4820T vs 4820TG

I bought i3 version from local MC.

Well I couldn't wait since I'm flying out to Asia for a couple of weeks tomorrow. Tax sucks but not having a good laptop while you are traveling sucks even more.

 

You're right there.

 

Where did you buy a refurbished unit?

 

I got it through the Colorado Computer Outlet (via eBay to get the Bing 8% cashback.) ( www.colocomputer.com)

They have lots of refurbished laptops and I have read decent reviews about their company. These models are supposedly refurbished right from HP, and have a 90 day warranty that can be extended.

Should know today! I bought it Sunday with Buy it Now and even with free shipping it's scheduled to be delivered today. Hope I like it!

 

Hi, all am very interested in the Acer 4820T i3 version. How does it handle HD files, even up to 1080p? Ive never seen HD material on a laptop before only on a HDTV. So how would this laptops screen fair?

Thanks

 

The Acer 4820T with the Core i3 (Intel GMA HD) should play 1080p files just fine. I tested it on my 4820TG with the Intel GMA HD and it played the 1080p movie smoothly. The 1080p movie looks sharp; however, the screen has bad viewing angles.

 

Can the 4820T series handle 1080p, I thought the resolution needs to be
1920x1080 to play 1080p.

 

You can play any video file on any Windows default resolution. The 1080p video will just be compressed to fit on the 1366x768 resolution, but the quality will still be great. You won't notice the difference in quality really.

 

As a follow-up, I've had my 4820tg for about two weeks now, and have had the opportunity to put it through more real world use, played games for extended periods and used it in a variety of environments. I'm a bit more worried about temperatures than I was when I first posted my throttling results here, as I had said that I didn't see temps like I had posted with any real world use - but now I am basically seeing the same temps just with gaming.

Here is an example when playing borderlands. I didn't do anything special to see these temps, except that the room temp might have been a bit warmer than average - as high as 29c. Otherwise this is just normal usage - only steam, hwmonitor and borderlands running full screen.



As you can see from the max temps I saw cpu temps up to 85/84 and gpu up to 87. These temps are very close to the temps I saw with my synthetic benchmarks, where I topped out at 86/84 and experienced cpu throttling. I am not sure that I am throttling while playing but I am suspicious as I had seen some frame rate drops - that's what prompted me to retest the temps.

I'm going to run some more tests with l4d2 and tf2 and perhaps a few others over the next few days and I'll report my results with those. Just thought I'd give folks a heads up since previously I had dismissed the idea that you could reach these temps naturally.

As an aside - does anyone know of a way to tell if I'm getting cpu (or gpu?) throttled while I'm playing full screen? Something that would save a running log of temps and cpu mhz that I could review later? Or something that would overlay mhz like fraps does with fps?

 

You can try CPU-Z to see if your multiplier is decreasing on the CPU. That would show if your CPU is throttling or not. I've never gotten my GPU to reach temperatures that high like yours. Strange indeed.

 

Thanks for the response. I was using cpu-z when I was running the synthetic benchmarks, but when I'm running full screen it's tough to check its readout.If anyone is interested, it seems Core Temp will write a log with temps and speed. I'll let everyone know what I come up with.

 

Well, sadly I am seeing it throttle even just in normal gameplay - though it does seem to be rather rare. I found Everest to make the best logs, you can track CPU & GPU Temp, CPU/GPU Mhz and a lot more. I threw them into excel to make a few charts.

First, a very clear view of it happening under a synthetic stress test:

(I stopped the stress at ~4:05)


During gaming:

Both CPU & GPU throttle at 8:51 for about 25 seconds - the chart event coincided with a frame rate drop and a muddiness in my BT headphones. There also appears to be a GPU throttle event at 8:44.


I'll follow up on this after I get a few more FPS's installed. I'd be very interested if anyone is able to duplicate or not duplicate these results on any of the TG series. To get the logs, in everest open file->preferences and select logging under hardware monitoring. Even if you're nowhere near thermal limits the charts provide a very detailed look into how the laptop is performing heat wise - it would be neat to compare the different models and CPUs/GPUs.

