Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge

newegg has the i5?

 

how long is it to create the driver back up disk? Do i need ot create a windows back up disk if i have a copy of windows 7?Laptop arrives tomorrow, cant wait =D

 

Yes they do Newegg.com - Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820TG-3195 NoteBook Intel Core i5 450M(2.40GHz) 14" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 500GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

Bronsky

@cruisx - The only reason to make a complete image of the HD is if you will need to return your device to factory settings. You can always DL a copy of Windows HP and do a clean install as long as you have properly backed up the apps and drivers. Don't know if you've seen this but it might be helpful. http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...rks-tweaks-mods-upgrades-162.html#post6465732 Once your clean install is done, however, I would back that up.

 

Holy crap newegg.com wont ship to canada. how convenient.

 

Newegg.ca will

 

but for those wanting this laptop, .ca dosnet sell it?

 

im not really sure how long it took me to make just the backup disks. I did all sorts of things so.

-Made a universal windows 7 disk for all versions.
-Backed up my legal key
-Made factory restore disks
-Made backup of just drivers
-Deleted and remade all my partitions
-Reinstalled windows
-Reinstalled drivers
-Restored Key
-Installed Acronis True Image
-Made Backup of Stripped working windows 7 install on D: drive

acronis can bring me back to my base install now in 15 minutes. there is still lots of installs and lots of tweaking to be had. i just wanted to get a cleaned base install saved to work from. She feels so nice and squeaky clean right now. its like wearing a fresh pair of socks right out of the dryer. when all was said and done it was close to 7 hours to get everything done.

 

THATS AN AMAZING IDEA. IF ONLY NEWEGG.CA CARRIED THE LAPTOP.

 

does this laptop overheat alot?

 

Read the thread - there's a lot of information, especially in the first post.

 

Hello Guys,

I honestly signed up for this forum because it was so helpful and informant in helping me buy this laptop. I thank all of you for your help. I also made a video of me unboxing the laptop from Newegg. I might post it up if anyone is interested.

However, I do have some questions. As we all know the laptop comes with a crap load of bloatware. I want to do a fresh reinstall of windows. But how do I get the activation and everything from the current windows. Can anyone help me with like a step by step process of how to do it and what to do after. Like drivers and etc. Thanks

Otherwise very good job on this thread. Very helpful!

 

Here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6465732-post1613.html I origially wrote this when 3820TG's were first imported from Germany. You can ignore the keyboard replacement but all of the backup and fresh install applies. Have fun.

Bronsky

 

Thanks man. Will start reading it ASAP! This laptop is awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

there was bloatware on it but you should see the asus u35 list. its like 3 pages long.

 

sure post the vid.

 

Working on the vid while the laptop is working on the fresh windows ^^

 

YouTube - Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Unboxing

Link to my unboxing. Audio is kinda low cause of crappy camera =/ Anyway if anyone wants to watch feel free to do so.

By the way Bronksy, your guide helped me so much. Fresh windows feeeeels so great

 

Thanks for the unboxing video.

 

No prob The audio is kinda low. Apologies for that. Camera is not the best! Haha. I might even do a small video review for this, one I play with it more. Its such a great buy ^^

 

Hey I just wanted to bump this question again, never really got a firm answer. Is the i3-350 going to be sufficient for WoW/Starcraft, perhaps occasionally playing TF2, never playing BF2/MW2, I have a ps3 for that..

How much of a lifetime does the i3 have.. does it run cooler, does it last longer on battery...

 

You shouldn't worry 'bout the i3. I have the i5 and it's faster than my desktop's overclocked E8200. These CPUs kick butt. You should be more worried about the graphics card, but even that is fine for SC2, COD4 and more demanding games at lower settings.

Won't comment on the battery.

 

Nice Vid! anyone know where to get the 9cell battery? Or a HDD caddy to put a HDD in the ODD?

 

So at my level of gaming, I'm not going to notice the difference between i3 and i5.. correct?

 

Somewhere in the thread, someone said there was no difference in gaming. I would agree as the i5 would be enough to run a desktop 5850 setup. I basically have that setup, except my CPU is an E8200 which is slower than the i5. i3 is enough. You should, however, consider if you want to invest in extra notebook cooling. Otherwise, it'd probably be best to get the i5, as the i3 throttles relatively early. (Right, guys?)

 

Just got this laptop today =D loving it. Havent tried many games yet but did try crysis and it ran at 30 fps at 1280 by 720 oh high and on natice res with 25-30fps on high so thats good. Game is garbage so dont really care about it i just wanted to see how it would do =). Now anyone have any suggestioins for other games?

Arma2 seems like a good one to try as its both cpu and gpu heavy.

 

Yeah I was noticing the throttling as I searched this thread for "gaming". Is it inevitable that the i3 will throttle, or is that only with more intensive games. Have people noticed throttling with non-fps games?

 

From what i know heating causes it to throttle. games cause the computer to heat up. While the i5 will throttle it is at a much higher temp than the i3. So if you are playing in a cool environment you shouldnt notice a difference.

 

what's a good way to customize the lid. im thinking off getting geek stickers made and putting them all over. any other ideas?

 

I pulled the trigger and bought the i3-350/320gb version.. It's gorgeous.

I gotta say, those that are saying the build quality is poor are a bit elitist. It may not be as "pretty" as the envy 14, but it's not going to fall apart in your hands.. It's a laptop, not a toughbook <shrug>

Still working on the backup, haven't played a single game yet..

