Acer 3820TG North America Purchase Options

I live in the US and bought my 3820TG from Canada. I had no trouble registering my unit and confirming my warranty. As soon as you get it, use the registration program that comes with the computer and then go online and register it again.

The keyboard on Canadian units is a bi-lingual French/English KB. It is a bit of a PITA. I swapped an US version on mine.

Bronsky

 

Thanks for the response. That sounds a bit annoying though. I basically need this fairly quickly and the keyboard was one of the main attractions for me. There are only a handful of sub-$900 15.6" laptops with full-size keyboards (without odd key layouts) out there that also have decent GPUs. How much work does it take to replace the keyboard? I see a couple on ebay for $25 or so.

 

Acer Aspire Timeline 3820TG-6829 w/ Core i5-480M, 4GB, 500GB, 13.3in HD, Radeon HD 6550M, Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit at Memory Express Computers


Memoryexpress has the corei5 480m model of 3820tg for sell now
CANADA

 

Completely forgot to register my Acer.... I should do that before doing a clean install of Windows!

It's amazing how Canada is actually getting a product that USA isn't getting! Well Americans are getting it, but it seems to be a lot harder to find.

 

It's been available in every Canadian online store for the past 2 weeks now. Same with the i5 480M 5820TG.

 

did anyone order from NCIX get their acer yet?

 

Whats the difference between this

LU Computers

and this

NCIX.com - Buy Acer Aspire AS3820TG-6829 Intel Core i5 480 4GB 500GB 13.3IN Radeon 6550 802.11N BT WIN7 HP Notebook - LX.RAC02.041 In Canada.

and this

LX.RAC02.041 AS3820TG-6829 I5-480M 2.66G 4GB 500GB 13.3IN WL W7HP 64BIT - Cendirect Canada

and why the one in ncix pricy if they identical

any one got pc from any of those

 

They are identical laptops, because their part numbers are both LX.RAC02.041.

EVERY online store has different prices for nearly every identical laptop. Some stores have pricematch, others don't. Pick the one with best service + pricematch option (IMO NCIX), and pricematch it with the store with the lowest price.

 

NCIX pricematch option not working on it NCIX.com - Buy Acer Aspire AS3820TG-6829 Intel Core i5 480 4GB 500GB 13.3IN Radeon 6550 802.11N BT WIN7 HP Notebook - LX.RAC02.041 In Canada.

"This product is not in stock."


How is LU Computer's service?

 

I got my I3-370M/HD 5650 from Lu last September. My service was decent. Try a search of this thread. I recall somebody having issues with a return but don't remember the details.

Bronsky

 

I emailed Lu with a question and they never responded so I wouldn't count on great service. Cendirect seemed to have great customer service (responded quickly), but then they botched my first order and wouldn't price match for another order. I ordered from Lu because of the lower price and faster shipping speed and my computer was shipped the next day.

 

The Acer page indicates you can get an I7 in one of these. However, I have not seen one for sale. Can someone point me in the right direction?

 

There isn't.

 

upgrade the cpu yourself...

 

I'm new to the forum and am very close to purchasing the 3820TG. I have a few questions, though. Is the HD6550 GPU better than the HD5650? There is a Sony Vaio with an i5-480/i5-580 and HD5650 at 14 inches and I can't decide between the two. Which of these two laptops would give better results while gaming? Also, would the Sony most likely have a better display? Thanks.

Sony Vaio VPCEA490X

EDIT: I really can't find any info at all about this Vaio, besides what's listed on their site. Must be brand new.

 

Why would you guys want a Core i7? You'd lose out on the amazing battery life this little beast provides. Not like the Core i5 is weak either.

 

I wouldn't bother, and rx78 has the most powerful arrandale dual-core (it's called i7 though) in this 3820TG. I don't think anyone who has 3820TG would want to upgrade it to a quad-core i7.

 

Looks like that Sony I linked to has some pretty crappy battery life. Acer it is. Now to figure out which of the retailers can get it to me at the cheapest price.

To the people with the new i5-480/6550s, how are the temps for both the cpu and gpu? And are they all 6 cells?

 

I received my 3820tg from Lu Computers yesterday (took 4 days). Not crazy about the screen and and touchpad so far, but I'll definitely learn to live with it. This laptop is certainly a beast in the 13 inch category.

Quick question: Is there a way to use the Acer Erecovery Management without an external dvd burner? I'd like to create a factory system image to do a fresh windows install, but I only have flash memory cards and an external hdd.

Thanks.

 

there is two methods i use

1: make wind7 in usb flash-drive

2: backup your system through acronis there is trial version and also you can find some tutorials here in the forums and in WD help site

 

You can create an ISO image using Windows 7 backup. You can format a USB to permit a revocery DVD to be burned on it.

Bronsky

 

I guess with the sandy bridge recall/delay.. the 3820tg-6829 is a no brainer then?

With stores listing incoming shipments.. are we likely to see different configs any time soon?
Better screens in the incoming stock?

