Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T Thread

No problem

it's Sunday night here

 

Um, I disagree with Phil about Turbo Boost being a gimmick, but anyway as to the rarely activating that is wrong. Turbo Boost activates even when doing simple things like opening a program or doing something in Word.

 

I didn't mean to say it's a gimmick. My point was: you won't feel any difference during daily use unless you run CPU intensive applications.

 

one of the stores quoted
"i5 4-Core 430um 2.26GHz"
as I recorded.

others mostly quoted as 1.2GHz or 1.3GHz
as I remember.

 

@red_devil

430UM is 2 core (4 threads) 1.2Ghz to 1.73 (TUrbo)

the 2.26Ghz - it's 430M (not UM) which I am not sure will be inside 1830T... or there is a store's mistake in the quote

 

Thanks. I'll take a little more time to clear up which is which.

That's why need to check very carefully
at the stores what's the exact spec of that model they have,
which they themselves are often not clear,
amid all these usual Intel naming confusions.

Comparing with the previous generation's legendary oxy-morons
"Core 2 Duo Solo...Single...and then Double...."
or then Pentium SU4100 that's actually a duo-core despite the
single-core name, this i-series already a vast improvement in
naming spec confusions

 

notebookcheck has the i5-470um listed and Intel does not yet officially have it anywhere on their sites. Whatever happened to the original core i5-520UM CPU in these machines? I might wait until SB comes out next year for my ultraportable purchase.

 

The i5-520UM is available in countries outside North America. The i5-470UM is an Arrandale refresh cpu that was leaked in the summer.

 

Has anyone had any trouble connecting network cables to the 1830 (i5 model)? I just received mine and I have tried 3 ethernet cables and only 1 worked for a while...and now it no longer seems to work. All three cables work fine with my regular computer (also running windows 7). I am considering sending it back for a new one. Thanks.

 

mine is OK, I used the cable to get Broadcom wireless STA drivers on Ubuntu, did not use it more...

 

Learned via an email conversation this weekend with Intel support that the reason there are no tech specs up on the Intel site for the -470UM is that its an OEM only processor and is not available in a "boxed" version for sale to anyone. Any info you want has to come from the OEM supplying it.

Really makes me wonder that if all they do in the case of these -470UMs that have shown up in at least one AS1830T-3721 sold by Amazon if they just take -430UMs coming off the line....crank them up to a clock speed of 1.33ghz from their normal 1.2ghz and if they pass just label them -470UMs???

Interesting if nothing else - the more I learn about this business over the years the more I realize how little I know.

 

zviangi:

I am *starting* to come to the conclusion after talking to Acer here in the US this morning as well as my account rep at CDW-G that the fact you received an 1830T with an i5-470UM in it rather than the -430Um that is in the specs is random chance and good timing on your part. The Acer sales support rep in California told me that the "official" spec remains for it to be an i5-430UM. That what most likely happened is that the Acer plant or Intel ran low on -430UMs and substituted in -470UMs for that run and thats what got installed. There is absolutely no guarantee that the 1830T I order from Amazon (when they are back in stock) will have -470UMs in it.

So....nice job! Will be very interesting to see what I receive.

Curt

 

Yeah. you're right, most likely they run out 430-s and substituted 470s, but next time it might be still 430... or maybe all the rest will be 470-s

it'like i had a case with a 37" TV I purchased as a HD ready in local store and when I switched it on, I discovered, that it was FullHD, and store did not know that and the TV manual was saying is HD ready

 

***********************
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-3721 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
BTW... happy to report that Acer has dumped the Synaptics touch pad in the older series
in favor of the Alps Electric touch pad. Acer also replaced the small hardware
switches for wireless (& bluetooth) with function-F3 key control.

Cons:
Keyboad has more flex than the 3810t's.
I got an Alps touchpad, wish I had gotten one with Synaptics.
**********************

Confused with the Amazon reviews, so is Alps better newer touchpad
or Synaptics better newer?
I always think Synaptics newer...

