Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge

I found a link in the thread on one of the latter pages, but it was a rapidshare link and had met it's 10 download limit (lol). Anyone else have a link to a color profile?

 

that's the one i went for. The lack of internal bt is the only big issue of this laptop. did anyone try a possible fix?

 

Hi Ive had the 4820tg for just about 2 weeks now being used for school mainly but decided to test the gaming abilities. I installed Fallout 3 but the screen constantly freezes about 5 seconds into gameplay with the audio continuing to play.

I have not done any changes to the system (driver updates, fresh install etc) as yet and this is the first game I have installed.

Any ideas where I can begin in solving this issue?

 

Have you updated the GPU drivers?


I'm running Fallout New Vegas flawlessly on high graphics, tempted to push it with Ultra and a bit of overclocking.

 

Nope Ive made no changes to the system since I got it. Do I update the drivers through the link on the Catalyst Control Center? Or is there some other way?

Appreciate the reply.

 

The way to do it is explained on the first page I think of this thread, but I'll sum it up for you, worked perfectly for me. First, make sure you have installed the Intel + ATI display driver from Acer- if you've done nothing to the laptop since you've had it, you should be good to go on this front.

Next, go to the AMD website and dowload the latest catalyst software suite:

ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver

IMPORTANT- do not uninstall old ATI driver. Once you've downloaded the update - run the file that you downloaded and it will download the update, like 75mb- at the above link, you need to restart the computer and press F2 to enter the setup screen, and change the video/display (forgot which one it is, but you'll see it) to 'discrete' from 'switchable' .

When back in Windows, run the new file you downloaded, it will be the ATI catalyst setup program. You want to make sure you check the box that updates the display driver. Just install it over the old one.

Now, you might get an error message that the driver does not work. Fine, just restart the computer but press F2 again to get back into the setup screen, and switch the display mode back to 'switchable' . Restart, and you should be good to go with the updated display drivers.

 

Hey guys. I finally got Win7 to install on this crap SSD. It runs 7 but is sometimes unstable.

I got a question though. Have any of you gamers tried to get the original Battlefield 2 to work on this laptop? I got it to install just fine, but in the game menu and loading screens, there seems to be alotta slow down. I heard that if you want to install WinXP on a newer machine that has AHCI, you have to disable it and run in normal SATA mode. Would this have any effect on the in-game stuttering in BF2? There is a lot of graphic glitching and the game is force closing on me mid-game.
Just seeing if anyone has experienced similar issues.

 

Fallout 3 has issues running on Windows 7 x64 and Windows Vista x64. Google it and you will get tons of results about Fallout 3 crashing. Try a different game.

 

I purchased my 4820TG-7805 at J&R.
It has a Mfg Date of 2010/08/05

The LCD screen is an AUO303C.

I definitely agree with tripilot, the screen is definitely not "low-end quality".

I'm very picky on LCD screens, especially ones
I'll be staring at for several hours everyday.

The AUO LCD on my 4820TG does not exhibit the graininess,
washed out colors, vertical lines, bluish cast, etc. that some experienced
with their 4820TG.

On the contrary, the AUO LCD is sharp, bright, vibrant colors, etc.
That's why I was quite surprised and impressed seeing this AUO LCD
on my 4820TG, after reading numerous negative posts about the LCD quality on the 4820TG.

Aylafan, Bronsky, windowsmaclinux, tripilot, etc. are correct in their statement
that it is a random defect. A random defect, just like with any other
laptop manufacturer/brand/model.

 

The weight difference of 0.7lbs with the 4820TG (4.6lbs)
and 3820TG (3.9lbs).

The screen size difference of 0.7" with the 4820TG (14")
and 3820TG (13.3").

The size and weight differences are small.

A slightly larger palmrest & touchpad, less strain on wrists/hands/fingers.

A slightly larger screen, less eyestrain for better general usage
and games. (1366x768) is an acceptable, usable resolution at 14".

A higher resolution will just cause further eyestrain (smaller icons, smaller text, etc.)
and slower performance from the ATI HD 5650 in games.

15" or larger, then yes, a higher resolution will be better.
But then, a higher class GPU will be required
to maintain an adequate performance in games.

Here are some photos that helped me finalize my decision to just
keep the 4820TG and stop hoping for a US release of the 3820TG.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/488205-acer-timelinex-3820tg-owners-lounge-info-benchmarks-tweaks-mods-upgrades-699.html

If the weight of the optical disk drive and overall weight bothers you,
replace the ODD and just install an HDD/SSD.
Or a dual SSD setup if you want to make it even lighter.
Yes, the ODD is removable.

That's another plus with the 4820TG, a dual HDD/SSD setup to maximize
Windows, general usage (applications, video, etc.), and games performance.

(i.e. Dual HDD/SSD setup and methods to take advantage of 2nd HDD/SSD: Windows/page file optimal performance,
clone/data backup, and many other configurations & uses)

Something that can't be done on the 3820TG.

 

Is there a way to simply disable this button entirely? It's very annoying.

