Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T Thread

Gotcha. Yes, you're right, that other thread is way too big already.

I'll consider starting a tweaks thread to consolidate some of the most common alterations and upgrades mentioned here and in the other thread with links to this one and another, separate SSD thread if there's enough interest in that. I've already collected quite a few helpful links for an SSD thread that would be relevant to this model.

The main hardware section SSD thread can get confusing because of all the different models they're talking about. I'm keen on this issue since I just got my first SSD today. It's installed and working great. All I can say is -- This is the way computing should have always been. I'll never go back to platters!

 

Are newer 1830ts shipping with ALPS or Synaptics touchpads?

If you have an 1830t, can you list the model, where you got it, when you got it, and what touchpad it has? The ALPS just doesn't do multitouch well, and I may have to return the machine -- it's that bad.

Me: 1830T-3721, Amazon.com (not via reseller), 26 August 2010, ALPS

 

I don't see the enthusiasm or the interest on the 1830 that I saw happening with the 1410 and the 1810.
Additional more specific threads might not get enough contributers to stay alive.
And might well dilute interest in this thread.
Of course... it costs nothing to try.

The 1410 and the 1810 were the new low-cost 11.6" performance alternatives to the Atom netbooks.
Many of us here rode the big wave of excitement for a year or more.
What we have in the 1830 is a decent, but incremental upgrade.
(My wife & I both have the 1830 i5, BTW.)
_________________
Still trying to migrate the 22GB used on my almost new 500GB to a 60GB SSD.
I could only shrink the volume to about 170GB due to the contents being spread out.
Seems like defrag doesn't actually move the files so all the empty space is together.

I don't know.. maybe will give up and do a clean Win7 install.
How do I call Microsoft to re-activate after a clean install?

 

The difference is the price: you could get a 1410 for the price of a netbook, or a 1810 for a bit more.
The 1830 is way more expensive (at least in Germany) you have to pay at least 100€ more for it, as for a 1810.

 

yus9 might be right. There might not be enough interest for starting a new thread -- this one will do.

@Razor2: My 1410 came with 2GB and a 250GB hard drive. My 1830T came with a much faster CPU, 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive, not to mention the Intel HD Graphics (GMA 5700MHD). To me it was worth the $699US. With an SSD installed and an Intel 6200 wireless card I really couldn't ask for more in an ultraportable. Worth every penny to me. Light, fast and long battery life with the SSD -- I can get 9 to 10 hours in power-saver mode doing light web surfing with wi-fi on and brightness at 20-30%.

 

My 1830T-3721 shipped 8/20/2010 from TigerDirect has Synaptics.

My wife's 1830T-3721, one of the first in the US,
shipped 6/20/2010 from Amazon has Alps.
Really can't tell the difference, probably
because "Gestures" are turned off on both machines.

 

No need to call Microsoft to activate. Use ABR to back up the digital OEM cert and key then use it again to reinstall on your unit after clean install. The Cert and key is for W7 HP and activates offline. See Section 5. http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...rks-tweaks-mods-upgrades-162.html#post6465732

Bronsky

 

When I got my first Acer 11.6" (AAO 751) Acer recommend fully charging it and then running two full cycles. Doing this gave the batttery 104% capacity.

Is this still recommended?

 

Don't know for sure, but I would say probably. Most batteries seem to benefit from a full charge/discharge cycle when new -- in order to get up to full capacity.

 

How much is a cycle? Do you have to run the battery down to 10%? 0%? It is probably too late for me, but I get good battery run times from my usage (5-6hrs).

 

Scrolling should be smoother on the Synaptics.

 

I ordered my 1830T-3721 on September 10th 2010 and it has Synaptics.

 

I've never figured out exactly how the manufacturers calculate what a "cycle" is. The cycle count in the battery's chip will change without your having to completely discharge it.

I've read that it can damage the battery to discharge it down to 0%. A battery engineer (claimed he was, anyway) said that these batteries can develop copper "shunts" in the fluid if fully discharged too many times and that reduces it's overall lifespan quite a bit. So, I never discharge mine below 20% or so.