 

Let me say quickly that most folks think the Synaptic is better.
I think neither touchpad is very good.

My wife has an early i5 with the Alps.
And I just recently got an i5 with the Synaptics.
With the "gestures" turned off, they seem to
perform the same. I can't tell any difference.

Not sure, but I think the Alps has been phased out by Acer.
But you might still get one depending on
how the supplier stacks or rotates their stock.

 

The scrolling zone and two finger scrolling are way better on the Synaptics.

 

how do u enable turbo boost?

 

Hello everyone,
I am considering the 1830T as my new college laptop and i want some clarifications from you that have it.

First of all i am between the
Asus U35JC-A1 (i3-370m with 4gb ram)
Acer 3820T (i3-350m with 4gb ram)
HP Probook 4320s (i5-450m with 4gb ram)
Acer 1830T (i3-330um with 3gb ram)

The situation is this: i am between these laptops...price range is
1830T
3820T +100euro
Asus & HP + 200euro

if i get the 1830t i probably gonna update to 8gb ram or to an ssd drive or even both with the difference in money from the others.

So my question is if the upgraded 1830t can be enough for my needs (i don't lknow anything for low voltage cpus). My main needs are Programming (c,c++,java,c#) so i will use visual studio 2 or more instances, web surfing, Movie playback, little Photoshop and tasks like mathcad.....is the ultra low voltage cpu capable of doing these things ????

the hard disk upgrade or the ram sure have a benefit over the other 3 choices but if the cpu can't handle them with EASE then i might go with a stronger cpu and then in a few months upgrade the ram or disk.

 

It's capable but it sounds like you are quite a heavy user. I would not recommend a i3 330um for you. Get a full voltage CPU.

The CPU is about the only part that you can't upgrade in ULVs.

The Acer and Asus 13" options look better. There are also options with i5.

 

Yes. I run a full development stack on my single-core SU3500 AS1410 with 4gb RAM. It runs well enough. The only time it's slow is when I run Visual Studio in VMWare (I run Linux as my main OS). I use my little Acer for everything. I don't even own a desktop and I sold my 6 pound 14" dual-core laptop when I realized the AS1410 could do everything the dual-core did at half the weight and with twice the battery life.

Unless you are compiling full scale enterprise applications, the newer processors will be more than capable for your programming needs so I would focus on screen size. (Actually you CAN compile them, it just takes a few extra minutes.) I find that while the 11.6" screen's resolution gives me enough real estate for my IDE, mainly Eclipse, I do get fatigued when doing a lot of coding. Otherwise I love the 11.6".

I think the 13.3" would be the prefect screen size for a portable development machine. You get the same resolution as the 11.6" but everything will be a bit larger. The 13.3" machines are not much larger, almost as light and offer great battery life. I would go for he Acer or Asus 13.3" if I were you.

 

Thank you and bronsky too. this is exactly the answer to my question...i think my needs can be handled by 1830t!!!

Now it's up to me to choose between

Acer 1830t (with Momentus XT 500GB and 6gb ram total) or
Acer 3820t (with Momentus XT 500GB and 4gb ram )
with the 3820t being around 50euro more.

Thanks you two who answered my question

 

It should be on automatically. Download this and watch it to see Turbo Boost work.

 

@ lambrospower, the 1830T may be capable of handling your needs, it just leaves you very little headroom for the future.

I'd definetely get something stronger than a i3 330 um if I had the same needs. The 3820T CPU is a lot stronger.

 

List of Intel Core i5 microprocessors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Intel Core i5 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

been checking this, so only um means ultra low voltage, then
for 1830T, I can ignore m then, as it's standard voltage,
and if the store sloppily quotes as m, then it must be an error(?)

and in general the higher the um (470um > 430um)
the faster usually(?) though sometimes the GHz are listed the same 1.2 and only different turbo modes.