 

How to disable the keyboard Windows key

 

Thanks for the advice.
Reading the release notes on the link, it states that switchable graphics enabled notebooks using intel chipsets are not compatible with this release.

Is this the same release you installed?

 

I believe that ATI Mobility Catalyst 10.7 is the most stable driver for the 4820TG. There are known issues with newer versions of ATI Mobility Catalyst. But, if you have no problems with ATI Mobility Catalyst 10.10, please post back and I'll update the first post in this thread.

 

After updating the GPU's drivers with the Catalyst 10.7 beta drivers, what value should be reported next to "Driver Version" found under the video adapter's driver tab? 10.7?

 

10.7 should read Driver #8.713.3.3000

10.10 should read driver #8.782.0.0

 

Interesting, the only issue I've encountered , just discovered yesterday, is that with 10.10 when enabling the HD5650 the brightness control command keys no longer work. I need to go into control panel and manually adjust the brightness. Still works normally when using the Intel graphics. I will try downgrading to 10.7 tonight.

 

My system runs better with the stock drivers from Acer so I'm sticking with them. 10.7 beta causes PowerSmart to turn on while plugged in, among other things, 10.10 ran better than 10.7 beta but I lost some control over brightness adjustment while running in high performance gpu mode. Oh well.

 

Looks like new drivers anyway soon. HP has already released the new drivers and Acer had a set on the SG site that they took down.

Bronsky

 

Catalyst 10.10 works fine for me.
Ive been using it since it got released.

 

Well, bit the bullet and ordered one at Amazon today. Scheduled arrival is the 2nd week in December... kinda hoping that they release the version with the 500GB HDD before then so I can re-order, but I figure I'll probably look at doing the ODD->HDD swap on this machine anyway - I don't need the ODD very often, and would rather have the extra space (but I'm glad it has an ODD, as there are times when it's very useful to have.) Still can't believe this is only $800, I haven't been able to find anything comparable for less than $1000. Especially with the battery life this thing seems to have. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

 

I'm using 10.10 on my 3820TG and the only problem I have noticed is the fn/brightness keys don't work. Csoller - how about the 4830TG, do the side arrows adjust the brightness with 10.10 installed?

Bronsky

 

Still wishing newegg would stock this again!

 

Hi everybody,

I am very interested in this device. So I went to a store today and inspected the 4820TG.
I´ve restarted and checked the BIOS for a virtualisation setting, but didn´t found any.

The BIOS was 1.17, CPU i5.

I need to use Virtual Windows XP / Software virtualisation with Windows 7 Ultimate Virtual PC.

Can any owner confirm, that virtualisation is NOT possible with this notebook?
If this feature is not available it will unfortunately be a no buy reason for me :-(

Thanks.

 

Windows Virtual PC does not require a CPU with virtualization support (Microsoft has a patch for this) to use Windows XP Mode. The main requirement for Windows Virtual PC is that your OS is Windows 7 Professional or higher. You can try VMLite if you have a lower version of Windows 7.

 

Oh, I didnt know.

"The Virtual PC team is thrilled to announce the availability of KB977206 which allows our customers to use Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode on non-HAV (Hardware-Assisted Virtualization) machines. Windows XP Mode continues to use hardware virtualization..."

Windows Virtual PC - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

I will test this on my old laptop. That would be really nice. Thanks

Edit:
That´s crap: "After you install this update, you may be unable to copy and paste files between Windows 7 and Windows XP Mode (or any other virtual machine)."

http://blogs.technet.com/b/windows_...xp-mode-no-longer-require-hav-processors.aspx

Seriously, can someone verify if the 4820TG has HAV enabled by manufacturer?

 

Has there been any updates on the 4820TG-7566 (500GB model)? It's been on their website for a while now but apparently isn't sold anyplace. I called Acer but even the rep seemed confused.

 

@Eagle123: The "Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG-5464G75Mnks" device which is available here, is equipped with a 750GB HD.

 

I think Eagle123 was talking about a different model with the Core i5-460M and a 500GB hard drive. Where are you located, SirIron?

 

Are you sure you installed the update before installing Windows Virtual PC? I've gotten Windows Virtual PC to run on my Sony NW laptop (Pentium Dual-Core) with no virtualization support. I have been able to move files between Windows 7 and Windows XP Mode.

 

I am looking at getting this laptop. Amazon has the lowest price I could find on it.

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T-7633

Amazon.com: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T-7633 14-Inch Laptop (Black Brushed Aluminum): Computer & Accessories

Does anyone know where to get it any cheaper?

 

I hope you know that it doesn't have the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 switchable graphics and just the integrated Intel GMA HD graphics.

 

@aylafan
I own an XPS m1530 with Win7 Ultimate (HAV must set within the BIOS) since about 3 years and havn´t installed anything since Windows 7 release. But I use Virtual PC / XP mode sometimes, so I want to know if I can use all features again with the new device.

