few pages back modifies the Catalyst drivers to recognise the new Intel drivers, which is a pretty good thing since the newer drivers don't have the problems stated above. I installed the modded drivers and they work flawlessly.

 

So the latest official drivers from Intel and AMD don't work well together?

 

So I think it's gonna come in tomorrow! What are some things I should do first? I know I want to reformat and get a clean install on there. One thing I'm confused about are the graphics drivers. There seem to be a bunch of different ones and I'm not sure which ones to use.

 

So I placed my order for a Aspire TimelineX 5820TG, I'm just waiting on the price match approval right now.

Hopefully all goes well with the price match, I'm looking forward to all the useful guides/tweaks found on this forum for the 3820TG which should also work for the 5820TG.

 

Hey guys first time poster so be nice if i'm asking stupid questions but i couldn't find the info i was looking for and its hard to search through a thousand pages.

basically i bought myself a 3820tg and i have a couple of issues:

1) When using VGA, it reads the external monitor fine but seems to auto-switch every couple of minutes between the laptop and external display as if some automated action is trying to take over. (note i have not yet tested hdmi)

2) i tried to o'clock the cpu using setfsb using hendricksons generic instructions but everytime i try even if it is a minute change it freezes the whole system.

3) i tried to o'clock the gpu using the amd tool, (note this was obviously without the cpu o'clocked) and 650/950 gave me stutters and instability, i went to a safer oclock but it actually gave me a lower 3dmark06 score then when it was on stock clocks.

additional info

i5-460m, 750g hdd, hd 5650, 4gram, win7 64bit

any help would be great, the points are in order of priority too

cheers,

kyle.

 

Alright so I just replaced my keyboard with a US keyboard and now my function keys aren't working at all. Anything I can do to fix this? For example, when I hold down the FN key + volumer up, it just selects a different icon rather than increase the volume. Thanks.

EDIT: My bad.. I decided to double check the connection of the keyboard and sure enough, it was half loose. All good now!

BTW, The first 3820TG I had was an LG screen, but this second is an AUI and looks far better. Got it from LUComputers.

 

Welcome to the club

Try disabling automatic detection in Catalyst Control Centre. In Catalyst Control Centre 2, try selecting "Manual detection" under Desktop Management>Advanced Display Settings

Your best bet would be to "donate" to the author and ask him directly since the stock clockgen stated by Hendrickson does not always work. Also, you have to edit the PLL as well, it's lost somewhere in the old thread (try searching from page 950 onwards, it isn't that old)

650/950 is considered *very* safe already. Try running 3DMark06 with all background applications ended. If your GPU cannot overclock past 650/950 without instability, don't overclock because you cannot RMA for this issue. What is the temperature of your GPU at idle and full throttle (3DMark06, all those GPU intensive stuff)? Use HWMonitor, get it here.

 

Can someone direct me to the thread with all the hidden BIOS mod options for the 3820TG? (Exact page would be nice)

 

Didn't try the SP1 update, but a fresh install of W7x64HP with SP1, one of the latest builds, then acer graphic drivers gave me no problem. For the activation, the Windows key printed on the sticker worked fine with it.

 

SP1 update not recommended for computers with switchable graphics using Intel integrated graphics, so don't try it. You're not missing out on much anyway, it only includes all the updates to date and one new feature (forgot what it is)

 

ive overclocked my 6650 to 700/1000 is that a safe overclock temps max after gaming for an 2 hours 79. Im guessing its safer with the extra voltage?

 

It's more stable with the extra voltage but that has nothing to do with being safer. The temps are OK so if it's rock solid you should be OK.
From my experience extensive use of HDR puts most stress on HD5650/6650- if you have GTA IV lying around you may want to use it as a benchmark.
It gets the GPU much hotter than FurMark or most games- so if it won't crash in GTA IV it probably won't crash at all.

 

I also can not overclock my GPU to 650/950. When I do and run 3DMark06, I get artifacts and when leaving it, the GPU will usually crash. I admit this is extremely annoying, and even when I recently changed my CPU to the i5 580m and reapplied thermal compound on the GPU, same problem with overclocking. I might have misapplied the compound and am thinking of opening it again, but as long as my temps aren't crazy I am fine with the performance even without overclocks.

 

Do you have any links to where one can read about these problems? I wonder if SP1 is what caused my issues with Optimus on my M11x. Not that it matters too much, but any further information could help other users who might be having trouble.

 

I have liked my AOU displays. The keyboard ribbon is touchy. I put the display all the way down when putting a keyboard in so I can get the ribbon perfect.

Bronsky

 

All you that have switched to SSD-drives, have you noticed big changes in battery life improving after the switch?

Im considering going SSD-HDD hybrid instead of SSD only, money-issue of course. But am unsure how well those hybrids actually work (have read they speed up quite a bit) since they don't put a stop to having moving parts in the end...

Cheers

 

Hybrid drives use the flash memory to cache data in order to speed up boot times and applications. If you're using the same programs over and over, you'll notice quite the speed boost. If you're constantly doing different things in different programs or playing different games, it won't make a difference. In the latter case, it can actually degrade performance. I had a hybrid drive and when going among various Source-engine-based games, they would stutter terribly. Changing to a standard SSD or platter HDD fixed the issue. This was a while ago, and Seagate has released new firmware for its drives that is supposed to resolve or at worst mitigate these problems.

 

+1 .

 

I have a hybrid and never noticed a stutter in games to be honest...I have up to date firmware though. The first one I got failed so Im still a little dicey about the whole thing. Im hoping to upgrade to a 256GB SSD soon because the hybrid is quite quite noisy and uses more power for sure.

 

I'm not terribly keen on Seagate drives myself because they tend to fail on me more often than other brands. The Momentus XT I owned did not have updated firmware so I obviously can't comment on their current state. I got rid of it before the latest update, too.

 

Two questions:

What to do when Cheking for updates lasts forever?
Is overclocking easy?

 

Windows updates? Takes about 10 seconds maybe....over clocking is very easy is you have an overclockable machine!

 

Yep, windows update. It checks forever.... Does nothing.

It's my 3820TG of course. Overclockable? Definitively, after what I've read here so far.

MSI Afterburner - just adjust core clock and memory clock? How much can I adjust them?

 

I've never personally used that I used the AMD GPU clock tool a few time. It depends on the system you have as to how much you can clock it. You'll see different people with different levels of clocking as you go through the thread...personally I dont think there's that big a need to overclock at the moment as most games run just fine at stock levels. You just need to test a bit to keep within acceptable levels of heat and ensuring you are not get artifacts on screen. You'd have to check around to see what those levels are as I said I dont really overclock myself...