Cheers,

 

correct me if im wrong but isn't that throttling normal for the i3? it has 90C threshold.. so throttling at 85-87C looks right

 

yea ... looks right to me. You probably won't see this kind of throttle from an I5-450M. Guaranteed you won't see it from an I7-620M. The I7s run strong at 89C-90C with no hint of throttle. The I3 just runs out of head space. The I3s might need a cooler underneath to keep temps down.

I like the graphs. Can you just feed the data into excell automatically from the log or do you have to key it in?

Bronksy

 

Dismissing this as obvious and not worth discussing seems a little premature at this point - wasn't it just a week or two ago that I was posting in this thread as the first one to document this behavior and explain it? I'm just trying to follow up on that and post info I wish was available when I was making a buying decision.

In those posts I said I didn't think it would happen in normal usage, and a few other people agreed. So the fact that it happens in normal every day game play is new. So is (afaik) that the gpu is throttling down from 550mhz to 100mhz under heavy load. It's not really a very good gaming machine at all if during the most intense gaming you suddenly find yourself with 40% of the cpu power and 20% of the gpu power.

The fact that m4cr0s reported he has gaming slowdowns with his i5 3820 without a known cause makes me wonder if it's truly limited to only an i3 and the 4820. As the GPU seems to be throttling independently, it might even be more of a problem on an i5 due to the extra heat it will be pushing out.

It seems to me like there is possibly a very real design issue here. All the CPUs share a 35W TDP yet the i3 will obviously be producing the least waste heat. My logs show I'm using half that power (16W-18W max with the IGP turned off) when the throttle kicks in. If I knew the i5 wouldn't suffer any of the same problems I might be tempted to return this for one - the irony is I specifically picked the slower CPU because I was worried about heat. But without any tests that's far from assured.

@bronsky - yup everest puts out the data in a CSV file that's perfect for importing into excel. I stumbled a bit before I could get a pretty chart out of it, but it's very easy once you learn how. I'd be happy to post an example xls if anyone wants.

 

Mac sees throttling only in certain older games, not in the more demanding ones. I would think an across the board problem would appear in them first. Also, the I7's (merely a renamed I5) do not throttle until they get well in the high 90C range. This has been observed a number of times for the few I7s that were tested early on. I think Mac's problem is something different but it is merely a guess. The I3 is easier to understand when you look at its thermal properties. It's throttling is consistent.

When I get the chance, I have an I5-450M in my 3820TG and could run the test. I want to run my unit through a series of stress testing anyway to make sure everything is running well at the extremes, since I am putting an I7-620M in my unit soon.

I would love to see how to feed the data into excell. I think I have a copy somewhere around here.

Bronsky

 

I must admit that I am surprised to see the I3 throttling in normal game play. With the temps that we were seeing initially, I doubted that the cores would reach the necessary 86C temps without serious streess testing. That, apparently, is not the case.

Mac sees throttling only in certain older games, not in the more demanding ones. I would think an across the board problem would appear in them first. Also, the I7's (merely a renamed I5) do not throttle until they get well in the high 90C range. This has been observed a number of times for the few I7s that were tested early on. I think Mac's problem is something different but it is merely a guess. The I3 is easier to understand when you look at its thermal properties. It's throttling is consistent.

When I get the chance, I have an I5-450M in my 3820TG and could run the test. I want to run my unit through a series of stress testing anyway to make sure everything is running well at the extremes, since I am putting an I7-620M in my unit soon.

I would love to see how to feed the data into excell. I think I have a copy somewhere around here.

Bronsky

 

Nice double post, Bronsky.

 

I guess all I'm saying is no one expected this machine to act like this until I showed that it was. That i5 on youtube was up to 95c. As far as the old games thing, it certainly could fit - a game with lower GPU needs simply runs faster (higher FPS) - so the load on the GPU stays similar, but it actually takes more work from the CPU to keep up. So a less complex game probably does generate more heat.

