4820T vs 4820TG

LOLOL. Well crap, that makes the ODD -> HDD swap much harder. Hmmmm.

Thanks for your help aylafan.

 

I might have missed this - but is CPU upgradable in 4820TG? I'm thinking about picking up i3 350M for now and installing i7 620M later when the price comes down.

 

The full powered Arandales use the PGA988 socket and, thus, are replacable. i'll be posting a video and pics when I do mine.

 

Good news then - I will be grabbing 4820TG tonight . Hopefully a cooler master laptop cooling stand will let me OC to full potential and play games on it.

 

Does that mean that the optical drive is only held in by a spec of dirt?

Bronsky

 

I hate you all!

I cancelled my i5 4820tg order from Microcenter (after reading about heat issues) but I still want one... Maybe the i3 would be okay... Of course I have to wait for Microcenter.

I can't believe no one else has them...

I checked on Acer's site and it says you can't even buy them on-line right now. I'm used to Amazon next day service not "will maybe kinda ship in 1-3 days" and no order status checking without calling.

 

these "heat issues" have been blown way out of proportion.. the 4820tg is a fine machine

 

Do you have the i5 or the i3?

I had the i3 version of the 3820tg in my cart from Computer Universe and was seriously considering it until I saw that one had the 5470. ;-)

 

I wouldn't worry too much about overheating unless you want to run burn-in test 24/7... Practically any laptop I've seen other than those with dual cooling solutions (3820TG, ENVY 14/15 series etc) overheat if you do torture test for extended period of time. Other manufacturers have gotten around this by downclocking GPU but I think that is cheap way to fix the issue.

Are you going to be running torture test while on the move? I didn't think so. If you are using it at home, just get a $20 laptop stand (not cooler mat). I will be getting i3 4820TG tonight with a laptop stand and will compare it to Alyafan / ngaw's temperatures.

As far as i3 vs i5 goes... i3 will throttle @ 90C before it can do any damage so from heat standpoint, it will be more resistant to overheating than i5 is.

For me, since I already happen to have 500 GB Momentus XT so i3 350M is a much better deal for me either way.

 

I'd like to see the 4820tg in person, but it looks like your Microcenter is the closest and that's about eight hours away!!

(I'm in Albuquerque.)

EDIT: They only have three left... I'll race you there. ;-)

 

There is no evidence that the 4820TG suffers from heat issues. There has been throttling observed during extreme burn testing but I think, at least, with the I3-350M, that is related to the different max temp from the I5 cpu.

Bronsky

 

Temperatures may vary, but expect around 80-86C with Prime95 and around 75C with wPrime.

 

Did you grab one already? I checked on the Micro Center website and it said it had 2 Acer 4820TGs left at the DTC location.

 

Yes I did grab that 4820TG in MC Denver

Connected to my 46" TV






Frankly I don't know what they are talking about when they say the build quality blows. Maybe they are too used to MBP's and Vaio Z's... for $800 this is pretty thin, light and lasts much longer than comparable laptops that packs this much punch with 5650. I did checkout the 900P 13" screen for Sony Z when I was at micro center but I couldn't swallow that $1700 price tag. For much less than that I have both 4820TG for the go and i5 750 quad core desktop @ 4 GHz that will eat any pretty much any laptop processors alive.

I was still undecided between i3 350M and i5 450M but the fact that I already have Momentus XT 500 GB with me made the decision easier... I would be paying $100 extra for i5 450M only which I didn't find useful. I will just upgrade to i7 620M or i5 560M when the price comes down a bit.

Overheating issue really seem to be completely overblown. However I still bought this for peace of mind because the laptop will be powering my TV for extended periods of time



Yep thats two fans below...Overheating? well...we will see about that

Now I would prefer 3820TG if given the choice because I don't find ODD useful...but since this is all we are getting in the near future, I think it is a good buy. Otherwise today I will be erupting with jealousy with Bronsky going absolutely mental with his 3820TG (which he deserves)

 

@ maverickar15

Can you do me a huge favor and take a close look at the bottom of the laptop? I'm trying to figure out which screw(s) removes the ODD.

Like you, I have no use for the ODD... so a dual hard drive setup is optimal. Unlike you however I will be going SSD + HDD... not going to bother with the hybrid drives.

 

Congrats maverickar15, just wondering what notebook cooler is that and how much was it? did you pick it up at MC along with your notebook?

bit offtopic but is the momentus XT the only hybrid drive out right now?


edit: nvm, found the cooler, how high is it? is it still comfortable to type if you were to not use your big screen? from some pictures, the angle seems kind of steep.

 

With that cooler, or any, is the angle too high for everyday use?

