Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T Thread

Thanks ... as soon as I get the basic stuff set-up I'll play with the drivers.

Bronsky

 

Well.. no need for Bluetooth switching in the BIOS. Try "Function F3" to turn Bluetooth on and off.

 

Just looking for an easy out to have the laptop come up with bluetooth on. My easy out isw to press Fn F3 while it is booting and it comes up on, Justed wanted it my way, on all the time

 

I've been looking for an answer to this too but no luck. I connect my laptop to an external display so it can be quite annoying to do fn+f3 all the time and only after doing so then I can close the lid. I gave up so I ended up using usb mouse.

 

It's a designer bug? that bluetooth's back to "off"
every time machine's booted on again?
This annoying...

Also from reading instruction guide, fn+F3 supposed
to have 3 functions toggle, 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth,
but my fn+F3 only has 2 of them Wifi & Bluetooth.

So only certain models have 3G or what does it mean?

Thanks

 

All Timeline/Aspire models come with wifi. Certain models also add bluetooth. Certain models also come with a 3G radio. In order to utilize the 3G access you'd have to have a data contract with a cellular provider.

I believe the models that offer 3G are Europe only. It isn't as if you are missing out on a free feature.

It can be compared to the iPad, which has wifi-only and wifi+3G models available. Most people opt for the wifi-only model.

 

Do you have the actual name of the store you purchased your laptop from? If they do not have a name in english that is fine.

Cheers

 

Can it be accomplished (having Bluetooth always on automatically) be managed with the advanced features of the power configuration utility, like having whatever default power plan is designated (e.g. Balanced Power) to always have Bluetooth on?

 

PinkPawn,

I thought you already ordered your i5? (where did you order
your i5 from outside Australia?)

Name of store I purchased from in Hong Kong -->
Cyber System Computer Ltd.
Though I called it a boutique store, it actually has
quite a few branches within various districts in Hong Kong.

cyber-pro
Tel(852)2386-3777
Fax(852)2386-5678

You can just call them directly above mainline for orders
and inquiry. They might do overseas shipping as well
depending on your deal.

This first time I buying from them, so I'm taking my risks
(so far ok within the 1st week...)

So you do consider your own risks if you decide to
deal with them.

Hope that helps


Or is there a reason Bluetooth's designed to be turned back to off for every reboot?
as WiFi's kept on after reboot, the same F3 toggle...
So far don't see a logical reason for that....

 

I did order it but then cancelled.
I am really picky on getting what I want with electronics. A few months ago I bought a Samsung Series 5 (50hz) LED TV; with the idea of saving money, then after a month decided it wasn't good enough so I went out and bought a Series 8 3D (200hz) and gave the Series 5 to my parents.

Does the laptop have a part number on it, maybe on the underneath side?
LX.PTV02.034 -- i3, 1.2 ghz
LX.PTV02.043 -- i5, 1.2 ghz
LX.PTV02.209 -- i7, 1.46 ghz

As far as I can work out, technically the part number on the laptop should be different than i5 number stated above due to the slightly different spec. They might be shipping in the same boxes because Acer would just order them in a couple of batches.

Thanks still for your help

 

If you don't need one till March, I would skip the 1830T and wait for an ultraportable with Sandy Bridge. You'll get better battery life, plus great stuff like Sata 6GBs and even better gpu performance.

 

Have a question on battery again.
I'm always confused with all the conflicting household
rule-of-thumb-myths for good battery prolonged life
and caring maintenance.

For my 1830T, for now 90%+ of time
it's used on my desk plugged in AC power.

Should I opt for?
1) Take out battery always so it won't keep
(over)charging the battery 24/7 and could damage
the battery to much shorter duration lives in no time.

or

2) Should keep the battery in at all times with the
AC plugged in anyway, because taking out battery putting aside
and not using it much will mean battery keeps at a fully
discharged state all the time and will just damage it even faster
than (over)charging it with AC at all time.

Based on current Acer whatever-lithium? battery technology (not the other
ones like Mac's), which way makes more sense?

