Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T Thread

Mine does not have uneven trackpad buttons; they are perfectly even. I can click on any part of the buttons to activate.

 

It once took me hours to try to activate my W7 HP on the phone line. I could not use the robovoice method and I had to wait on hold forever for a live rep. Then, they would answer and the connection would hang up. Microsoft said they were having problems. I finally gave up and did an off-line activation with the OEM cert and Mfg key. Never looked back.

Bronsky

 

Allright all 1830T Owners.....

Honestly....

How bad is the Track Pad...?!?

 

It's pretty bad. The trackpad it self works ok, the scrolling is quite bad.

I've had the DM3, one of the worst touchpads, scrolling works better on that one.

The scrolling on the 1830T works better with another driver, but that driver has issues with tap to click.

PS. my touch pad is Alps.

 

I have an ALPS and this seems to be the touchpad that everyone fears.

I was concerned about this before buying mine and even considered not buying it because of all the complaints. But I had never owned an Acer so I never had any multi-touch experience where you can do all those scrolling and other options. Yes the multitouch stuff stinks so just turn it off. Otherwise if you haven't had a laptop before with those options you will be fine. I tried it out at a Fry's before I ordered it and was thinkng "really? this is what everyone is crying about?" It's just kind of small but I got used to it in no time. There really is no laptop that beats this 1830. Don't let the touchpad issue sway your decision because I almost did and I would have deeply regretted it. It's just one of the only things people can use to pick on with this CPU but despite the complaints everyone here hasn't given away their laptop so its not something worth losing sleep over.

 

What is the OEM cert? I assume the Mfg key is the Win 7 key on the bottom of the laptop, right?

Thanks.

 

No ... the manufacturer uses a separate license. It has an OEM digital certificate and a different key for each edition of the software (i.e. - home premium) which it uses to activiate every unit it manufactures. If you back them up before you do a clean install, you can reinstall them and avoid the need to use the telephone activation. Explained in greater detail here. http://forum.notebookreview.com/6465732-post1613.html

Bronsky

 

Did anyone ever replace the keyboard on the 1830?

Can I just buy a 1810 keyboard from Ebay and use that? I would think so but would like to make sure.

 

@Bronsky

Thanks for linking that. From that post:

This the same as the "Factory Default Disk" from the Acer eRecovery Software, right? I don't actually need to use separate imaging software, do I?

 

Is ther amy site where we can config & get one with the i7

Thanks

 

Not available yet. Just announced about a week ago. The press release I saw said "by the end of the year".

 

@Bronsky
One more thing. From your linked post:

By extracting the ei.cfg file, do you mean we are removing it from the .iso because having it in there will mess things up? Or do you mean that we want a copy of the ei.cfg file for later use? I assume you mean the former, since I don't see a mention of that file later on.

Just trying to cover all my bases before I get started.

Thanks.

 

You are correct, you are removing it.

Bronsky

You do not need separate imaging software. Some people have done that but I just did the original back ups from eRecovery.

Bronsky

 

The ISO is win7 Ultimate ONLY.By removing ei.cfg the ISO becomes ALL editions and at the begining of the installation it will ask you to choose which edition do you want to install(Starter,Home,Pro,Ultimate).
If you want only Ultimate don't bother removing the file.

 

He can't use ultimate with my instructions as I have only provided Home Premium's Key.

Bronsky

 

I just wanted to explain what the removal of the file does.I don't know the specific case and it wasn't my point what edition to use.I hope I was some help.

 

Track pad is fine.

I don't care for multitouch features so I don't really use it.

myke

 

The trackpad sucks. It is badly positioned and awkard to use. That and the lack of ESata/USB 3.0 are my biggest gripes about this computer. Oh that and the fact that it is not entirely water-proof.

Bronsky

 

Does anyone know if it's scheduled a new version with e-sata, usb3 and sdxc support?

 

Yes., the 1840T with Sandy Bridge next year.

 

More importantly for me, I'd like to see SATA III in it. Going by the articles it will be supported.

 

Guess I'll be upgrading my 1410T around then.

Bronsky

 

I just received my 1830t today. I've been playing with it for a few minutes so not very long. So far I can say this.

Good: Keyboard, screen and overall construction is pretty solid.
Bad: Broadcom wireless and alps touchpad, meaning getting linux on here isn't going to be problem free.