But that's naming confusion again, if um refers
to process technology, then smaller um should be faster,
not larger micron size(?) don't understand what the um
really stands for, but as long as I get the speed correlation right,
good enough...

Only caring every detail before I buy-decide,
as no non-defective returns allowed in Asia stores,
know that after I buy I won't care which exact i5 is it
anymore

Thanks

 

My 1830 has 470UM and it shows 1.333 Ghz

 

I agree and I think the 13.3" screen is going to be much more comfortable when coding.

 

Yes the 13" screen would be a plus too. Only downside is the extra weight, I believe 500 grams.

 

18W UM Ultra Low Voltage: Slow and made for power saving, long battery life.
25W LM Low Voltage: Combo of power saving and speed.
35W M Standard Voltage: Made for speed, mainstream notebooks.
45W QM Quad Core's.

 

Hi,

Has anyone had webcam issues with their 1830T? I have the 1830T-3721 i5 version.

I remember using my webcam quite a bit when I first got the laptop. And then I didn't use it for a month or so, and now I tried to skype and it doesn't recognize the camera. I tried some other programs that use webcams and I looked in the device manager, and the webcam isn't even listed anywhere. Not sure where to download drivers or anything, the acer website wasn't much help.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Good news....Amazon got more 1830T-3721's back in stock this afternoon. Put my order in & will let you know what processor I get.

-Curt

 

Just received my new 1830T from Circuity City/Tiger. It has i5 U 470 1.33GHz processor with Broadcom 802.11n wireless, Broadcom Bluetooth and Alps touch pad. Funny thing the box lists i5 U 430 processor.

 

Hey so I use the HDMI output a lot for the dualscreen mode. My issue was that it outputted the audio into the tv and i wanted the sound coming from the computer to listen through the headphones. Well I went to the audio mixer and clicked on the device and saw there was a "disable" option for HDMI audio. SO I did that but as soon as it was disabled it VANISHED and I do want to have the option to listen to the audio through the TV at some point. How do I get it back?

 

Is it really worth spending extra money
swapping in HD to Flash SSD, from 500GB down
to maybe 128GB?

Complex to take apart machine to change the component?

extra money extra effort but often lower capacity,
just for ultimate extra battery and speed?

Thanks

 

If it 's worth it depends on you (usage, preferences, budget etc.).

For me it's hardly worth it. I'm using a 640GB HDD now but I'll probably get an SSD again when prices come down.

It's very easy to replace the HDD.

Seagate Momentus XT is a good alternative to SSDs. Slightly lower performance, much lower costs.

 

Thanks reply. Then I'll consider this SSD issue later then.

At least I don't need to think ahead on this before I buy-decide.
Not like there's an SSD version of 1830T vs HD version need to choose
now.

At this moment flash-based per byte's still sure to be much more
expensive than HD.

 

Yes, better try the HDD first and upgrade later. Prices of SSDs are coming down anyway.

Seagate 7200.5 750GB is expected soon and who knows we might see some new Hybrid models too.

 

I intend to change to at least a 128GB SSD and use the current 500GB HD in an external case as my back up and storrage drive. I am just looking for a good deal. Also the reviews are a little confusing as to quality, speed and value. any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

This was $210 a few days ago. Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Bronsky

 

Yep - you have *at least* the second one on the forum where that is the case....box lists the -430UM but you really have a -470UM onboard.

 

Corsair Nova 128GB for good performance and best in class battery life. See the review on Techreport.com

 

What you did was disable sound altogether, what you want to do is not disable sound, but redirect it.

You can go to "Control Panel -> Sounds" after you have the HDMI cable hooked up and change the sound output device to whatever you want. This is also true for people who use USB headsets but only want to use the mic on the headset.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

If you are in the USA:

http://us.acer.com/acer/service.do

Click on Driver Download
Click on Notebook -> Aspire -> 1830T
Click on the APPLICATION tab and download the various webcam app/drivers. It's pretty random which one you need out of Chicony, LiteOn, and Suyin. You will probably have to get them all and use trial and error.