Battery's supposed to be wear and tear and replaced
sooner or later from time to time, but it's still good to
know the correct habit to prolong its use rather than needlessly
damage it fast, as long as within reasonable convenience.

Thanks

 

So the i7 1830T is not available yet? Thank god I didn't hold my breath...

 

i7 also available at amazon

Amazon.com: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black): Computer & Accessories: Reviews, Prices & more

 

Yea but notice it says "Usually ships within 3 to 5 weeks."

 

LaptopMag has reviewed the 1830T w/ i7-680UM.

 

Newegg is showing it in stock and $50 less than Amazon's preorder price...

Gaidin

 

I'm surprised by the battery life Laptopmag is getting with the i7: 6:05 with 40% brightness, surfing the web over wifi.

I'm not getting beyond 5:45 with i3, 10% brightness and any HDD. I need SSD to go beyond 6:00.

By the way I'm using BatteryBar to accurately measure battery life.

 

So after checking my options I puchased the i5 version in BandH New York
and of course is has no 3G installed.
My question is can I add the 3G myself ?
Is there a compact pci slot + plug available ?
Are there modding instructions available for this online ?
Thanks

 

which acer software i have to instal to have OSD for volume up/down and wifi on/off? i've make a fresh install of seven, and i have a pci hardare not recognized

 

launch manager...

 

Hey guys,
Have some bad news.. was sitting at the desk doing some work the other day and a shelf fell off the wall (with its books) and landed on me and my current laptop. Unfortunately the shelf fell right where the hard drive is and I am assuming it destroyed the heads, as I cannot get anything from the drive apart from disturbing (almost makes me want to cry) grinding noises. Rather po'd as I lost the university work I was doing and a couple of assignments I haven't handed in yet.

On the up side my parents feel really bad (I was at their place when it happened) and are going to give me $800 towards a new laptop. So I placed an order for the 1830t i7, with express shipping!
Will get some benchmarks up here once I get it and decide which program to benchmark with.

Plan for benchmarks:
- Factory default,
- Clean install with selected Acer drivers,
- Factory default (SSD installed),
- Clean install with selected Acer drivers (SSD installed).

 

Besides the audio driver, I don't think there's any driver you need from Acer.

The audio driver is probably also available from somewhere else.

 

It is, Realtek's official site has more up to date drivers.

 

Have opened the bottom cover to install RAM,
upgraded to 6GB total.

Maybe just my problem, the screws
are very difficult to unscrew (my whole set of mini + drivers
wouldn't fit somehow, and I had to use a - one, and it still not exact fit,
so I was very careful not to damage each of the screws)

and the cover extremely hard-tight to take off having like 10 flips
all around it, especially compared with
my previous laptops Sony and Toshiba that so easy...

Cover's put back, and I'm not sure I'd enjoy
too much having to take off the cover again...

There's an empty space next to the wifi card,
what's that for? Back in page-177, said there's
no connector there?

Thanks

 

Yea, the screws are tight. I found a regular medium
Phillips head which is either new or in very good condition to
work best, even thought the screws themselves are small.

The plastic cover which is unusually large, is also unusually
flexible. Not very rigid like other computers. You can actually
bow is a little to get most of the edge clips in. Others will
snap in with a little pressure.

BTW, I stripped out the upper right thread in both
of our 1830t machines. Wonder if its a design defect?

 

Depending on the price, our beloved 1830t may finally have some competition.

Lenovo will soon release an IdeaPad U260 ULV Core i3 & i5
with a 12.5-inch anti-glare display, .71" thickness and a weight of 3.04 pounds.
And maybe a nicely functioning touch pad...

PDF attachment has more photos and a detailed spec sheet.

 

They look nice, but they are using a 4 cell battery??? Really?? I mean REALLY?

 

The Lenovo models (native Lenovo ones not the IBM Thinkpad ones)
mostly still using ridiculous 4-cell battery thus have very poor
battery life, no way acceptable.

Even current Acer's 6-cell 5800mAH to me's too small cap,
8-cell makes more sense but only available for bigger models...

 

Dell pulls that crap too. They don't even tell you what the battery capacity is anymore. I know a guy who had a Latitude 13 with a 6-cell battery but it would only last 3 hours!