Now I get to toss the x25-m 80gb intel SSD I got for this baby in it and go from there.

Out of curiosity could I get an intel wireless 6200 card and toss it in here to replace the broadcom wireless? I may do that in the future if it's possible.

 

Perhaps a Panasonic Toughbook would have been better suited for your application scenario

Michael

 

Multiple people in this thread have done this successfully, including me.

 

Excellent. I'll definitely be trying to find somewhere that sells this. It'll be a lot easier to setup and manage under linux no doubt when I do get an intel wireless card in this machine.

 

Just a note...
My wife's 3 month old i5 model
has developed the dreaded grinding fan noise.
Guess I'll need to swap in the original hard drive
and send it back to Acer.

Any one got hints about how to contact Acer for a repair? (in the US)
How long will it take?

 

Repair facility is in Temple Texas. AcerInsider has posted the number before, I think in the 3820TG thread. I have an email address somewhere but have found it much better to call them. So far they have been as helpful as they can be when I have called. I don't think I have their number saved anywhere.

The depot is pretty good but it will take some time.

Bronsky

 

OK.. thanks!
That was enough info to get me to this.

Acer Service Corporation
1394 Eberhardt Rd
Temple, TX 76504
254-298-4000
254-298-4269 fax

 

My 1830T recently came back from warranty for the same problem; it came back with a nice quiet fan, just like before. Go to fixmyacer.com and enter information. Pretty straightforward from there I think.

Sent Monday of two weeks ago, received Friday of last week.

I shipped it using FedEx ground (3 days to get there), and they sent email confirmation that it arrived. After that they spent ~3 business days before they shipped it back using FedEx ground (another 3 days).

 

I've managed to successfully install linux on this little machine. I installed arch linux and managed to successfully configure it.

What worked out of the box:
Touchpad - It appears the touchpad is detected as a generic ps/2 mouse so no touchpad features are available, I need to see if I can fix this
Keyboard
Sound
Display
FN Keys - F3, F4-F8, Brightness
SD Card reader
Ethernet - Only with kernel 2.6.35 or above (maybe kernel 2.6.34 too, not sure)

What didn't work out of the box:
Wireless - I had to install the Broadcom STA wireless driver via the broadcom-wl driver in the arch aur before this would work

Overall I'm rather impressed with how easy this was to setup. With the exception of wireless everything worked without issue. I've still got a couple of things to figure out but they're minor and don't really detract from the notebook in any way. I suppose I should also mention that I got a solid 4 hours on battery today (lots of web browsing and idling on desktop at low-med screen brightness) before it got down to 35% remaining. I averaged 11-13 watts drain overall as well. I'm sure with some more aggressive power management I can get the drain average down a watt or two.

 

I told Acer about my screen problems last tuesday. UPS came and picked it up the same day. They got the laptop in Germany on wednesday, replaced the entire screen and send it back to me on thursday. I got my laptop back today. Props to Acer's repair centre in Germany.

Nice bonus: I seem to have gotten a better 11.6" panel. Colors look better and contrast higher.

 

just got my 1830t-3721 today, ordered from B&H photo. fired up SIW and to my amazement, it shows a i5-470UM @ 1.33!

i checked acer's page, that still shows a 430UM. checked B&H, same there. i even looked at my box and that too shows a 430UM. so as a double check i fired up CPU-z. sure enough, 470UM.

i'm guessing that acer might have silently updated the 3721 when they introduced the i7 model, but thats only a guess. in any event, i'm pretty pleased with my few extra MHz.

(since i used this thread extensively during my purchase research, i felt compelled to register just to post this bit of info, in hopes that it helps someone else out.)

 

AS1830T-68U118 with the i7-680UM is up for pre-order, same price as I got my 3810t for in July of last year.

 

I've attached an external Monitor thru the HDMI Port. Very Nice. Question is how can I close the screen without having the unit shut down?

 

You can choose how the notebook reacts to closing the lid in power options- it's probably set to hibernate by default- you can change it to "do nothing"- that would do.

 

Thank You. This list is quite a resource.

 

ooo that sounds like great news

Since it seems you got an updated/newer model, could you tell me if you touchpad button are even in the middle or if one of them is higher than the other?

Maybe Phil's better screen replacement wasn't just a fluke. Maybe Acer really has updated the 1830T with better processors and screens.