I attached the excel files in zips that made those two charts. I'd be very happy to hear if it wasn't possible to duplicate my results.

EDIT: Apparently it is possible to undervolt a core i processor after all. While the CPU does do its own voltage and thermal management, apparently if you start with a lower voltage, it doesn't ramp up as high under load. I'm going to see if I can find a tool that will do that without support in the bios. If you can, in theory that'd also extend battery life somewhat. ( link 1 link 2 )

 

Even with the previous results, I was surprised to see how common it was in left 4 dead 2:

 

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster - I registered purely because I just bought the 4820tg and thought I may be able to help out in this little debate. I have the 520m model (with the 5650) and have been running borderlands on full settings (though with 8x one setting rather than the max) and have found that the computer produces very little heat and doesn't seem to be having the throttling issues described above. While there may be a discrepancy caused by having the 9 cell battery - propping up the back and creating a decent sized gap between the bottom of the computer and the table surface to give better cooling - I find it hard to believe that is what is causing the differences between our experiences and perhaps it is indeed the fault of i3 vs i5. If you want me to run these tests for you then I am happy to do so if you can just explain how to do it - its not alot of effort to hopefully solve your problem.

PS. I am running the computer without any overclocking whatsoever. I also own left 4 dead 2 and will try that out as well

 

thanks for chiming in! welcome to the forums

 

theres been a lot of posts to keep up with about the heat issue

so the i5 and i3 version have a problem with heat or is it just the i3?

 

Actually, the i3 is cooler than the i5, but it throttles at 86C because the thermal threshold for the i3 is 90C. The i5 runs hotter, but the thermal threshold for the i5 is also higher at 105C. However, there is a video on YouTube of the i5 shutting down at 95C while running the heaven benchmark on the 4820TG. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBmxIqc_Zio

I would rather have a CPU that throttles at high temperatures than auto-shutting down.

 

That is true. In fact, no one had looked at the max temps on the I3 until the throttling was pointed out.

@ayalfan - yes, caught me doing the dreaded double post. That's what i get for messing with you.

Bronsky

 

Hi,

I just ordered the 4820TG with i5-450 / 5650 as my first ever laptop, yay
A couple of questions though:
The model I ordered was one with the 9cell battery (due to price being cheaper) but from pictures it seems a little ugly with the bulgy back, is it possible to buy a 6cell battery and just interchange them as needed? I'd like to keep the 9cell battery for long train journeys etc... Does the 6cell battery stick out or is it a flat profile?

The other question is to do with some of the stuff people have been doing like reinstalling windows 7 "clean". a) is this really necessary and b) how do I do it and easily obtain just the right drivers and settings?

Also I was wondering, this is probably silly and not possible, but can you plug in an external computer and use the laptops screen as a monitor? I have a desktop that is working fine but the monitor broke and if it's possible it would save me a few euro's

Appreciate any assistance, and sorry for the silly questions, I sorta fell off the computer wagon in 2004 when I built my last computer

 

About a month ago, the 6 cells were still not available on the market. I don't know if any have shown up on Ebay since. You might have to live with the 9 cell in the short term but the 6 Cells will eventually be for sale.

On your second issue, you might want to read this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...rks-tweaks-mods-upgrades-162.html#post6465732 Since I wrote that, all of the drivers have shown up on the Acer US site but I still prefer the method I describe there as it reloads your own machine's factory drivers.

Congratulations on your TimelineX.

Bronsky

 

Cool, I'm sure people would appreciate seeing your results. To get the logs, download everest ultimate edition (30 day trial) and install it. Then select file->preferences and scroll down to logging, under hardware monitoring. Select "log sensor readings to csv log file" and make sure at a minimum you have Time, CPU Clock, GPU1 Clock, CPU Temp and GPU1 Temp selected (though feel free to pick more if you want, I have all the temps selected and various other stuff). Hit OK, Play the game for a half hour+ and exit out, go back into everest and uncheck the VSC log file to stop logging.

