Acer Aspire Timeline Owner's Lounge

so if i'm to understand, most of your dissatisfaction came from being unable to run games? fair enough.

how was it otherwise (ie everyday surfing, etc)?

 

The 4500MHD is fine for everything but gaming. This is not a computer meant for any type of gaming.

 

Ok so now they have fixed it all no more 100% pegging... gone... I had to do a download and install 2 files and sync via weave to get it close to 100% under win6 so now to try win 7

3810T 1.4 Core Solo ...

 

The gap between the 9400 and 4330 isn't as big as I said though it's more like average 2039 vs 2491 respectively so 452 in it on average. You're basically looking at a 22% performance difference. Though each individual piece of software will likely be optimised for either nVidia or ATI drivers so in overall you will get a mix of performances.

 

In my tests I did use MPC-HD. Also, I did try DXVA. However, even so, I cannot play 1080p videos. If you got better results, please share.

Disabling coreavc and using dxva, i get near 50% on 720p movies, but still get100% for 1080p (3810tz - su2700 - 4500mhd).

Lucas

 

The Atom is no track star, but neither are Intel's CULVs. Most intensive tasks that the majority of users put their laptops through are GPU dependant anyways, so the SU2700 and SU3500 wouldn't gain that big a lead in real usage.

The 9400M benches right around where the Ati 4330 does, so I'm not sure why you're categorically discounting integrated graphics.

 

What are people using for 1080p video test clips? I had been using microsoft's amazon adventure, but if I'm not mistaken it's raw video with no coding. This could explain why mpc-hc even with core avc does not play it as well as windows media player. Wmp plays it with only a few stutters, so maybe that's not too bad for an elementary player. I gather most 1080p we run into (including blue ray) will have coding allowing mpc to outperform wmp. I've got the Acer 4810t with su2700.

 

I tossed Vista and loaded Win7; it's got just as much or more bloatware than HP making it essentially unusable.

I've only had a day to play with it, but what I observed is...
- Glossy keyboard begs for a wipe down everyday, BUT it is a very fine keyboard - very even pressure and it feels good.
- Glossy screen is annoying (as with all glossy screens), and the hinge is a little scary - it feels like it's very easy to break when you apply some tiny pressure when it's extended to its full angle (which doesn't extend back as much as a NC10)
- Fan gets kinda loud
- Thinner than a NC10

It's a neat notebook that definitely doesn't feel as cramped as a netbook but at the same time its performance is just a little better than one (SU2700). It's just that using this notebook makes me miss my desktop as its performance disparity is just that great, and I want something that I can take away from home/town/country and not have to go "oh, i wish i had my desktop so I would be able to etc.etc.etc." Using the Timeline feels like I'm just using a bigger netbook.

Yea, but the 4500HD is touted as something like at least 2x the performance of GMA950, making at least some things playable (don't tell me all you do is surf... cuz a netbook can do that). All the reports of its "playability" got me excited that this can handle a rather non-intensive game (wc3) but.... it can't. It's effectively as useless as GMA950

 

Just an update. Got very low cpu usage with powerdvd 9. Enabling hw acceleration, I,ve been able to play several 1080p movies smoothly.

I really feel right now that the combination su2700+4500mhd could indeed play a blu ray.

The "Lia - Tori no Uta (long version)", however, remains completly unwatchable. Also, for some formats it seems not possible to use hw acc.

Gonna install w7 and see what I get.

 

Intel CULV for the pure number crunching is no where near Core 2 Duo but in terms of usability it is much much better.
Remember Atom does not use Core Architecture and has smaller data and L2 Cache hence the performance impeded by Cache misses is much greater.


Benchmarks:
CPU / Rating /Ranking
Intel Atom N270 @ 1.60GHz 306 553
Intel Atom N280 @ 1.66GHz 313 549
Intel Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz 344 525
Couldn't find SU2700 as it is new but you can expect it to be better

 

^^^ What really hurts Atom is it's in order processing.

 

Cool, thanks for the info. I'm wondering though, where are you getting your figures? Which benchmarking tool and CPUs are involved in the rating and ranking?

@Jayayess1190: For sure, its in order processing butchers its real life performance. Many netbook users see 1.6 gHz and assume that it'll perform up to par with modern Celerons. Ahaha, that's full of hurt.

 

I got it from passmark.
I believe there is no place for Atom anymore when the CULV are now available at near Atom Prices.
Aspire Netbooks are also subbing the CULV for the Atoms.

 

The numbers I mentioned where coming from Notebookjournal: "Nvidia 9400 does around 2300 in 3dmark06, Ati 4330 does 2650. "

Not sure where you got your numbers. If it's from Notebookcheck: their numbers are not very suitable for comparison, as it is an average of many different systems (even with Atom CPUs).

The whole platform is a lot cheaper, it's not just the CPU. Netbooks starts around $300, while CULV starts around $600.

That is not the case, Acer is going to continue selling netbooks with Atom CPUs.

The only thing that happened is that Acer now released a CULV version from the 751 netbook. It will be twice the price though.