 

I never updated my Intel graphic drivers.
Just checked 3/31/2010 driver date
version 8.15.10.2104,
I tried to check update but it said already the newest installed.

Is that the newest? Or is there better newer ones (both official
Intel ones or 3rd party ones if any)
I should go for particularly to ensure smooth
HD output content steaming.

If yes, can provide help with link of drivers,
else I'll stay with the current one I have ...good enough.

Thanks

 

The latest is v.2206
Date: 10/28/2010

x86:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/19468/a08/Win7Vista_151712.exe
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/19467/eng/Win7Vista151712.zip

x64:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/19469/a08/Win7Vista_64_151712.exe
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/19470/a08/Win7Vista_64_151712.zip

 

Thanks for links.

Tried to install, but somehow not able to -->
"The driver being installed is
not validated for this computer. Please obtain the appropriate
driver from the computer manufacturer. Setup will exit."

Then I tried the link-drivers here as well, but same error message (?)
intel drivers pour chipsets Graphiques

Anyway I'll figure out to fix what's wrong...

 

Uninstall your drivers before you go to the intel site and DL the new ones. They will install with no problem.

Bronsky

 

And to be safe
.. after removing your older drivers.
Reboot using the native Windows 7 drivers
before trying the newest Intel Graphics drivers.

 

Is graphic driver the only one I need to uninstall first
before I update to newer ones? Mostly can just directly update
to new ones....

I worry that after I remove, reboot, and if it still won't
install same error message, then I get stuck with the
native drivers...

But should work I think... Will try it.

Thanks for advice


Also confused with the new Win7,
program files vs program files (x86)
which one's 64-bit which one's 32-bit,
even I check on google, people have different conclusions.

For me so far, I just let the software choose by itself
everytime, but seems like 64-bit ones auto go to (x86),
and 32-bit ones go to program files,
but google mostly said should be the other way round -->
x86 is 32-bit, non-x86 is 64-bit ?!

Anyway I just keep them intact and software install
choose by themselves as always, as long as work fine,
I don't want to reinstall everything just for this confusion...



**************
Yes just did uninstall, reboot then install 64-bit driver.
working so far seems to version:8.15.10.2226
Thanks for all expert help

Rechecking all other drivers for update as well,
though the windows update driver just always tells
"the most up-to-date version already installed", though
sometimes there is newer one already out. Same as
this case with the graphic driver. Best bet is still
to check manually myself if newest version's out or not.



*******************
Just updated Atheros (to 1.0.0.31)
and Broadcom (to 5.60.350.111) drivers as well.

Can't believe the Western Digital HD's still using 2006's
driver 6.1.7600.16385 already that's for Win7(?),
and I've checked WD site, it is the most updated driver,
An older 5400 version HD afterall....

 

You have sucessfully installed 6GB RAM?

So it means 2x4GB is supported?

 

Yes, 2x4GB RAM's supported of course.

The only uncertainty so far on the spec
is whether or not
2x8GB == 16GB RAM is supported max on the board....

but that's only until 8GB-RAM-strip DDR3 becomes available on the market
can really verify that...



***************
Trying to update Realtek audio driver
from current (2/8/2010) 6.0.1.6043 to newer ones.

But
http://www.brothersoft.com/realtek-ac.97-audio-codecs-for-win-7-download-231043.html
(6.0.1.6303)
not working so far...
It's alright, I'll just keep the same version for now.

What's technically difference between Intel display audio
and Realtek HD Audio? One's for gaming, one's for HD content?
Guess 1830T's audio can't expect too much anyway
without external amps add-ons.

 

here's a sceenshot of mine:

 

Some good news...

...my old laptop got squished, and the insurance company is giving me $1200 to 'fix' my old one. I have my 1830 on the way from newegg, so insurance money will cover that. The parents are giving me a further $800 towards my laptop (guilt money cause it was their shelf that fell and broke my old laptop).

