Acer Aspire 1410 and 1810T Timeline (single core) 11.6" Thread

So preparation for the 14/1810T..

So just checked with UPS my new Runcore 256GB Pro IV SS Drive arrives this morning, From all Reports it is the same speed as the Intel's but fortunately has higher Capacity (Biggest intel that I could find is 160GB) and cheaper (Counting cost per GB/MB) Euro 699 ....Euro 728 Shipped...

Why you may ask..

well reading through this whole thread and the others here, I wanted to see if the Slowdowns and inability to Stream HD and Flash in general is to do with

a) Memory (My 3810T came with 4GB 2x2)
b) Vista/Win 7 accessing the HD all the time (Using a lot of "Parallel" power) when FLASH needs all the clock cycles from the CPU.
c) XP not optimized for MM in its core architecture, all the fixes and additions came later

So here is what I intend to test it on

a) 3810T , have it here with me, and I want to test that the drive also works before going back home to Dubai tonight
b) 751 tomorrow morning ... lets see if the beast is improved ... should also help understand if any improvements could be seen on the 1410T celeron version
c) when I get a hold of a 1810T...

In addition I'll be trying this out in my Sony SR46 2.53,Lenovo T400s (2nd Drive Bay) and in my Old HP2510p (Have 2nd Drive Bay-SATA CADDY)

So the above tests should give you all a quick and tangible set of results so that, the inevitable question... "Do you think this XXXX will run faster and be able to XXXXXXXX if I install a SDD" should be answered from day one..

The runcore I selected for the test either is , equal to or bests the Intel in tests I found around the web, and is bigger than anything Intel can provide, as I can't live with only 160GB. I am not suggesting that others should go out and get this SSD, as it actually costs a lot more than the projected cost of the 14/1810T.

Buying the fastest and biggest I could find is a kind of future proofing as I can always reuse a 2.5" 256GB SSD in any of my other laptops or even in my iMAC or Macbook pro

So what tests do you suggest I perform as I would like also like to run them this morning on the 3810T before I clone and replace, I will do these across XP,Vista and Win7 (7600), in order to have a good set of before and after results...

In Addition I have the fastest conventional HD's also on hand, Scorpio Black and Blue, so If I see any BIG improvement in a discipline, I'll also re-verify it by replacing the stock with a high performance HD...

Have I missed anything ?

 

In Windows XP there is an interesting hack that could speed up file buffering related slowdown when watching flash movies and is excellent for general speedup. It is called EWF(Enhanced Write Filter). It's a component of XP Embedded. Writes to the filtered HDD/SDD are buffered in RAM and only written to the disk if you want it to. EWF is mainly used on netbooks/MIDs with slow SSDs. I'm using it right now on my Aspire One. When doing normal stuff like browsing the HDD/SDD indicator doesn't light up at all, everything is done in RAM. It reduces power consumption that way, too.

 

So a quick Google showed lots of info on EWF, but not how to ... Any pointers ?

Also what test suite would you suggest, as you seem from your various posts to be a "Techno freak" ... (and I don't mean the music !!) ?


Update Aspire one & EWF... googled

I found a procedure like this ..

" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{71A27CDD-812A-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F}

and add this entry:

Name: UpperFilters
Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
Value: EWF (if the value of this key is volsnap, add EWF to the value on a new line, this is why you need to do it manually)

Once you are done, reboot the computer, go into cmd and run “ewfmgr c: -enable” without the quotes"


is this what u did ?

 

You have to download the Service pack first that contains the files and it only works on XP not on Vista/Win7. I'll search for a complete tutorial...

Edit:
Interesting!
It seems to work with Vista, too?!
Just found this link:
http://www.theacerguy.com/2008/11/aspire-one-ssd-vista-with-ewf-recommends-15gb-ram-2/
EWF Installing procedure is starting at 3a

Edit:
If you want to try it, you should get familiar with EWF and its limitations first!

 

Yep thats the one

also interesting that the whole thing is laid out at http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=833&sid=15bf9efa179f6545c5af21af0796660f

Also mentions reducing Ware on the Drive... that might still be something to consider even on a FAST SDD..

only enhanceable thing would be,is to set up a task that runs every 1
5 to 30 mins or on screen saver or LOCK and commits changes (Power Outage protection).. what u think ?

 

The best solution is to have two partitions. On the system partition EWF is activated and important data is stored on the second none filtered partition.

I find it actually quite handy to have that power outage "problem", because I often install Software just to try it out for one particular thing and then just reset the PC to get rid of it

Edit:
An important thing to note is, that EWF is limited to 512MB. It's best to have loads of RAM and disable the pagefile, so that it doesn't fill up the buffer.

Edit:
To have it automatically set to -commit when shutting down I made a batch file with this content:

ewfmgr c: -commit

and place a shortcut to it in the startup folder.

 

The way I see it playing flash is 100% CPU dependent. The only thing that will help is overclocking the CPU.

The upgrade memory upgrade may help H264 playback.