Then you'll have a list of temps ands speeds from every five seconds while you were playing. If you have a spreadsheet program you can open that up and quickly scan for problems - just watch the CPU Mhz and GPU1 Mhz columns for unexpected low values in the middle of the game. I think your CPU throttle speed will be ~1200Mhz (mine is 933), and the GPU slows down to 100Mhz if it throttles. You can make those charts in excel, or I'd be happy to make them if you attach your CSV files to a post after you make them.

I think playing through the 1st portion of single player campaign in l4d2 from the start to the first safe room would be a good test - that's exactly what I was doing in the chart I posted where I throttled a lot, it'd be good to compare the two. It'd probably also be interesting to see similar results from just plain stress testing (prime95 + a GPU benchmark), just to establish if it clocks down at all.

 

PS - To everyone following along, after googling for similar problems I found that the notebookcheck 4820tg i5 review said "While the CPU (~40°C) and GPU (~45°C) are sufficiently cooled while idle, they rapidly heat up to 90°C and 86°C respectively, when under heavy usage (Furmark + Prime). The CPU clock frequency reduced itself from 2.40 to 1.20 GHz, so as to allow the CPU temperature to drop to 80°C for a short while" - though they said they didn't notice it throttling in game play.

This 5820tg review shows the 15" with the i5 throttling - and hitting 100c/101c on the CPU and 89c on the GPU.

 

Would it be a good idea to buy a cooler for gaming?

 

what does the throttling issue mean to the average consumer/user like me??

I think i might end up getting a 4820TG, but can't decide if i want the i3 or the i5, my budget is tight. the i5 model is only $100 more, it is worth the extra? im guessing it'll run hotter and probably have less battery life, but i don't know if the i3 is future proof enough, can anyone shed some light? i want to hear other peoples thoughts

for those who have the laptop, how long can you go with wifi/web/word processing? notebookcheck review says it dropped to 5hr, thats a huge difference compared to the 10hr idle time... and how is the portability? i DO need to take it everywhere I go, classes, cafes, etc etc... if 3820TG is in the US i'd probably have it already

 

If you aren't doing any heavy gaming, you have nothing to worry about, as you will not be using the dedicated video card anyway. The i5 model is worth the extra $100 as you get a faster processor and 180 extra GB of hard drive space. Lastly, my battery has been lasting a good 6 hours on battery while downloading Steam games and browsing the internet. My brightness was at 80%.

 

So far it seems there's only person with the trottling problem using the i3. As the max temp spec for the i5 is higher then the i3 as mentioned in some of the posts in this thread or the 4820TG thread. I think getting the i5 or maybe even i7 is a better bet...

 

(first time poster)
hello there.. could anyone in here distinctly outline the differences between 4820T and 4820TG.. here in India, currently only 4820T is available with the following specifications:
I5 processer, 4GB ram, 500 GB HDD, ATI Radeon 5650 1GB card..
i'd also appreciate if anyone could compare acer aspire 4820T with Dell studio/inspiron, and/or Sony Vaio E-series (Full HD)..
the usage would be mostly general with occasional gaming and some design software..
Thanks in advance..

 

4820T only has the Intel GMA HD. 4820TG has the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 switchable graphics with the Intel GMA HD. I think you got the T and TG mixed up in your comment.

 

thanks for the info, i'll re-check.
also could you tell me if you're facing any problem with the keyboard on 4820?
some of the reviews i read talked about the flex they experienced while using..

 

You should ask these questions in the Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge because you will probably get a quicker response from an active thread.

 

Guys im going to buy Acer 4820TG with hd5650 and i5 450 and I need to know how long can it work :
- while browsing office /pdf documents without wlan [ is there a chance that it will work like 8 hours ?]
- while browsing internet with wlan
- Watching movies with 640x480 resolution without wlan with medium brightness
- while in idle mode.

 

you wont get 8 hours on the 6cell.

 

On the 6-cell Li-ion battery, you'll get around ~6 hours with power savings (lower screen brightness) and Wi-Fi enabled. About ~2-3 hours watching a movie with Wi-Fi disabled with similar settings. It's all posted in the 4820TG Owners Lounge.