So my question is:
1) Any recommended SSD drives? I am looking at 120GB maybe a 240GB, seeming I won't be paying for it as such. The 500GB will be used exclusively as an external storage drive once I make the swap over.
2) I plan to be using a fair bit of MATLAB (with fairly large data sets) from this laptop, any ideas if it is worth upgrading to 8GB of ram? Any particular brand or is all laptop ram so-so? ie: How bad a memory hog is Windows 7 + the Intel inbuilt graphics?

 

Samsung 470 SSD is very good for battery life... it's a bit expensive though.

You can get better deals on Sandforce drives like Vertex 2 and Agility 2 but their power consumption isn't as good.

Corsair Nova and Kingston v+ are power efficient and fast.

 

For the past full week+, I've been feeling the
well-discussed PAIN of the Broadcom wifi card.
I already checked during my purchase on Synaptics pad
and Broadcom card(hope changed to Intel...),
just decided to go for despite finding that it's still the Broadcom, guess
1 out of 2 is acceptable, better than with Alps even, and since I don't
plan to use Linux for now.

But problem of weak signal's still there.
Often 2 of 5 on signal strength, at most 4. I'm not sure how much
is to blame only on the Broadcom card, as I'm using a local
service provider branded router because of my broadband plan
(so I don't even know what it is actually inside the router,
is it Linksys, D-link or anything else, but the router's been used
unchanged for like a year already and no problem at all so far
with my previous laptops)
and earlier of past week also had horror connection problems for days,
with most recent few days vastly improved on that at least
if just signal's still same weak.

Funny enough I updated the Broadcom driver last night
from earlier 2010 to later 2010 version. And today
signal's even weaker more prolonged 2 out of 5 (maybe just mental...)
vs 4 of 5.

For now it's working stable, but I'm prepared to have to swap
in wifi card to replace the Broadcom in the future if problems go worse
for whatever reason, esp. when I'm bringing more around having "challenges"
from different routers everywhere, and not just my home/work ones.

Is this the exact Intel 6200 card that's been discussed here before?
Newegg.com - Intel 622AN.HMWWB Mini PCI Express 6200 Centrino Advanced-N Wireless Adapter Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, WPA, WPA2
I haven't been able to find it in stock looking at some
Hong Kong stores so far, but think it should be there with more
effort to look for.

Last time opening up the cover, I remember seeing the
Harddisk on the side, RAM in the middle,
wifi card below the RAM and next to the empty space, with a long
narrow white ribbon sticker on top of the card bridging
the machine frame (for what purpose is that sticker?)

Is it as simple as just plug out the old card and plug in the new card?
Reviewing previous pages, said need to be very delicate with
the antenna install? and overcoming some tight screws and fitting?
On quick glance, do seem like wifi card's easier to swap out
than the HD, if not easier than the RAM...

At least I don't have absolute urgency for now to replace the card,
but good to know what to expect exactly in advance before I
go to do it sometime. Or if I suddenly can find the Intel card
in store, then might just do it quick.

The Atheros since built-in on the board, I'll leave it alone.
I don't have a full-pro tech-lab bench&tools handy available.
Prefer not to over-touch (or mess with) things if I don't have to, else
I needlessly endanger my 3-yr factory warranty...

Thanks

 

red devil...the wifi card you linked works well and it easy to change out, just be very careful with the two antenna wires. I have the same card, but found mine on ebay for about $15. I also upgraded to a 640gb hdd, you can never have enough space.

so is anyone else cheesed about the software load on this thing? seems like 20gb of junk. and the restore disc puts it all back on! !?!

of particular annoyance is the MyWinLocker Suite. it will NOT uninstall itself, as a matter of fact trying to uninstall only REinstalls it. I've spent over an hour manually removing it, it has over 200 registry entries. Why do they put crap like this on machines? Is it too much to ask for a OS only restore?

 

Many of us with Broadcomm units in our 3820TGs have swapped them for other Wifi cards. The odd thing is that we found the Atheros card used in the newer models of the 3820TG to have a better range and signal than the intel 6200. You might consider that card. You can probably get one from an Acer parts reseller who has 3820TG parts.