 

so under V/7 that still means that the indexing and drive optimizer is still hammering the second partition... 512 limit... surely you just move the pagefile and hibernation file also to the second partition ?

also implementing a RAMDISK and using that as your %TMP% and %TEMP% folders should be a better usage of the RAM than to cover for your page/hiber files ?

also M$ has a free installable tool that protects your whole PC not only to the next power cycle/commit but for ever, actually W7 with its file Versions is a light version of the full tool, they suggest using it in internet cafes and schools.. but I use it for my son... best anti virus tool... every time he has logged on to browse , i just reset at the end of the session

 

I think it isn't even possible to move the pagefile to another partition in Vista/7 ? I think that hibernation isn't affected by the filter and won't be buffered. Also that indexing, prefetching optimizing stuff should all be turned off. It will just create unnecessary additional work to do for the system.

When doing heavy stuff, EWF won't work for long. Either the buffer will be filled up or there will be too little RAM left. But for normal usage like web surfing, office stuff and even gaming it works great.
My Aspire One gets restarted once a week to commit changes other than that it is always just in standby when not in use.

Sounds good
I can't wait to give Win7 a go. I'll order my 1810t soon and will receive it end of this month. Happy hours of hacking are awaiting me

 

Mate you can do it the same way as XP

http://maximumpcguides.com/windows-vista/move-and-optimize-windows-vistas-paging-file/

Hibernation is another story

Indexing is cool on a 256GB drive ... space means LARGE number of files although a mate nearly convinced me that google search is better ... but I cant help but wondering if they don't also get a peek at what you have... even with a complete lock down via Professional firewall


here some links on the RAMDISK

Above 3GB (x32) http://www.pchijack.com/os/windows-32-bit/ramdisk-using-more-than-3gb-ram-on-32-bit-os/


and within normal space and FREE http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/05/27/free-ramdisk-for-windows-vista-xp-2000-and-2003-server/

 

The main reason to use EWF is to prevent writing to the SSD, so moving the pagefile instead of disabling it is kind of counterproductive IMO

Searching files on a local disk with Google
There are things out there that I missed it seems, which is rather good in this case

 

mmmmhh But you had the Idea to use 2 Partitions and the pagefile is there to make sure you never run out of memory for Chrome or FireFox...

 

To prevent the buffer from filling up, you could create a RAM disk and let Firefox use it for caching.

I've only got 1.5GB of main memory and never had too little RAM while browsing. Having 3.5GB or 4GB on 64bit would expand the possibilities
Edit: Right now I have 13 tabs open and 0.92GB RAM left. Paging is 440MB.

I'll create a dual boot of XP and Win7 and try to squeeze out as much performance as possible. My main goal is to get the same battery life in XP as in Win7. I expect XP to boot up in less than 20sec

Yes, thanks for the hint

 

So back on topic...
After the last few posts... I believe after I have run the benchmarks... i'll

1) Set up the 3810T to 1 GB above 3 as RAMDISK
2) Place my Temp folders in there
3) SPLIT my partitions so that my Apps and USER files are on a separate Partition
4) Put my Page and Hibernation files on the second partition

IF and only IF the system shows an improvement I'll re run using only 2 GB for Main (Windows V/7) and 2GB RAMDISK or upgrade to 8G and use 3 for OS and the rest for RAMDISK

So all of the above and the SSD... should make my Core Solo 3810T fly.. and should show us if the 14/1810T can be made to fly !!!

So the SSD just Arrived thanks to www.notebooks.de they promised delivery before 12:00 and ups did the job.. so now of to clone and benchmark...

 

So it seems that the first batch of 1810t at computeruniverse.net is sold already. Nothing in stock any more

 

New lowest price in Germany now 495,95€ free shipping at eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.de/Acer-Aspire-1810...emZ400068139680QQcategoryZ28837QQcmdZViewItem

 

Wish I had seen that yesterday

 

Well, i finally got jr.com to accept my international credit card and I placed an order for a diamond black 1410 for my nephew for his birthday. I just my order goes through ok. I am getting it sent to a friend and then having them send it on.

 

There are services in the USA like usa2me and USAbox which I have used in the past to ship from state side..

Just make sure you choose one that is OUT of the state that the supplier is in that way you don't have to pay US TAX only the inbound customs where by I think I remember on one of the sites that you can also ask them to write a proforma invoice and the TAX deceleration, just to make sure that it is insured for the value that you want and not what the original shipper would put

 

how did u do!!

 

High five for Diamond Black!

 

J&R called today regarding my inquire to estimated shipping date and the CSR said the first batch of 1410s' will ship out today. I asked him if mine was shipping out and he said he can put mine at the top of the list.

 

Oh SWEET! I should call and ask as well.

EDIT: Okay, John, what colour did you order? The CSR I talked to said he didn't know when they'd start shipping, and that there were over 400 of the black 1410's ordered.

 

Ordered the Diamond Black. I just logged on to my account and it says back ordered and not shipped.

I wonder if the CSR just gave me a bogus story to get me off their back??? Or they don't ship till later on today??

 

Is that the one with the steel gray palm wrests?

 

Yeap, piano black lid with gray palm rests.