 

I agree. Too many people say that the hinges for the screen are not the sturdiest. Its a laptop. You treat it with respect. Not something to throw around.

I must say its gorgeous. Acer did a very good job with this laptop.

 

Agreed very nice looking =). Could someone post the link where i can get warranty on the laptop if im in canada? I saw it a while ago i think it was in the 3820tg thread but someone posted some steps to get warranty

 

newegg i5's out of stock once again. Getting money on thursday. I guess Taiwan is getting my money, and I get a 3820tg instead.

 

I guess I must be an elitist then...
But I'd say the build quality on this laptop is average at best, compared to other consumer laptops. Keyboard flex (right side), panel flex (right side, above ODD), squeaky keyboard sound (when keys are pressed slowly and deliberately), and the hinges are loose enough to make the screen sort of wobbly.
Otherwise, I do agree that it is a good looking laptop, well lit screen, and hardware specs and portability that cannot be beat for the price. I suppose I may have cursed myself by going through so many laptops, trying to find the perfect one, now I'm just incredibly picky with laptops.

 

someone should put this link up on the first page, I had to dig through this entire thread to find this.

9.5mm Serial ATA Optical Bay Hard Drive Adapter/caddy - eBay (item 250636145840 end time Sep-16-10 20:21:26 PDT)

and if you don't want to trash your ODD, I found an external portable ODD SATA case at fry's for only $15.

Unfortunately, I think you're out of luck with the 9 cell battery option. Acer doesn't have a parts store and so you're pretty much stuck with ebay and they haven't popped up yet.

 

holy crap they sold out fast.

 

They sell like fire. But gotta love newegg for its super fast shipping.

Also, I have no issues with the keyboard flexing or such. It feels sturdy actually. Maybe NewEgg got the better batch? =/ No clue, but I've owned other laptops in the past and compared to the Acer they all seem sturdy and so does the 4820TG.

 

I am currently on the fence about getting this machine. I like the high battery life and small size for the amount of power packed into it. I am of course concerned about build quality since it has been mentioned by several people. That is neither here nor there. This laptop is by far the most affordable on Newegg just at it's power level alone and I am certainly on a budget.

I am curious about the optical drive. I do not know when everything is going to switch over to being blu-ray standard. Is it possible to replace the optical drive?

Also the lack of any connectivity besides USB confuses me. I think USB 2.0 transfers plenty fast enough. What am I missing out on by not having other forms of transfer besides speed?

Finally, is there a larger battery available? If so, does it properly fit into the laptop or does it add it jut a bit?

Thanks!

 

I wonder how this flex rumor even came to exist.

I don't see how any one can experience flex on this laptop.

Take off the keyboard and it's almost completely FLAT underneath. There is literally no way this keyboard can flex. There aren't gaping holes or gaps, everything is covered with a thin aluminum plate underneath.

You can take out the optical drive in a minute or so. Really easy. Swapping it with a 9.5mm bluray drive (when they exist at a reasonable price ) should be a piece of cake.

You're missing out on convenience and availability I guess.. depends on your personal situation.. for me i've never used or needed firewire or esata etc... i've used usb my entire life.

Larger battery sticks out about an inch. Not readily available yet.

 

There's a 9-cell battery, although it's hard (or impossible) to get in the US:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...inex-4820tg-owners-lounge-60.html#post6573586

I took pictures and stuff.

 

Newegg lists the 4820TG now as "Deactivated", such that they probably won't get any more units in stock.

 

I'm looking into getting one of these. My concern is with the high temp throttling, though. Is it simply because the CPU and the GPU run hot (making the bridge run heat up), or is there a long term problem with collecting dust or something similar?

Thanks.

 

your concern should be finding a place to buy it from.

 

Throttling is rare and only with the I3 CPU that we have seen demonstrated. I don't think it is a problem with the 4820TG as much as it is a problem with the I3. The I3 has a max temp of 90C. The I5 has a max temp of 105C. If you're wroried about throttling, just get an I5 (if you can find one ). End of story.

Bronsky

 

You're not going to have good luck with ArmA 2. My desktop with an i3 530 overclocked to 3.6 ghz bogged down terribly in parts of it, even with the graphics on pretty much minimum. I can only run it well on my quad core machine.

 

Anyone recommend a good sleeve for this laptop? Not too tight and not too loose?

 

Do you know why that is? Acer isn't redesigning/replacing them already or anything are they?

 

Since Bronsky's made quite some progress with switching to the i5 540, any 4820TG owners here considering the switch ?

The thread seems pretty quiet compared to the 3820TG thread :'(.

 

I'm interested too. Would love to get one to make it easier to carry it to school.

But I did manage to find these on Amazon

Amazon.com: DURAGADGET Blue Ultra protection Water resistant laptop / notebook / netbook / UMPC carry case / bag / sleeve for Acer Aspire Timeline 4810TZG 14", Acer Aspire Timeline X4820 14", Acer Travelmate 8431 14.1", Acer TravelMate Timeline 8471

Amazon.com: 14" Zippered Laptop Sleeve Case Black & White fits Fujitsu, Samsung, Dell, Acer, ASUS Eee PC, Gateway, HP, Sony, Compaq, IBM, Mac, Sharp, Toshiba models: Electronics

 

i have buyers remorse after getting this machine. I hate that.

 

Please explain.
I kind of had it as well, until I realised that it was just the HDD speed that was annoying. I hope to remedy that before Christmas.