My current location is Germany and the specs the system I am about to buy are:

Intel Core i5-460M Prozessor with 2x 2,53GHz
4096 MB DDR3 Ram, 750GB HD
35,56cm (14 Zoll) LED Backlight Display
1,3MP HD Webcam
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 - 1024MB Ram
Bluetooth 3.0, Wireless LAN
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit -> "dont need, own ultimate already"

 

Windows Virtual PC requires Windows 7 Professional or higher. The system specs you just provided only has Windows 7 Home Premium. However, you be able to use VMLite (another freeware virtual machine software) with Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 Home Premium.

I'm am currently using VMLite with Windows XP Mode on the 4820TG (Core i3-350M processor) in Windows 7 Home Premium. I've also been able to use VMLite with Windows XP Mode on my old Dell Inspiron 700m laptop from 2003 in Windows 7 Home Premium. The difficult part was finding a compatible graphic driver for Windows 7 Home Premium on the Dell Inspiron 700m.

EDITED: Yes, you should be able to use Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode on the 4820TG in Windows 7 Ultimate. If VMLite works perfectly, I see no reason why Windows Virtual PC wouldn't.

 

I'm trying to get this laptop. The Amazon deal is just too long of a wait, Fry's is slightly more expensive, and Microcenter has a great deal but I am not driving 2 hours for it.

 

Alright so I downloaded the windows fix that disables the windows button, but it still happens. The screen goes black, it goes to the desktop and the fan(s) starts whirring very loudly. Could this be a heat issue? Sometimes the little arrow icon ends up getting glitched up as well.

 

Microcenter has them in stock again?

 

Nothing online has it in stock that I can see, or I'd be picking it up. I'd also love the 4820TG-7566 over the -7805 for the 500GB HD instead, but that one doesn't even seem to be for sale yet. I've actually called Acer but no one seemed to have any idea what was going on there either.

Very disappointing because I need to order something in the next few weeks here and it doesn't look promising that I'll get my 4820TG

 

Yea but its in store pickup only and I am not sure for which stores.

Besides Amazon and it's 3-5 week waiting time I also found some deals on NCIX.com and Frys... or actually I found them on the front of this thread.

Bah... I might have to create another "what should I buy?" thread... I am lost.

 

Do you still have Starcraft 2 minimized on the Taskbar when this happens? If it is, then the "Windows Symbol" key is probably not disabled yet or you are Alt+Tabbing to the desktop. I can't really think of anything else that would cause this problem unless are you are getting error windows or anti-virus popups, but then that would be a whole different problem.

 

where did you get your computer from?

 

Fry's. I live near one and they had one 4820tg left in stock last week. If you are near a Fry's and buy it in-store their service plan rocks which is what sold me. If they estimate it will take more than 24 hrs to service the laptop they provide you with a loaner system to get by. You have to put down a credit card of course but I'm fine with that.

 

Yes, they do, no problem at all.

 

Hmm, not the case for me. When using the integrated graphics the fn/brightness keys do work. But when I switch to the HD5650 the brightness keys do not work. However, when I go into bios and change graphics mode to "discrete," then the fn/brightness keys work.

 

Just ordered that 4820tg off of amazon... I'll let everyone know how I like it...


in 3-5 weeks.

 

Don't feel bad ... my new HP Slate 500 tablet was just delayed for a month (my pre-order went in on 11/22).

Bronsky

 

Hey guys. I finally pulled the trigger and bought the 4820TG here in the Philippines. Not posting from it yet because I did a clean install of Windows (thanks, Bronsky!) and am formatting my D: drive. Taking a while.

Problem is, I don't have my drivers yet and I have no idea what wireless card I have. The eRecovery driver disk I made has two of them, and I don't know which one I should install.

PS. Gorgeous laptop so far. Exceeds all expectations.

 

If you're in doubt, I would try installing all of them. You can check out your hardware in the device manager. Click on the individual device you want identify, go to the 3 tabbed page and click details tab and set the drop-down menu for Hardware ID. Do that with your Wifi, etc., to confirm which drivers you need.

You could also do what I do, just install them all. If they don't work, they were not meant to be there.

Bronsky

 

Thanks, man. I'll install the three wireless drivers once I've got my security set up. By the way, to answer your question, I've got the 10.10 AMD drivers and FN+Arrows for brightness works in both integrated and discrete graphics.

Here are where my stock specs differ from the majority of yours, by the way:

640GB HDD, 5400RPM
Bluetooth 3.0 (Atheros)
2GB RAM

I'll switch out the hard drive after playing around with the stock model for a couple of weeks; getting a Momentus XT soon and making the other one an external HDD. The ODD's pretty important for me. And my weakest link is most definitely the RAM. What's compatible with our favorite notebook?

 

There are no 4820TGs in stock at Micro Center. I've checked every location online. I don't know how you guys are seeing it in stock. You have to choose a specific location when you click on the Micro Center link on the first page of this thread.

If you can get the 4820TG Core i5 (Bluetooth) with a 500GB hard drive for $575.99. A 2 hour drive is a no brainer because I drive 1 hour to work every day and an extra hour drive isn't so bad for price you are getting the laptop for.