Not is a huge rush, but don't want to miss out on this kind of performance per dollar package if nothing better i son the way till what - after march now?

 

Yea. SB notebooks look like they will be shipping in April. It's hard to pass up the 3820TG. The I5-480M/HD 6650 is the top of the line and probably the end of the line for the TimelineX series. I would expect that Acer will keep supplying them until the 3740G is in full production. I would not look for a better display. But, my AOU is fine.

Bronsky

 

Alright, I couldn't wait to hear people's experiences with the refreshed 3820TG and ordered it from LU. Total came to $805.36. I'll be sure to report on how quickly they ship and my opinions of the 3820TG once I receive it. I am so glad I stumbled across this thread when I was just about to order the M11x.

 

Could you guys comment a little more on the screen? What panel did you receive from the model at LU Computers (LG, Samsung etc...)?

 

My 3820TG from PCHome has an LG screen. The only issue I have with it is the shallow viewing angles. And thats a minor issue at best. I'm farsighted and where glasses for computer work, which I do 8-12 hours a day and crappy monitors do mess me up if I have to use one for too long (blurred vision, headaches). After a month with this machine I have had no problems at all.

 

From my personal observations (i'm no expert), it seems like the matte screens I've seen are generally good at hiding reflections, but their colors seem washed out. The glossy screens generally tend to have richer colors, but in bright environments become hard to see due to reflections.

Now that I have the 3820tg (new 6550 model from Lu Computers), the screen seems to be both reflective like a glossy and washed out like a matte. Now this is just my initial impression. I haven't changed any settings or tried to improve the color or contrast at all. I'm not sure how to tell what screen I got...I assume LG. It's definitely not a headache inducer, just not the best screen in the world.

 

Ah, that sounds bad But I'm sure is no worse than my current aspire 4530.

 

Let us know if you're able to make it look any better. Also, please install RealTemp and some kind of GPU monitoring and see how high the temperatures get after some gaming. My order got a little delayed thanks to wells fargo putting a freeze on my account.(They do that **** all the time and its embarrassing) Now I have to wait until Monday to pay. Sucks..

 

Go check the 3820TG lounge thread if you want collective temperatures, it has lots.

 

This looks to be the cheapest place to price match the 6829 if ordering from Canada (ie, NCIX) @ $729.48 CAD

onhop.ca

I just picked one up at Canada Computers (in Toronto) and they matched the price as well.. But with the tax we pay here, it was still well over $800

Also, I'm fining the screen to look a bit washed out. But I also found it surprisingly bright - and turning the brightness down a couple of notches seemed to help it look less washed out and not too bad overall.

The keyboard on mine doesn't seem to have much flex at all - I've seen a lot worse in laptops at this price point. However, the action of the keyboard itself feels a bit mushy, say, compared to a macbook. But all in all, not too bad. But it's nice to have such large keys on a notebook this size.

I kind of wish the touchpad was a bit bigger, but not really having any issues with it's performance. (Though when I first used it, I thought there were some coarse areas, but this seems to be smoothing out - maybe it just got something on it - though if so, it's invisible to my eye.

I'd also recommend using PC Decrapifier. Let's you pick what bloatware you want to remove and very easy to use. And should save most having to do a fresh install. Was able to get rid of Norton backup and Mcafee (along with a few other programs) easily. It doesn't really offer much over the "Remove Programs" in Control Panel, but it does allow you to do everything in one shot, instead of having to uninstall one at a time - which makes things quicker and simpler.

PC Decrapifier

I think this laptop has great specs for the money. But I'd still pay a couple hundred more for a better screen (with maybe 1600X900 resolution or so) and a more solid feeling keyboard. But there just isn't anything like this on the market (unless you go with a macbook pro or something like a Sony Vaio Z for like 2 to 3 times the price). And it would be nice if Acer had included a USB 3.0 or eSata port.

Overall, so far so good.

 

I really like the keyboard quality. It's about 90% as stiff as any of the chiclet mac keyboards (at least the ones I have). No flex on mine unless I put a silly amt of weight on it.

Agree re: screen. I would love an IPS option at 900p. Looks like the nexxt iteration will keep the crummy screen.

The 3830/5830 and 5830TG are discussed on a Russian Acer fan site.

Seems pretty realistic: SB duals and quads, HD 6470m, 6550m and 6650m GPU options. USB 3.0 and a design that matches the Ethos series. There should be photos up this next week.

The HD 6650m is neat. 20% more cores and the clock speed is higher. I could see this hitting 10,000 in 3dmark06 - the SB CPUs will help too.

If true, they will likely be delayed by the SB chipset bug. So summer availability in America?

 

Yeah, my priority for upgrades is definitely a better screen/panel over the keyboard, which is decent.

I was going to hold off for the new SB, but then caved when I heard about the chipset recalls.

Do you really think the SB processors will offer a noticeable increase in speed over the current core i5? The Intel graphics will be improved for sure, but I wonder if the increase in performance for notebook computing will be noticeable.

