Acer Aspire Timeline Owner's Lounge

Has anyone tried updating the drivers for the Intel 5100 WiFi adapter with the driver bundle from Acer's website? In the release notes, it says that the driver is compatible with the WiFi link 1000 adapter, but says nothing about being compatible with the 5100!

 

The problem occured with or without the Acer Optical Drive Power Manager installed. Plus I´ve had the disappearing optical drive issue happen to me several times. Very annoying.
A new Optical Drive Manager for 32bit W7 has just appeared on the Acer site-I wonder if that helps. I´ll report back.

 

The fan on the 3810, does it need to be cleaned out ever? I know since it was 2+ years before I cleaned out the fans in my old Inspiron 9100 and it really helped make the machine quieter.

 

hey dude,

i had the same problem when using the standard mobility drivers from the acer website. try using mobility drivers from the ATI/AMD website. if that doesnt work, just use "mobility modder" in its current version 1.21 to modify regular radeon catalyst drivers. this helped me out and now im able to start the catalyst center without any glitch.

greetz

 

delete, delete, I eat meat!

 

Thank you, mobility modder did the trick. Now I CCC starts up real nice and I can set everything.

Interesting to see, that it runs FS2004 (single threaded app) MUCH better than my old AMD 3500+ 2.8ghz with 2gb ram and 1950pro . I will try fsx on it when I get back from the uk tomorrow night

Thank you again mate.

Cheers

 

Hi guys.
1. Did you all manage to switch between the ATI & Intel graphic card using the latest drivers from Acer's website in Win7?
2. Has the battery problem in Win7 solved as in u can use at least 6-7hours?
Thanks!

 

Have any owners of the 13 inch, dual core, ATI graphics model tried a lil bit of light gaming; say a bit of CS Source? Can the laptop handle this game and if so whats the battery like? If it can play this game then im sold! Aside from the high price (which is in itself objective) it seems to balance battery, power and portability almost perfectly.

 

1. its still not possible to do the switch in windows, i guess we all have to wait till win7 is officially out for acer to implement the switching tool to work there.

2. it depends, when i leave the gpu switched on discrete i get about 5 hours of video playback on battery, if u switch to IGP itll go up to around 6-7 hours on video and about 8-9 hours on word mode.

at the moment im playing HL2 plus the two episodes on native resolution and all modes at ultra high except anisotropic filter (2x) and FSAA & SOft shadows off. pretty much the same goes for FEAR 1 + mission packs, street fighter 4, UT2004 and others. its actually pretty decent, as long as u dont expect to play crysis on maximum settings or something like that
battery time as mentioned above. concerning the price, its actually pretty low compared to other ULV CPU laptops, by sony or asus for example. the acer model has the best price / power ratio imho

cheers

 

jaybee83, did you try any Call of Duty game? On my machine it doesn't run well (20fps at best).
I have the same specs, but with the slower SU3500 CPU. I am just curious just how much the CPU is bottlenecking the GPU.

 

As long as it can do CSS then I need no more and im sure if it can do HL2 then it can do CSS. Whats the battery like when gaming on source games etc by the way?

Thanks for the answer, +1 rep!

 

ive got call of duty 4 on my laptop but i havent played it yet. if u like i can run some benches to see at what settings it would still be playable!

thanks for the rep!
so far ive only tried the battery life with dungeon siege 2, which isnt THAT demanding a game, and i could play around 3-4.5 hours with the discrete GPU switched on. pretty decent, i must say.

greetz

 

It will be good to compare the both CPU in terms of gaming. I already know that my GPU is really not showing its potential, but I am not sure how much I am losing.

 

No probs mate, thanks for the answers.

Ill be lurking this thread, good source of info for a potential buyer. Thanks again guys!

 

Thanks for the answer

And I truely agree with you that the timeline series has the best price/power ratio! Great purchase which I don't regret buying.

 

F8 does not boot into acer recovery partition utility for me... can anyone else concur with this?

 

Info for thouse who are looking to have SWITCHABLE graphics in Win7:
I have 3810TG and using Win7x64. Graphic drivers for Win7 at 4810TG's downloads section on Acrer's web works Ok for me, and I'm able to switch from Intel to ATI and back. I've read in some other forum that for x32 Win7 it also works well. BTW, all other drivers for win7 in 4810TG section (bluethooth, launcher, etc.) are also newer and they work well for 3810 and, as reported, for 5810.

 

I have a job interview on Tuesday and if I get the job then I could get myself a new time line with some financing (I have no moneys ATM ). Is there anything in the pipeline thats worth waiting for that anyone knows of or shall I just go for it?

 

to all of you who are using win 7 already. what are you doing, when you get the acer win 7 upgrade cd? do you have to reinstall the hole system, or is it possible to keep the test version?