Just a note: Is it just mine or does the webcam on the 1830T completely stink? I have a 1410 (gateway rebadge) and 1830T and the 1430 has a very high framerate but grainy picture. The 1830T has a completely smooth but incredibly choppy low framerate picture.

Basically it is like the 1410 webcam is set to a very high ISO (grainy but good, fast low light performance) and the 1830T webcam is set to a very low ISO (smooth but choppy, slow low light performance). Skype is almost unusable on my 1830T but is wonderful on my 1410. I've tried everything I can to tweak it to no avail.

Anyone else care to chime in on the webcam performance of the 1830T?

 

Wow, are you guys seeing this new Macbook Air debut? It looks interesting (I dual boot all my Macbooks )

Two models:
11.6" 2.3 lbs 1366x768
13.3" 2.9 lbs 1440x900

Both have:
Aluminum unibody (Apple's unibodies are nice)
0.68" at its thickest point
SSD (actually it isn't an SSD drive, the flash storage is directly on the logic board)
Geforce 320M
True multitouch trackpad (Apple's trackpads are really nice)
Premium webcam (Apple's webcams have always been really nice)
Apple's premium prices!

Actually the prices aren't really that bad if you compare them to our 1830T's. SSD, better screen quality, MUCH MUCH better trackpad, arguably better keyboard, much better webcam, much better body and construction, dedicated graphics card, CPU is comparable even with C2D

 

The 11.6" is very interesting. It uses a SU9400, like the Acer 1810T used too.

2.3 pounds, very light.

 

Repost because no one has answered my question...

Hey so I use the HDMI output a lot for the dualscreen mode. My issue was that it outputted the audio into the tv and i wanted the sound coming from the computer to listen through the headphones. Well I went to the audio mixer and clicked on the device and saw there was a "disable" option for HDMI audio. SO I did that but as soon as it was disabled it VANISHED and I do want to have the option to listen to the audio through the TV at some point. How do I get it back?

 

Yeah....its an interesting quandry. I have my order in for the 1830T at $699. I could move to an 11.6" MBA....but.....it is a BUNCH more money when you add it all up:

11.6" MBA/128gb SSD/4gb RAM/Upgraded 1.6ghz Processor/Physical Ethernet Adapter......$1428.

In all fairness I would need to add the price of a 128gb SSD to the Acer but you are still hundreds of dollars in difference. That sweet aluminum body counts for something.

If I didn't care about the $$ I would probably buy the Air. Then again if I didn't care about the $$ I would probably already own a Sony X.

What to do.....what to do......

-Curt

 

The touchpad, screen quality and build quality of the Air are in a different league than the Acer. It's also lighter.

The Acer has the user replaceable battery, SSD, memory.

I'll probably stick with my Acer for now. The MBA is tempting, but not tempting enough for me.

 

I would at least wait to see what SandyBridge will bring. I expect that we will see many small, thin and light units then. But, I must say that these are impressive. Apple may have solved my Christmas Gift dilemma for my wife.

Bronsky

 

Phil - you have pretty much summed up the crux of the issue when comparing the MBA against "computer x"....you really have to determine what value the touchpad, unibody build, screen, etc are worth cause thats where the price difference is. I do like that it has the backlit keypad however....really wish Acer did that with the 1830T.

 

Bronsky - I was thinking the same thing re: spouse Christmas gift. On another note - are you happy with your Crucial SSD for your Acer? I was looking at throwing one in my 1830T when it gets here...The Kingston seems to be pretty decent as well.

 

Afaik there is no backlit keyboard on MBA due to size constraints. (source: video on laptopmag.com)

I wouldn't be surprised if backlit keyboards on 1830 are offered on Ebay. Haven't checked it though.