The HD6650 does look intriguing, but at this point there is no guarantee that Acer will ever put one into the 3830 (they may just keep it for the larger notebooks - if they even use it at all). (They said there was going to be core i7 options for the 3820TG, but that never happened either).

 

lewdvig, I think you need to decide how useful the SB line would be to you. Do you care about USB 3? What if they are a lot more expensive, would that matter?

As for speed increases, yes there will be an improvement. How much? It's really not yet known. I think the i5s are they way to go. Second gen and you know what they're capable of already. Also, the price is right.

Oh and if it dies or decides to screw up a few months from now, if they can't fix the problem easily, they will prob send out a brand new sb version anyway.

 

Does anyone with the new HD6550 model know how to fix underscan when video is output through HDMI? I installed the latest Catalyst drivers and software from the acer site, but I don't see any option for over/underscan in the Catalyst Control Center, and when I use HDMI to my Samsung plasma I get about a 10% black border.

 

Go into ATI catalyst, then to "Desktops and Displays". The TV should be shown at the bottom, then right click on the TV and then pick Configure. The scaling options tab has the underscan slider.

 

Thanks a lot. I didn't realize the select display portion at the bottom gave you more options.

 

Mine should be here within the hour. Ill be sure to post my initial impressions on it. The only thing I'm nervous about is the screen, but since this is my first laptop ever, maybe I won't notice how bad it might be lol.
-------------------
After using it for awhile, my impressions are quite good. The screen is very bright and the viewing angles are fine. I forgot how to check which display maker this is from, though. The only bad thing I have to say about my display is that there is one dead pixel on the lower right side. I was hoping it was just stuck, but nope. The hdd is pretty loud, but since my sandy bridge rig is down, I'm gonna take the 240gb ssd from it. Fans are nice and quiet. There's a crapload of bloatware. My keyboard is solid, barely any flex. Touchpad is just okay.. I never use them though, so I could care less.

A couple questions since searching this thread is nearly impossible..

How do I turn on bluetooth if it has it?
How do I check the monitors maker?
Can someone link me to the post in this thread with the downloads needed after a clean install of 7?

If anyone has any questions or wants me to check anything for comparison, just ask. I got the 480m/6550m version from lucomputers. Packaging was sucky.. no protection. Just a cardboard box barely big enough to hold the laptop box.

 

bluetooth:
press Fn+F3 (I think, the F# key with the wifi image on it), and you can toggle btooth on with the window that comes up.

screen maker check:
start>rightclick Computer>properties>device manager>monitor>generic pnp monitor (rightclick - properties)>details tab > hardware id.



edit:



I dont get it what does everyone do with the bluetooth function? I have no clue how to benefit from it.

 

Aw damn, its LG. Good thing it looks alright. As for BT, I use it to wirelessly transfer files between my phone and comp.

Edit: Sweet, this 3820 has bluetooth! I was under the impression that it did not. Anyway, another cool use is to use your computer as the phone's speakerphone.

 

True, but to be honest, the speakers on these aren't the greatest. I wonder if it would even sound significantly better than the speakers on my 3 year old Nokia N95

 

For me, I connect either this awesome set of 2.1 Logitech PC speaker set to my laptop (thumping bass, yaaaaaa), or my modified Yuin G2A headphones for quiet/mobile hearing.

 

No problem. I had to go to avsforums to find out how to turn off underscan - just want to keep that out there for people to know.

 

The AC adapter of this otherwise nice and tiny laptop is so freaking big, offsetting its lesser wight for cutting the corner of leaving out the optical drive.
Consider this, or let me know if we can get a smaller adapter for it form somewhere.

 

You can use pretty much any power adapter for an Acer with it, but stick to at least 70W or so. anything less isn't really big enough to keep it running. I use my old 70W power supply from an older machine al the time with no problems, just takes a bit longer to charge.

But half the time I just leave my power supply at home if I know I'm not gonna really need it.

 

Well if they put in one percent of the money spent on developing laptops, on AC adapters instead, I'm sure we would have adapters the size of cellphones by this year...too bad they wouldn't, and probably never will.

 

That's really wonderful. But are sure 70 w is fine? I once configured a 15" laptop in Fujitsu.ca (never checked it out though) and for integrated graphics you could get away with 70 w but for dedicated NIVIDIA, you had to include a 100 w, and this acer little guy comes with a 90 w adapter.
I mean, if it was all about charging the batteries, why Fujitsu would consider that, particularly when you can always use the laptop plugged in with the battery removed. Please ascertain.

 

I wouldn't play games all night on a 70W adapter, but when I'm on the IGP using linux and as a workstation, 70W is plenty.

 

many thanks for headsup. I am not a gamer,don't even play solitaire! I know, it's a shame, eh.
more use my baby for normal computing thins such MS-Office, a professional software for chemistry , and a lot web surfing. Would leave the battery all out. Would you think 70 is still good?

 

I don't see the point in leaving the battery out. It's not charging all the time, just when it's low. 70W is plenty if you're not using the ATI GPU. I don't think you can even pull 70W total charging the battery and operating on the intel HD chipset.