 

Any timeline users here with intergrated GMA 4500 hooked their LCDs through HDMI? I have problems with flickering and and video dropping frames when playing in full screen. I have installed the latest Intel drivers and using Win 7 32 bit.

After almost a week getting my Timeline, I've been experiencing lock-ups and random BSODs. I have upgraded the RAM by adding another 2GB Micron DDR3 stick. I have tried running Prime95, Windows Memory Diagnostics and Memtest Windows but no problems.

 

Im wondering there are 2 types of 3810 with the SU9400 CPU

Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50N

and AS3810T-6415


Is it the same CPU ?

the site that sells it here says that the first computer has 1.4GHz Intel ULV Core 2 Duo SU9400 but the second computer says it has Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400.

Are they both ULV ? And is the main difference between the two that the first one has dedicated grapics? and if so, isnt the battery life shorter on it then? And Louder than intergrated card.?

Is it hard to switch between the integrated card and radeon? Ive seen a few posts about this problem, people forced to switch in BIO's

 

what driver version is it that ure using? strangely ive already tried the ones from the 4810 section but the gpu switching still didnt work in win7. anyone else who can confirm this???

 

Jaybe83 you have 3810TG =) could u help me ? (my previous post)

 

I got the 5810TG with switchable grapic, it worked fine when i used the ATI driver downloaded from acer.com -> chose model 4810TG.

Today, i downloaded the newest driver from Ati.com, modded it with the modding tool from driverheaven, now it doesnt work

The reason i tried to upgrade the driver, is just because the driver from acer site has some problems with Ati Catalyst control center when i was in the 3D section there.

This is fixed in the new release from ati site.

 

sure thing, lets try and see if i can help you buddy

there is only ONE type of core 2 duo SU9400 CPU and it is classified as a ULV (ultra low voltage cpu) because of its comparably low power consumption. other cpus for the 3810 model are single core C2S SU3500, pentium SU2700 and i think also a celeron (if im not mistaken?). they're all ULV cpus which only refers to their consumption, and NOT to the number of their cores or their frequency in Ghz.

as to the difference in GPUs, its true that the "TG" model has dedicated ATI graphics as compared to the "T" model with the Intel IGP unit only. In Vista, it is actually possible to switch from the dedicated GPU to the IGP and back, but Win7 still seems to have some compatibility issues so far (although some posts here already indicate that this problem is being solved as we speak by driver updates). Until its solved, one can do the switch in the BIOS without problem. As in loudness, ive tried both the "T" and "TG" models and i must say there IS a difference, albeit a very small one. I for one am not really bothered at all by the fan, its really quiet. Plus, u can always just switch to the IGP, which silences the fan even more

Last but not least, the battery life is just downright amazing. contrary to some posts here, Win7 doesnt lower the battery life THAT much, I for one get around 4-5 hours of video playback on the ATI Gpu and around 2 hours more on the Intel IGP. Totally happy with that

Cheers

 

I'm using version 8.64.4 (VGA_ATI_8.64.4_W7x64_A.zip) from here http://global-download.acer.com/GDF...e&Step3=Aspire 4810TG&OS=701&LC=en&SC=EMEA_23

 

Hey, jaybee83. I'm currently using Win7 64x. The graphic switching thingy is working fine. I'm using the 4810TG ATI Graphic Card Driver from Acer website. Very happy with the speed & performance. Will install some games later to test it Only thing which I'm not happy is that my batt life seems to go down by 1 hour Hope this helps.

 

Hey Guys, I'm using the Acer timeline 4810T-8480, I ugraded to windows 7 ultimate. I'm going to reinstall windows 7 home premium when i get it in October. Is Anyone having problems with the HDMI port? I plugged it into my lcd tv and it worked however there is no sound. is anyone having this problem? i couldn't find any driver that can fix this. when i first got the computer with vista it worked fine with sound and picture. Any Idea?

 

what does this Bios package include:
BIOS_Acer_1.14_A_AS3810T AS3410

 

With any luck I think im gonna buy this model of the timeline tommorow:

Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50n

* Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4 GHz Dual-Core
* RAM - 4 GB (installed) 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM
* Hard Drive - 500 GB
* Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
* Screen - 13.3 in TFT active matrix 1366 x 768 24-bit (16.7 million colours)
* Optical Drive - None
* Graphics - ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 - 512 MB
* Bluetooth - Yes
* Notebook Camera - Integrated - 0.3 Megapixel
* Warranty - 1 year warranty

Price £748

Link: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer...G50n_Laptop_LX.PE70X.082/version.asp?PID=1374

Quick question though, my current laptop has the following specs:

Processor: Intel core 2 duo T5800 @ 2.00ghz
Ram: 3gb
Graphic Card: ATI 3470 512mb
Hard Disc: 320 @ 5400rpm

Im pretty happy with my current laptop performance (does pretty much all I want - work, counter strike source and photoshop cs3), however the screen is smashed and I would like a better battery life (both of which the timeline provide). However, is switching to the timeline a step up or a step down in performance and how much either way?