 

Once a month to 5% will help. For the rest, avoid deep going below 20%.

Also never going above 80% (except once a month) helps longevity.

 

Hi,

So you pull the battery when the 80% level is reached? Not what I'd call convenient.

Apart from that: this method does "waste" 30% of the battery's capacity. And you do not know for sure if it will really last longer.
A battery will go bad regardless of its treatment.
The battery of the Dell Vostro from my signature will be charged to 100%, and it often stays connected to the outlet with the battery inserted. It is often discharged to ~10%, and I have only 10% battery wear after 2.5 years.

What is more worrying is the battery drain of my Acer 1810 (no idea if the 1830 series is affected also). Keeping the laptop lying around for a few days might easily cause deep-discharge of the battery.

But sometimes, Li Ion batterys can have a long life: I recently rediscovered my old Siemens mobile phone. Bought 1999. The original battery - after charging overnight still gives the same standby time as advertised by the manufacturer when the phone was new: 25 hours.

Michael

 

To monitor Your battery's wear level, cycles, and to prolong battery life, use Batterycare or Batterybar, both of them are free.

 

To me it's not any more or less convenient than pulling the battery at 100%.

I never leave the battery in when I'm working on A/C, unless I want to charge it.

 

My 1830T stops charging the battery when it reaches 100% and resumes charging at 95%. I'm assuming this is done by the Acer ePowerManagement service. There is similar power/battery software on ThinkPads that does the same thing but you can adjust what the start/stop charging percentages are with their software/tray app. We don't get a tray app with the Acer ePower. "ePowerTray.exe" is listed in MSCONFIG but I never see anything in the tray.

 

Another reason to keep the battery out of the laptop is the temperature. Li-ion deteriorates quicker at warmer temperatures.

I usually keep my batteries in the fridge at 5 C.

 

Mine does not get a deep discharge, but it loses power a couple of % per day, so it might be somewhat normal...or they have the same flaw.

 

My battery in my 1830T is a different shade of black (greyer) than the rest of the laptop. Quite a difference. Is this normal?

I have the silver version.

 

You guys are awfully concerned about battery longevity. It's funny because most of you will replace your 1830 in 6-9 months anyway!

 

Guys, I have a problem and I was hoping someone can help me. I realize this is a 1830T thread but I couldn't find a 1830TZ thread so I am reaching out to you for help.

I recently purchased a 1830TZ and am having problems with the sleep function. I use this awesome notebook for work and love the weight and size as well the battery life. But because the sleep function doesn't work well, it is very inconvenient to take to meetings.

Here's what's happening. When I try to put the notebook to sleep, I can see the process starting and the screen going blank. However, the notebook stays power on and makes a sound when I push a key but the screen won't turn back on.

I have tried a number of different things to see if I could source the problem. When I first login and without running any programs, I can put the notebook to sleep and resume the notebook out of sleep without any problems.

However.... when I run my Cisco VPN or open Outlook (this is my work computer), running either program and trying to get the notebook to sleep causes the problems I describe above.

I thought maybe it wasn't just the programs so I tried a clean reboot and logged in and only opening MS Word. The notebook went to sleep and resume without any problems.

As I need both Cisco VPN and Outlook to do my job, I have no way of not using those programs. However, I am finding myself shutting down the notebook and starting Windows when I move from meeting to meeting.

Pls help... this is really driving me crazy on a otherwise fantastic notebook. Thanks in advance.

 

mochiware I don't have a direct answer to what's going on but if I were in your situation the first thing I would do is a clean install while using as few drivers as possible from Acer.com.

I will probably replace it sooner

That's why I take good care of the battery, it's better for resale. "battery is still in new condition".

 

Hello! I got my Acer 1830T and a Intel SSD today. How can I move over the pre-installed operating system to the SSD?

 

You could try it with Acronis True Image. The trial version is free as far as I know it can do it.

But... a clean install is recommend. That way proper alignment is ensured.

You can use the serial on the bottom to register the clean install.