I'm tempted to say the CSR did that to both of us. They just don't know. I think most people preordered the blue one, because they said more than 2k orders, but only 400 or so of the black one.

 

Yep, it is

 

Any news on the availability date of the Tz? October is such a long time...

 

I called JR today as well. They told me there were 400 preorders (I'm assuming he meant black only) and that he didn't know when they would be shipping.

Interestingly enough, he told me that the cashback through bing is recorded when the order is placed and not when they charge your card (this might only apply to credit cards and not debit cards, though). I was worried they wouldn't charge me before the deal ended, but the rep seemed pretty sure that it doesn't matter when it is charged as long as it was ordered during the promotion.

 

Called J&R and the CSR said no ETA yet (black model), call back in two days.

 

Yeah, that's what I heard too. I think the "shipping today" thing was either an honest mistake or a CSR who wanted the call to end quickly.

As for the Bing cashback, I emailed the information to Bing customer service, still waiting for a response.

 

Well, that sucks, I'm almost tempted to call back tomorrow and raising some hell for getting my hopes up.

Can't get too pissed though becasue I'm getting 10% off, no tax, and free shipping.

 

Asking a sales person if and when your cashback will be applied is a mistake.
His job is to tell you anything you want to hear.

 

I removed post...

 

enGadget catches up to our-own Phil


Although I don't like their brief synopsis.
2009_8_16

 

OK guys I went with Dell D420 ($250) and HOLY CRAP what a surprise!

It booted up like it came straight from dell and got the first time windows xp setup screen.

I was worried about video performance...BUT

It plays Youtube HD and Hulu High Res with EASE!
720p and 1080p movies plays perfectly.

I went to dell warranty check and it still has about 250 days left of warranty (original 3 years). It's like new, no scratches except for the external usb CD drive.

It looks a lot smaller in person. 9 Cell Extended battery is actually a good wrist pad when using the track.

I haven't done a battery drain test yet. So far it's charged 40% and says 2 hours battery life remaning (with lcd brightness on auto sensor and wifi on).

Speaker is flat and crap.

It does feel warmer (underneath) compared to atom netbook though.

Update:
Bootup time to desktop is 32 seconds after changing bios hard drive settings from Bypass to Performance.
Weighs 3.5 Pounds with 9 Cell battery. Feels good in one hand.
Plays HD movies to external HD without any issues.

 

Nice, nice. We're still waiting on our 1410's

 

If you play this video, what kind of CPU utilization do you have after you press HD?

 

Using google chrome while connected to my external HDTV = 1360 x 768.
I let it fully buffer first....

Hit HD and went full screen

Here's a screen shot. This is after about 30 seconds of play.

First Picture is with Battery adapter UNPLUGGED connect to external HDTV

 

Second Picture is with Battery adapter PLUGGED playing from laptop screen 1280 x 800

 

Picture with CPU-Z

How does it compare to the 1810T?

 

You have a 1.2 U2500 C2D and are using XP. It is probably not fair to directly compare because XP is less demanding than Vista.
Also, you appear to have a lot of stuff open that will contribute to higher CPU usage.

 

The SU3500 can't play it.

The SU4100 will play it (based on your results).

 

C2D = Core 2 Duo... I have a Core Duo =) or rather Centrino Duo says the sticker

 

@Phil
I read your nice review and now I will buy an Acer 1810t too. But I have one question. Can you tell me what dimensions the display of the Acer has? I intend to buy a foil so that the glossy display won't be that glossy anymore. Are these dimensions right? 256mm x 144mm

 

I agree ... I would like to see the performance of the 1810T running Windows XP too !!

BTW the Dell 420 has:

# Intel Core Duo U2500 / 1.2 GHz
L2 cache 2.0 MB
FSB 533.0 MHz
Mobile Intel 945GM Express
12.1 in TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
# Intel GMA 900 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0

What sounds a little less powerfull than the Acer ....

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-latitude-d420-notebook/4507-3121_7-32065199.html?tag=mncol;psum

Cheers

 

The U2500 has a Passmark rating of 587, SU3500 is 490
OS and browser choice have to be taken into account when measuring flash HD playback. It could be possible to squeeze out that little bit to make it play without stutter on su3500 IMO.

 

I have been testing with FF, Chrome and IE and found very small differences between them regarding Flash playback CPU usage.

Also, I doubt installing XP on the 1810T will suddenly make the HD clip run smooth. Haven't tested it, it's just my educated guess based on other systems.

Sorry I can't help you with that. My 1810T went back to my supplier because of some errors in the paintjob.

I haven't decided yet if I'll get the 1810T or TZ now.

 

Maybe you'll want a dual core 1410?

www.netbooknews.de/8520/neue-116-timeline-varianten/

1410 dual core:
http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a454375.html
Edit: Without Bluetooth and only 4400mAh battery.

 

Combining all info, I find it very likely that both 1410 and 1810T series will be available in both North Amerika and Europe in the future.

1410 with smaller battery(4400mAh), without Bluetooth,
single/dual core.

1810T(Z) with larger battery(5600mAh), Bluetooth,
single/dual core.

So 1410 is the low-end series vs. 1810T(Z) high-end.