 

Does Timeline has an Acer program that controls the threshold for battery charge levels like Thinkpad's and Sony's?

 

Anyone with SU9400, could you try to play " Lia - Tori no Uta (long version)" to see if it works?
I tested it on t2250, could only manage to play the movie without the karaoke effect.
With karaoke effect, the subtitle lag and sound eventually jitter. Many thanks in advance

 

Did you use CoreAVC?

 

yes, MPC - HC with CoreAVC, it would play smoothly without the karaoke effect, and I'm still considering to get 3810T as my next notebook or not.

 

Can someone that has the Acer Timeline 3810t with the SU9400 please lay out the pros and cons of it. I would like to know what the pros and cons are because me and a few other people aren't sure if it's the right notebook to get. Lay out everything, please. Also can you please tell me if there is any reason that me or someone else shouldn't get it.

 

I don't own it but have worked with it several times and read many reviews. I think it's one of the best portability/batterylife deals at the moment.

Pros:
-SU9400 is powerful enough for most applications
-HDMI connection
-Intel 4500 is powerful enough for 1080p provided the right software is installed.
-Fairly light. (Acer says 1.6kg but real weight is 1.675kg)
-Class leading battery life
-Bright screen (260 cd/m), ok for outside if you can deal with reflections.
-Smooth Multi-touch touchpad

Not so good:
- Keys are flat and kind of slippery, have no grip. Something I needed to get used too. After that it's ok.

Cons:
-No express card
-Mediocre contrast (150:1)
-For the same price you can get notebooks with much more powerful CPUs (they're usually heavier or lack battery life though)
-Intel 4500 is not capable of playing newer games

Data is coming from Noteboojournal.de (Su3500 is reviewed)

 

A few real life examples to add to Phil's very comprehensive list:

If you connect the notebook to a HDTV an turn of the screen, you can get up to 10 hours of battery life (normal videos, can't tell you about HD videos).

The notebook is very silent in battery mode.

You can forget about anything except light gaming. Google Earth runs without a problem, and it's the only 3D application I use besides games.

The SU9400 is great for multitasking and such. But you can't expect the same performance as from a normal voltage C2D. That's only an issue for CPU intensive tasks like transcoding,... How often do you really perform those? I'm ok with the notebook taking twice as long for conversions. Better than the Atom, which takes 5-6 times as long is my old T7500.

 

Hey Community.

I'm from germany so my english is not so good, but i will try my best

i own the acer aspire 4810tg with core2dou su9400 with at hd4330 for 3 Days.

i just installed the windows 7 64-bit rc, but i have some problems:


1.) there is a problem with my ati hd4330. in the device manager it says that the "device could not be started code 10" although i have installed the drivers from the acer hp.

2.) The battery life is very bad. it is under 3hours. Either the Fan is running all the time, even in battery mode.


I hope you can help me with my problems, because i don't want to downgrade to windows xp or vista.

 

Try setting the Graphics Device from BIOS.
Possibly ATi 4330HD is disabled in BIOS.
Another possibility is Win7 isn't ready for hybrid devices yet.

 

- install acer launch manager
-install the latest ati 4330 driver for 7 64bit from ATI website:
http://support.amd.com/us/psearch/P...ws+7+Beta+-+64-Bit+Edition&keywords=&items=20

 

the hd4330 wasn't really disabled, in the bios the hybrid mode was activated, i disabled it and it works like a charm.

i hope the battery runtime will be better now too. i will tell you

 

Hi guys,

I have one little question.
Can I use ati's video card in battery mode? In the review, posted severel pages back, it is mentioned that ati 4330 is disabled in battery mode and this is not what I want to hear. Can you confirm or deny this?

I am considering a 3810TG for around 650 euros.
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500
4GB DDR3 1066MHz
500GB, 5400rpm SATA
13.3" TFT HD 1366x768 CineCrystal
ATI Radeon HD 4330 512MB
Windows Vista Home Premium

I think it could be a perfect for a student guy like me.
I really wish I could buy the model with SU9400, but it is still unavailable.

P.S. I have to apologize for my poor English (still learning it). BTW I am from Bulgaria (in Eastern Europe).

 

Ok I've received my Duel core ATI 3810TG notebook and have run into one MASSIVE problem. The device seems unable to accept input from the touch panel and the keyboard at the same time!!!!!!

Is there a fix or driver update for this otherwise ?!

Also maxnik1, if you got those specs off laptopdirect.com, they're wrong I did check with em it's a core2duo.

Also no problems with 1080p HD playback with k-lite codec pack and various codecs

 

@dart22:

which version of acer launch manager do i have to take? i took the version for win vista ultimate x64 from the acer page. is it right?


the new drivers for the graphicscard didn't work, too. But the new bios settings works fine. it's no problem to have only the hd4330.


but i think i still have the problem with the battery runtime, but i couldn't test it, because the battery has to recharge...i will tell you if some of your tips work

 

No this specs are from a local online store and here I can only go for SU3500, the dual core is still unavailable.
So I understand that I can use ati 4330 on battery.