 

Thanks, but how do I download Windows 7 on my computer?

 

After a clean install of Win7 x64 Ultimate I noticed my CPU score went DOWN from 5.3 to 5.1. Not a big deal.

To those with SSDs in this model: After applying the two registry tweaks from StamatisX my disk score changed from 7.6 to 7.8.

 

Follow this guide:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...7-clean-install-guide-hp-dm3-intel-based.html

It's a different model but it comes down to the same thing.

Have you tested to see if the tweak has any impact on the CPU score?

 

I had a similar problem with my 1830T and noticed there's a BIOS update on the acer support page, which mentioned issues with the sleep function. There's also one for 1830TZ at acer.com. You could try it.

EDIT: Be sure to follow instructions carefully when updating the BIOS, if you don't already know. You don't want to brick your laptop.

 

Same flaw. A few % per day, and after 2~3 weeks lying around the battery is empty.

are they that lousy?
I usually keep my computers very long. When I gave away my old Toshiba laptop, it was about 7 years old. My Vostro is 2.5 years old now and still going strong

Let's see how the Acer (I have the 1810) can stand aging

Michael

 

I tried the Alps driver for a while but I found the two finger scrolling very bad. I'm now using this driver and it's better. More responsive.

Anyone?

 

Yes. No change. I've seen this before. Brand new laptops with OEM installs often seem to show a slightly higher CPU score which, on subsequent WEI assessments, may drop a tenth of a point or two sometimes.

It may have to do with thermal issues triggering a bit of throttling during the WEI test -- but that's just speculation on my part. I'm guessing the cooling system (thermal paste, etc.) gets sort of "broken in" after a few weeks and becomes a little less efficient. I don't think it has anything to do with the clean install and the registry tweaks don't affect it.... they affected only the disk score.

 

Do any of your 1830t's fan make a lot of noise? I can actually hear mine now, and it is kind of loud, so either I never noticed it before or it is time to talk to acer's warranty dept. Another thing: do you ever notice your wireless card sound blip like a modem? Mine has been doing that a lot lately, and it isn't the usual hard drive sounds.

 

My 1830T came with that BIOS (1.11). So it's not an update for everyone. Also, if you read what it's for ("Solves no display issue from S3 resume during OOBE at the first cycle of factory default preload.") and you had no issues the first time you turned on your 1830T, you don't need it. For the vast majority, it's not worth the hassle and risk of flashing BIOS.

It only fixes the OOBE (out of box experience) sleep function. I think most of us are well past that. And apparently it's only a problem with the initial load-up sequence and doesn't affect normal running of the OS once it's fully installed.

 

I haven't noticed that with my new 1830t... however the glossy bezel is already scratched up pretty good.

 

I didn't know there was a silver version. I have This One. Battery is black.
Here's the image from Fry's website (I bought it at a Fry's Electronics store).



Okay, now I see the silver one -- and red and blue and brown.

 

Sorry to bring this up again but can't find it in the pages. What wireless card did everyone replace their 1830 with?

 

Intel 6200.

 

Thanks. I just saw that theres a 6300. Will that fit in the 1830 and is it better?

 

I don't think you can really take advantage of the 6300 card unless you have 3 antennaes. The 1830T has 2. I have the Intel Advanced-N 6200 card and it works very well. Good range, speed and filtering of interference.

It's a dual-band card (2.4 & 5GHz) so you can do split-band file transfers on your home network... up to about 300MB/sec. But you'll need a dual-band "N" router. The 6300 is supposed to be even faster with its 3 anntenna connectors, but it could be tough putting a 3rd antenna in the 1830T. Everything is pretty tight in there as it is.

Bought mine HERE

Another consideration: If you use or plan on ever trying out Linux, the Intel cards are natively supported in the kernel. Atheros cards usually work just okay, Broadcom cards require a firmware hack and you can forget about RealTek cards.

 

Ah okay well I'll just stick with the 6200 then and ya my router does 2.4 and 5 GHz so this will be great. And thanks for the note about linux, I do plan on diving into the linux world soon and this will avoid a headache.