 

1. Here is the close up of the backpanel - let me know if you need a photo of a specific portion (mine says manufactured in 5/16, pretty new )



2. The cooler is cooler master U2 for 14" laptops. Seems to be working well, but we will see in the long run. The viewing angle isn't bad, it just looks steep because the back end of the cooler stand was also sitting on the TV's base. Here is a shot from the side sitting on a K-mart special table



I've ran 3DMark06 but it won't let me submit the dang results

 

@ maverickar15

1. Are you familiar with ODD removal?

If so, do you think you can figure out which screw(s) removes the ODD?

Usually there is a screw where I have indicated, but I find it very odd this laptop is void of that screw.



2. Can you unscrew the baseplate (HDD & RAM access)? Would be cool to see how everything looks under there.

3. And can you download and run HWMONITOR to monitor temperatures? I'd like to see exactly how much of a difference that cooler makes.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

 

Does it cramp your hand for being that high of an angle while gaming?

 

I'm not sure if it would cramp when gaming. I will let you know in a few days. This thing was only $25 so I wouldn't expect too much but better than nothing I guess. I will run some prime 95 and 3dMark06's.

I took another picture with the cover off. I'm cloning the HDD image right now so its not there but you can see the rest.

Unfortunately I'm not sure how to remove ODD for this kind of laptop...usually they are easy to remove with a couple screws or they just come out but this looks more integrated to me.

 

@ maverickar15

DUDE... you just made my night bro.

I believe this screw releases the ODD!



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Once removed, the ODD should simply slide out with little force. Can you confirm?

 

Here are some temperature data -

This is after running Prime 95 max heat stress test for about 30 minutes



Another one, this is screen cap right after playing DIRT 2 and BC2 for about an hour each. (GPU is at 600/900)



Looks to me both CPU and GPU like to settle at around 82 C temp?

 

im thinking about buying 4820TG-3195 from microcenter.com..is there a benefit to waiting for amazon, newegg, or tiger direct to stock them?

i live in FL, so i dont think i'll get charged tax from Micro?

 

Paying for shipping blows though.

 

Just got this model from MC today. Lemmie know if you have any questions.

 

Congratulations. Did you get the I3 or the I5? You're going to love it.

Bronsky

 

i5. I must say though Bronsky, I've been following your saga with avid interest, and I'm a bit jealous of your new machine. Given the couple hours I've had to play with mine, I'm shocked by the battery life. After 4 hours, I'm still at 53% charged. And I've been using the internet the whole time (but nowhere near max screen brightness). Overall, Acer has truly stepped up its game. I'm excited to do a little gaming testing tomorrow, after the Netherlands crush their former oppressors.

 

Is it a fingerprint magnet?

How much of the system is metal and how much of it is plastic?

Does it feel sturdy?

 

i was curious, how come microcenter has these machines far before anyone else? i have never heard of them till now

 

It is, indeed, a fingerprint magnet. The top of the case is the worst offender, followed by the sides of the keyboard. The top of the case, hand rest, and outside edge of the keyboard/hand rest section of the laptop are metal. The keyboard, area around the screen and the bottom of the case are all plastic, so far as I can tell from a quick glance/feel. The lower part of the laptop, contining all the internals is sturdy, as is the hand rest. The keyboard is sturdy as well unless you like to stab your keys while typing like a chicken trying to eat seed. The screen is definitely flexy, but I have it resting open in a slanted position against a wall now, and it isn't bending. If you apply a moderate amount of pressure, less than it takes to flex the keyboard, it does bend.

 

In aus. we have 2 models one with a larger hdd and 3g sim card slot and one without.

What size is the sim card slot normal or micro, im thinking its the same size worldwide?

I believe the slot is behind the battery.

 

This will probably be a swing and a miss but here goes...

I've read just about every review on the 4820tg I can find on the interwebs, and I've seen everything from the screen "looks great" to "contrast of 140:1... blacks look dark grey..." etc.

I also realize people have weighed in on this issue already. What I'm asking now is if someone could (pretty) please post a measured contrast ratio on a properly calibrated screen? I know, long shot, but I'd appreciate it a lot if someone out there could do that for me. I know notebookcheck has their number, but that's one sample and who knows if that display was properly calibrated? I've been by the MC in my area to take a look at the 4820tg. I wasn't all that comforted, but then again I didn't mess with the display settings and the display piece looked like it just wasn't adjusted for optimal image so I don't want to jump to any conclusions based on that.

The reason I ask is I'm also eye-balling the envy 14. I know that screen will demolish the acer anyday, but is the acer good enough for some amateur-ish photo editing? I like the acer's battery life (so far it looks like the envy will be somewhere between 4-5 hrs vs 6-8 for the acer) and overall value, so if I can settle this I'd be edged towards the ol' acer.

Thank folks.

 

Hey I've narrowed my choices down to the HP Envy 14 and the TimelineX 4820tg(I-5). I'm going to do light gaming with it (starcraft 2) and some typing and internet browsing. I've been reading about the potential heat issues with the 4820tg and that has me concerned. Can anyone who owns it tell me how it is doing for them in regards to heat? Thanks.