 

the touchpad buttons on mine are perfectly even with each other and with the surrounding area. this is the first acer i've owned, and i'm very pleased with the build quality thus far.

 

I'm no longer selling my 1830T; either the demand just isn't there for this little 11.6" beast or people want it for really cheap. So it's staying with me.

Just installed my Intel 6200 Advanced Wireless Card, and I can't wait to put an SSD in this little guy. Going to be awesome.

For anyone with an ALPS Touchpad, this driver is too good.

 

Contents of this post moved to above post.

 

I hear ya. I tried selling mine on Craigslist and got ridiculous low-ball offers or nothing at all. Guess I'm stuck with it for a while. I have the 6200 card in mine for Linux compatibility, it works great. I also have an Intel 80GB G2 SSD and it makes one hell of a difference. The original 500GB Scorpio Blue is in an external enclosure.

I'm wanting to sell it so I can buy the new killer gaming laptop that Asus is coming out with soon (G53JW-A1).

 

Crap that IS killer! Too bad I don't game on PCs. Or perhaps...maybe I'm better off not having extra expenses. ;p

I'll keep this acer until Sandy Bridge comes out and the Thinkpad X20* refresh happens, then probably give it to my sister-in-law. She needs something more portable than the 6.5 lb Lenovo 3000 N100 she's currently using. Poor thing...I feel bad for her.

 

I hope the X20* refresh includes a better screen. The current one is pretty bad. I had one and sold it after just a couple weeks and then bought the 1830T for a lot less money.

 

Hi everyone. I've been looking to buy a new computer for myself and the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-3927 model is looking like a really good choice for me. However, the Asus eee PC 1215N is also looking pretty good but costs around $100 less than the Timeline. I could find no reviews comparing the two but does anyone know what the difference is performance-wise (and true battery life)?

 

Laptopmag describes the differences pretty well.

Acer wins in normal performance and battery lie, Asus is faster with games.

 

Acer 1830 series has a strange issue with display drivers: some apps may knockdown Win7... famous Display driver igfx stopped responding aka EventID 4101. For me, this bug appears in Facewound - Zombie Murder Simulator after 15 secs of playing.


PS: Checked on 1830T & 1830TZ: Win7 hungs after 3 attempts of driver recovery.

 

Phil's comment about laptopmag's comparison pretty much hits the mark. I could get about 5.5-6 hours on windows 7 Power Saver mode with constant web browsing mode and ~60% brightness with my i3 1830T. Full lifetime according to Battery Bar is 6.5 hours (though I never drain the battery fully to actually get that battery life).

As far as graphics go: streaming 720p skips frames noticeably every now and then but is still watchable, while 1080p streaming is unwatchable. HD playback from the hard drive is flawless, however. Again, Ion 2 beats Intel HD graphics, whereas i3-330UM beats dual core Atom. I think 1830T battery life trumps the 1215N, but kind of hard to confirm considering I don't own the latter.

I feel like a bit of a JA advertising like this, but if you're holding out on buying the 1830T because of the $100 price difference, and wouldn't mind a slightly used 1830T-3927, let me know.

 

I cannot believe that 720p and 1080p vids are Not watchable. This must Be a Driver issue and Not a performance related One.


What about the Fan? Does ist Spin permanently? Is itnoteable Or only the HD?
Which actions make it Spin louder? Browsing, opening word?

 

<strike>720p IS watchable...if you don't mind the skips. The frame skips happen, but not too much (maybe like once or twice every minute). EDIT: It is incredibly annoying, however. And this is only *streaming* HD content. I'm not sure why that is; maybe I could try updating the drivers, but perhaps others could vouch for my claims.</strike>

EDIT: Only on Fullscreen do these problems happen. There's either something wrong with my drivers or with youtube. Without Full screen everything works wonderfully, 720p and 1080p. My fault for spreading misinformation, and thanks to all those who replied.

EDIT: Installing new drivers makes everything run smoothly, with or without fullscreen.

And again, that is only streaming; when watching from a hard drive or any local media like a flash drive or external DVD drive, 720p and 1080p content (maybe 1080p...I haven't tried it...I'd probably have to upscale to 1080p on my HDTV, and it'd probably work perfectly) are flawless.

The fan is on when running apps like Firefox and Word, but it is very quiet and barely noticeable most of the time.