 

Linux is great for "risky" web surfing and downloads because it's nearly invulnerable to all the malware out there. 99.9% of that crap is written to attack Windows computers. Start out with Ubuntu or Linux Mint. They're both good for beginners.

One problem for this model -- you'll have to download the driver for the Atheros Gigabit network card (LAN/ethernet) from the Atheros Partners website and extract, compile and install it yourself. It's not difficult. Lots of help on the Ubuntu Forums. I found a thread there dealing with that exact issue for this model, with instructions. If you never use your ethernet jack, just ignore the problem.

 

Could you please link to that thread?

Edit: Found it and now ethernet works! First time ever compiling something successfully. Rep for you.

 

Thanks. My battery is black too, but there's a difference between the black of the battery and the black right next to it. Is the color of your battery identical to the bit right next to it?

 

Well I got my 1830T-3721. Overall bullet point review is below. Before I get there, my question for you techies: I have an LEC MultiSync LCD 1770NXM monitor that has a built-in sound bar at the bottom. For the life of me I cannot get sound out of the monitor speakers. All these driver update programs are a farce. I'm sure it's not Acer's fault, it's Windows 7, 64 bit lack of compatibility, but man, someone has to have a solution somewhere?

OK, my overall impressions after a week:
PROS:

-Good size, maybe a tad heavier than I wanted but good.
-I like that it opens up to about 160 degrees. No, I would never use it on an airplane at that angle, but it does help when you want to use an external monitor and slide the laptop underneath if you don't have a spare keyboard.
-keyboard feel is good, but of course hard to rest the wrists since it's a small laptop - but that's the price you pay for portability.
-Speed is good overall. A bit slow to boot up, but good when I've multitasked with Firefox, and various MS Works programs.
-This may look like a netbook, but it is truly a laptop. Windows 7 and i5, make no mistake, and with a 500GB hard drive, sweet.
-Screen resolution is excellent, though max brightness...see below.

CONS:
-the trackpad is abysmal. I mean absolutely abysmal. It jerks, it feels sticky, it is just awful. OK it's small but I'll forgive that in an 11.6 incher. But it's functionally dismal. Thankfully I mainly use my logitech mouse, but man, what a disappointment.
-Acer should admit that the battery DOES protrude. Not a lot, but hey, tell the truth. It does in fact protrude a little in the back.
-battery life not near what they claim. Still, probably the best in this arena, just not what they claim.
-max screen brightness a bit lower than what I wanted
-the trackpad is awful.
-the trackpad sucks.
-the trackpad really, really bites.

Overall: I'm glad I have this, I will keep it. But if anyone has a solution to my monitor soundbar problem I'd be grateful. And if you have any questions about other features, let me know. Bottom line is, don't even get an Atom processor when you can get this.

 

Now that I look at it in good light, the battery is a little lighter than the parts around it. Hard to really see the difference except in bright light.

 

Thanks. Good to know I'm not the only one.

I agree. You might want to try the driver I posted earlier. It seems to be a little better but I'm not sure about it.

Edit: bought a new sleeve:


Also posted here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...10-1830-11-6-sleeves-bags-cases-thread-2.html

 

It was a first time for me too for extracting, making and installing a driver from the source code. It didn't work the first time because I didn't have the "build-essential" package installed from Synaptic. Also, I wasn't logged in as root (sudo su). The more I learn about Linux, the more I like it. Now if I can just get it optimized for my SSD -- there are some tweaks on the forums there. Since the ext4 file system and Linux in general are so solid and lean, it should work really well with SSDs.

 

Anyone looking for a good laptop backpack:
Swissgear Synergy



I used it to tote a big, heavy 15.6" gaming laptop for a while. It has a nice, padded laptop pouch which is suspended above the bottom. With the 1830T in it I have lots of room for other stuff.

Office supply stores (the big chainstores) have it for around $80. You can probably find it cheaper online.

The steel cable in the handle is a great touch and it's well-balanced -- will sit upright when placed on flat surface.