 

I'd love to help you on that front, but I must confess, I've never had to properly calibrate a screen before. THe farthest I've ever gotten is adjusting the resolution.
If youi could provide my with some rescources that might help me through the process, I'd be more than happy to give it a shot for ya.

Haven't done any long-term gaming on this yet, but I'll try it tonight and get back to you. Heat in terms of internet browsing is no issue at all. I haven't been looking at any of the temp data, but anecdotally, I've been browsing the internet with the computer resting on a bed for the last hour or so, and as I lift it up and feel the bedspread, you'd be hardpressed to figure out where the laptop had been sitting. Once I put it under load with some gaming, I'll try to post an addendum.

 

Haha no worries man, thanks though! Usually when people "professionally" calibrate their monitors it's with special software and a device you place against your screen which relays info back to your computer about all that display stuff.

But shoot, since you're tryin' to help, what's your take on the image quality? Do colors look a bit washed out? Do blacks look black black, or like they're really trying to be black but just aren't making it?

Thanks again bro.

 

The blacks will look black black if you tilt the horizontal angle perfectly (similar to the Asus UL series). Otherwise, the blacks will look washed out and look dark gray. Viewing angles can handle 2 people watching a movie side by side before the blacks become washed out.

 

edited: double posted

 

Agreed. If screen quality/angles is important to you, shelling out that extra $100 is worth it for the Envy's screen. Better be happy with that than sad with this.

 

Thanks! I look forward to it.

 

I'm torn between the 4820TG and HP ENVY 14. The ENVY would cost ~$200 more, weight a bit more, but it has a better display w/ higher resolution. I'm concerned with the display of the 4820TG, its the only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger. I was planning on getting a $90 16" external led display with the same resolution which would bring the cost closer to the ENVY.

 

3DMark06 on my i3 4820TG stock everything except Momentus XT HDD (GPU 550/800 according to AMD GPU tool)



I had 320 GB 7200 rpm HDD available for comparison testing but that feels slow after using Momentus XT. Synthetic benches show only 10~15 MB/s improvement but when you are running apps, playing games and booting windows it does make noticeable difference. If you are short on cash this is a noticeable upgrade(otherwise still go for 300 GB Crucial SSD). First thing I would replace on this Acer(other than CPU if possible) would be that 5400rpm HDD that came with it.

The i3 350M does feel kind of anemic compared to my i5 750 quad @ 3.78 GHz but it is fast enough for most tasks, including playing games like BC2 / Dirt 2. Loading times could be improved a bit but it is still faster than C2D E6750 I used to have. I'm still kind of fascinated that you can enjoy playing full 3D games on a laptop that costs $800 with good battery life. I'm really glad I bought this laptop.

Screen does feel a little bit cramped 14" @ 1366x768 but if you wear glasses like me it isn't too bad. Could have used 1440x900 for sure but again, for the money it will do. Brightness is decent (again don't expect Z screen quality here).

The biggest disappointment IMHO is the arrow keys on the keyboard. The main part of the keyboard is easy to use and does flex a tiny bit. However, the arrow keys tilt up/down and it feels like they are going to pop off with just a bit of force.

As far as removing ODD goes, I did remove that one screw and tried to push it out but it wouldn't move easily so I chickened out.

 

Another 3dmark06 benchmark, stock i3 350M but GPU is OC'ed to 680/1065 (shamlessly used same settings from 3820TG thread)



Not too shabby considering this is only i3 not i5.

 

Ok last one before I sleep...GPU OC'ed to 700/1085



I was hoping to break 9k score but it didn't. 5650 really is a wonderful GPU but at this point I'm being held back somewhat by i3 350M. Still though, almost 9k is not bad for a $800 laptop

 

Will you keep it that OC? What will you keep it at for your use?

 

Engadget Review:

Acer TimelineX 4820T review -- Engadget

 

I will need to see how much temperature climbs up but initial temperature suggests only 2~3 degrees higher. I think 600/950 range is safe for sure at least.

 

For i3, the temperature after one hour torture test with Prime 95 is consistently 79-81 C for me in a 75 F room. GPU also goes upto 64-65 C because cooling is shared between the two. (can't post screenshot, @ work)

 

I am perplexed as to how/why Micro Center is the only retailer that has these for sale in the USA for the past 2 weeks...

Micro Center is a tier 2 retailer in the USA... why doesn't Amazon / TigerDirect / Newegg / etc have these?!

 

No kidding! I got tired of waiting and bought a HP Envy 15 r2 i5/4g/500/ati 5830 refurbished for $800. I had a order placed for the 4820TG but was concerned about heat (which I hear is not really an issue) and I thought if I was going to get something bigger than the 3820TG, I wanted a bigger screen and better video card.

If these were on Amazon or TigerDirect I would have an Acer right now. Bing or my Amazon 3% back would have pushed me over the edge. Or if MicroCenter had the 3820TG....