Bronsky

 

The recovery sector on HD 13-14GB is not easily removable
even if made recover discs, so together with 20GB of junk software
it's 34GB of wasted HD space.

be careful not to break the antenna wires? ok keep attention on that...

many seem to opt to swap for 100GB or less of SSD instead for higher speed,
less power, but with well less capacity. So it's a personal choice.

Good reminder. Which model Atheros card is that?
I'll check on that too together with Intel 6200.

Surprised to find the stores mostly not carrying internal cards,
but only external wifi usbs, as I was told by storeperson they mostly
don't carry stock here because very few customers would buy the
internal ones to modify inside their notebooks if only just buy add ons
to usb outside. I said yes I usually'd stay with the built-in wifi
as well if only this time the come-with-card is weaker than expected.
Should be ok I'd locate it in more specialized stores or request for
special wait-ordering.

 

I haven't even got my laptop yet and already know I will be swapping out for a SSD drive! Why?
I saw the 15 inch Timeline X in a store here, checked the windows benchmark (yer yer I know how 'good' it is, but if bad benchmark program says bad, its bad..) and it had the hard disc as the poorest performer. In the 1830 I am sure the poorest performer will be the 3D graphics; albeit this doesn't worry me as I will not be needing blazing graphics. Reading chunks of data from the hdd will be important though. I am buying a 10$ case to put my 1830 hdd in to use as external storage

On the wireless card, sometimes it can be confusing as to what the exact problem is. My squashed Sony (Intel Pro 3945abg) had serious connection stability issues with my D-Link router.. replaced the router and it was a little better but still nowhere near what it should have been. Even on other D-Link routers it ran flawless..
..all I can think of is that I had bad luck (driver versions, hardware versions etc) and just got a combination of little problems that ended up in one big one; a crap connection.
From the places I go, I am under the impression that Atheros is making some of the better wireless cards around at the moment. Just hope you are not having bad luck

 

NBR's 1830T Core i7 Review:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5903&review=acer+aspire+1830t+timeline+x

 

Hi guys! I'm new here, but I read this thread very often until I purchased my new 1830t-3721 from B&H @ $699.95. I betrayed Newegg in this occasion, but it wasn't in their list.
Received it the last week of October, I got:
- i5-470UM
- Synaptics touchpad
- Broadcom n wireless
I spent a while to get used to the multi gesture touchpad, by at the end of the day I like it. Most of all I enjoy the two fingers scrolling. I had to go down to 2 lines at a tine to have it fine.
Performance is absolutely great! I like to see the TurboBoost Gadget at work!
I immediately hated the HD: too slow to bootup, even with bloatware cleaned out.
I switched right away to a small SuperTalent FTM32G225H SSD that I used for my former HP Pavilion DV2 (sold on eBay).
I was concerned about space but with a full set of tweeks I got 18.86GB used with 10.98GB free after a fresh install of Win 7 64bit Ultimate. I add a class10 8GB SD card to store downloads, music, and pics. The original 500GB went inside a 2.5" external enclosure, for movies (all my Star Trek collection and more). Guys, this Indilinx 32GB SSD put performance to another level!
Then I piked up a Warpia Easy Dock Wireless Docking Station ($128.95 from B&H). Perfect for ppt presentation on the air for my job. Even stream TV shows fine with almost no lag.
Next step:
- A-DATA S599 AS599S-64GM-C 2.5" 64GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ($114.99 from newegg)
- Intel 622AN.HMWWB Mini PCI Express 6200 Centrino Advanced-N Wireless Adapter ($24.99 from newegg)
They should arrive in two days.
I can't wait to check the SandForce 1222 SSD!
I'll put some pics soon.
Thanks.

 

Welcome Mousemagician, please post pictures. I am getting an 240GB Agility 2 SSD for christmas and will be doing the install that weekend. I also have purchased an external housing for the stock 500GB HDD as a way to offload data and backup my SSD. I also intend to put the original HDD back in the lappy when I move onto a new one in a few years.

 

Can someone with an 1830T-3721 check the driver dates for their USB Generic Hubs in Control Panel? I suspect my drivers may not be up to date.