Sorry for the hassle, any help appreciated!

 

It's a step down! I realized after i sold my laptop and bought the timeline that it was a step down. If you're buying this laptop, it's really for the slimness, style and battery life.. performance isn't that great, but good for day to day activity. not a gamer laptop or any high graphics stuff.

 

Performance wise it is not as good but it will run your applications just as well.

 

Yeah, I had a feeling that it was gonna be a step down but how much of a step down is it? I realise that its a hard thing to quantify, however, when doing the aforementioned tasks was it likley that I ever used the full 2ghz?

 

just check my sig for 3DMark and PCMark performance quantification and compare that to ur own scores

thanks by the way to solsviken, maxim_fr and zeroblaze, i guess ill try the 4810 gpu drivers one more time just to make sure but then again, if it holds true that the battery time goes down one hour only cuz of these drivers, wheres the point in switchable graphics anyway? zeroblaze, are u sure its only because u installed these drivers? maybe u were just running on IGP before and now that u switched to dedicated gpu the battery life (naturally) decreases...

greetz

 

The drivers & swichable graphics really works. I did a print screen but sorry... dunno how to attach it here. Also, the ATI switches on automatically whenever u r plugged-in and offed when u r on batteries

Anyway, I noticed that in Win7 64 bit edition, we don't have this driver "PowerSmart Manager Application", this driver is only available in the 32 bit edition. This might also play a role in the battery life issue.

 

I just bought the 3810TG, I really like it! There is only one thing, I don't like: the fan. In my opinion it's too loud. I am using Bios 1.14, is there any possibility to reduce the loudness?

 

hey ive been reading a few of these threads for a while now and wondered onto this one and i have one question which is "does anyone know how i can get the 3810tg in america?" ive been searching and searching for us release date. thought about trying to order one on german and uk ebay but dont know if i could get it shipped here. anyway any help would be appreciated...we have the 3810t here but i really want the ati graphics thx.

 

I'm with you, Stauffer. I think Acer is underestimating the market interest in the US for a thin and light with switchable graphics, even if it is a little more expensive. Been holding off purchasing since I can't make my mind up betweem the AS3810T and the Asus UL30A-A1... Switchable graphics on a 3810 in the US would push me off the fence, even if it was $50-$100 more.

 

My 4810tz with Intel Wifi 1000BGN. When I leave my laptop idle, Wifi will automatically power down even on AC power. Is there anyway I can disable Wifi to auto power down when idle?

 

isnt that the same as the Acer ePower application? it runs fine here on my x64 system.

and btw, the driver really works! too bad that its a bit out of date tho, when i check the gpu readings with GPU-Z it says that catalyst 9.7 is installed, that kinda sucks. im gonna try and manually update the driver to 9.9 without changing anything else in the installation (CCC, which is the important part in the switchable graphics!)

cheers

edit: i checked and compared this driver with the one from catalyst 9.9, strangely they both have the same version number! then why is it that gpu-z shows the driver to be catalyst 9.7 instead of 9.9? i dont get it.....but ill keep to this one, switchable graphics is a very neat tool to have, in working condition ;-)

 

Does anyone know how to reduce the fan noise? which bios are you using on your Timeline 3810TG?

 

I was having the same problems when I tried to output to my LCD TV through HDMI at 1080p. Switched it to 720p and haven't had a problem.

 

Fan noise? I can't even hear the fan on my 3810T in a dead quiet room... you might have a defective fan.

 

If plugged in, I can hear mine in a quiet room, so I doubt the fan is defective.

 

It seems as if this also depends on the configuration. E.g. on the 4810TG the fan ran all the time (also when not plugged in) - I tested it on two devices. The noise was so anoying that I sent it back.

If after the Windows 7 release the Acer Timeline remains the only interessant notebook, I will test a 3810TG too (and send it back if it generates the same noise as the 4810tg...).

 

Nope. If u browse through the vista x64 series, u'll notice that there's 2 apps including the ePower app. On batt, how long can ur timeline last based on surfing using wifi & some light duties?

I'm having a problem. I cant adjust the screen brightness when I'm using ATI card. This happen to both the Fn + brightness & software via power management. When I switch back to Intel Graphics, it has no problem. Are you having this problem?

thanks

 

can please someone else tell me about the noise of his fan?
when I disconnect my laptop from the charger, it's pretty quiet, but connected its quite loud.
sorry guys for my mistakes, english is not my native language.

 

1) you still can adjust it within Mobility Manager or power profiles
2) this bug is fixed in BIOS 1.14

 

I am having the same issue on my 5810TZ. How do I switch from 1080p to 720p???

 

This is what happens with mine too.