 

Yes, you can use the ATI card off battery, it supports ATI power play just like any other ATI mobile gpus. If you want even more battery life then you simply right click on your desktop->Switchable graphics and swap to your intel

What is the model number of the laptop off your local site? Is it AS3810TG-944G50n?

 

Nope, it is 3810TG TimeLine LX.PE70X.128 (it could be the model you are mentioning, but I can't check that), which I assume is the number for my area. Not sure really. But it doesn't matter anyway.

Thanks for the info.

 

Ah it's from my area as well no problem now I understand why it's a core2solo. I was just confused because I thought all the 500GB models came with a duo but I was wrong.

Also I've tried Unreal 3, default medium settings but at 1080p output, works fine with an ok framerate.

 

I think your issue is hybrid mode isn't complete in Windows 7.
Microsoft has said they discourage the use of hybrid mode due to the fact it isn't well implemented in their OS.
Anyway Radeon 4330HD is also a powersaving card so no issues.

 

Scribe, if possible, do you think you could post a 3DMark06 score?

Also, can someone with the SU9400 Timeline post a wPrime score?

 

What do you mean that you found Acer Powersmart Manager in the control panel?

 

Has anyone managed to find a 3810T with built-in 3G in the UK? I can't find a list of all the Timeline model numbers to check the specifications of each - does anyone have this?

Thanks,

Brian

 

Do not confuse codec with dvxa or hardware support.

Assuming you are talking about coreavc, the 4500 has nothing to do with it. You can play 1080p with core because the cpu is adequate enough to handle it, not because of the video card/integrated video.

 

As far as I know X4500 does have hardware H264 support.

With CoreAVC installed in the right way it will offload decoding to the GPU.

The CPU load will be proof of it.

 

Maybe on paper.

As far as I see it, CoreAVC is merely better and more efficient at decoding than a barebones MPC-HC (hence less CPU load). Which is why you can play any 720p on Atom w/ GMA950. I'll bet you can play 1080p with a SU cpu and a GMA950.

CoreAVC doesn't do DXVA anyways. It is a software decoder save for Nvidia/CUDA

Also here... it's just software (again, save for CUDA) and not hardware acceleration.

So even ATI cards are not supported. When you play movies with CoreAVC on a system with an ATI card, your CPU does all the work.

 

I had an Acer 751 (Atom Z520) that could play 1080p on GMA500 with a low CPU load. I expect the X4500 to do better. I'm not in the ability to test it right now though.

 

Must not be using core, probably internal MPC (gma500 is able to 'use' dxva?).

On the 4500HD under MPC's h264, dvxa is grayed out (and Batman Begins 1080p was ALMOST playable). Haven't tried core on it but I'll report back.

 

That would be the way to do it yes, use MPC with H264 set to CoreAVC.

 

but dxva only works with movie encoded compatible with dxva, right?

 

Using Core made it completely playable(vs. some out-of-sync using just MPC), but CPU usage was at a constant 100% (Batman Begins Tumbler test scene). Madagascar 2 1080p fares the same - completely playable but 100% cpu. Ghost in the Shell (anime 1080p) nets 70-90%. There is definitely nothing GPU-ish going on...

720p obviously plays well, but CPU is at 60-70% (IP Man 720p). Atom is pretty much 90-100%?

 

what bitrate on Batman?

 

~1400 Kb/s? Anywhere from 500 to 2000 depending on what's on screen. 1min clip. Watching them talk is like 800 kb/s (talking inside Tumbler), Tumbler action is 1200 kb/s to 2000

 

I see. So now the problem, it seems 4500MHD not being utilized?

 

Guess not. DXVA can't be used so internal h264 MPC-HC codec/filter/whatev is useless. Doesn't support CUDA which is the only thing CoreAVC will work with, but Core DOES lessen the load (through efficient decoding .. not hardware decoding) to the point where action heavy 1080p is completely playable. One thing is that playing the Batman video was unplayable while windowed with TaskManager, but full screening it (with taskman in background) made it perfect again.

There's been mention of PowerDVD and whatnot other stuff, but that's for someone else to play with since I only use MPC for all videos.

 

OK 3dmark06 results for the 3810TG-944GN50n:

Confirmed latest BIOS and Graphics Drivers as listed on Acer UK website

Operating System Windows Vista x32 -
Default installation with addition of Office 2007, Visual Studio C++ Express, Google Chrome and Daemon Tools Lite
Removed default antivirus/firewall package

Device running off mains, confirmed no throttling to CPU or GPU was active in power settings - WIFI Active

Resolution 1280x768

Overall Result ATI: 2701
Overall Result Intel: 593

I would also bare in mind that this graphics card is SM4.1 with DirectX 10.1 support, games optimised for DirectX10
will see better performance when running on this laptop as opposed to laptops with SM3.0 graphics cards with the same score.

There is also the possibility of over clocking with 3rd party drivers as the 4330 is essentially an under clocked 4530.

 

You wouldn't want to or be able to run games with DX10 on a 4330 anyways. Kinda like the 4500HD advertising DX10 and Shader 4 but unable to use them.