Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge

Woo! Finally posting this from my 4820TG. Man, am I impressed with this laptop. So very nice - can't wait to get even more familiar with it after lots and lots of use!

 

I don't think they have that asus laptop with anything more then a gt420.
He restored his XPS by putting it in the oven.
YouTube - Nvidia Geforce 8600M GT And The Oven

If it's soldered onto the mobo I think you can just take the whole mobo and put it in, but I am not 100% sure.

This has been around for a couple years and works with some DOA gpu's, I almost did it once for a new 8800gt I got a few years ago, but I decided to just RMA it. You do not have this option.

 

@nikunj_cal, check Asus A42Ja/K42Ja, it comes with HD5730...

 

I took the motherboard out and literally cooked it in the oven. It was awhile ago so I don't remember the temps. It only works every once in awhile. There are a lot of sites discussing it ... that's how I found out about it. When I reassmebled the board, it was working and has contined to work.

That's all there was to it.

Bronsky

@Lee_What2004 - nice find. That is a nice looking Asus. If I was getting a quad, however, I would wait for a SandyBridge for a number of reasons. Wonder how long it will take Asus to slap a Sandybridge in that model.

 

This coocking was also used to repair solder from T40p (ATI chip goes away). You can search about, it's the same way.

 

Hey everyone!!!

IVE DISCOVERED SOMETHING NEW! SORRY FOR CAPS!!!!



THE AUDIO OUT JACK IS ALSO AN OPTICAL JACK!

If it is enabled in windows, look inside and you will see red light.

SAVE BATTERY:

disable optical audio out in windows!




this laptop is full of suprises.

 

@kashmeister
How did you enable it to get the red light to show up? I played around with my 4820TG and set the default sound out to SPDIF but I don't see a red light in my 3.5mm port.

 

I've seen the red light when plugging in my headphones before. What does an optical jack do?

 

The optical jack, also known as TOSLINK, allows you to connect the computer to a compatible amp. The digital sound data (encoded in SPDIF format) is transmitted optically from the computer to the amp through a TOSLINK (fiberoptic) cable.

 

Thats cool. I'm not gonna use that.

 

Am interested in the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820TG-7805 but am also interested in the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS5820T-7683 15.6-Inch Laptop, I like the larger 15.6 display of the AS5820T, but also like the i5 processor in the AS4820TG. Can anyone tell me about any other differences which make one of these laptops better then the other? thanks!

 

The 4820TG has both an Intel GMA HD and a dedicated Radeon 5650 graphics card. It has a switchable graphics system. The 5820T does not have the Radeon card.

 

The S/PDIF digital optical output is very useful to bypass the analog
output, of the headphone jack output, for hi-fi, audiophile,
digital quality sound.

The optical output can be connected to some nice PC speaker systems,
like the ones from Logitech.

Or connect the optical output to a headphone amp, that has
optical inputs, then you have audiophile quality digital sound
that surpasses the output/quality from the headphone jack.
Audiophile quality sound from the 4820TG to the headphone amp to
portable headphones. Nice!

Another use is a direct digital connection to an A/V receiver
that has optical inputs. Then you have a nice digital connection
for music from the 4820TG to the A/V receiver and speakers.

The same digital connection can have the Dolby/DTS digital
audio signal sent to the A/V receiver for proper digital surround sound
playback from DVDs or ISO/Blu-Ray images from the HDD.

I prefer to have the HDMI connected directly to my HDTV.
I have the video through the HDMI to my HDTV and the audio from the
optical output to my A/V receiver.

From the 4820TG -> Great high-def video to the HDTV, pure digital surround sound to the A/V receiver.

It's one of the awesome features on the 4820TG.

Thank you Acer for providing an S/PDIF output in the 4820TG.

 

So yea... today I decided to spend as much time as possible with my new buddy, the 4820tg.

First I worked on a HW assignment, which was making a simple java program.
The keyboard was very comfortable to type on and the screen size and resolution made it easy for me to code. Very satisfied. I also did this while watching a football game (I'm a good student ) downstairs and so I did not have it plugged in. The laptop never even got close to running out of power.

Then I plugged it in and played some SC2 without a mouse... which is hard... I was using the touchpad... But it was playable and the laptop handled everything smoothly. Playing nexus wars isn't as hard with a touchpad. I won most of those games.

Then I plugged in a 360 controller and played Grid for too long -.- ...


I think I am approaching the point when I can say I am satisfied with my purchase and that the laptop has nothing wrong with it!

 

Awesome find , Earlier I used to use a Turtle Beach ( usb driven) to pass digi sound to my av receiver but this has just given me another reason to buy the 4820tg. Also is the HDMI provided with the laptop 1.3 or 1.4 any idea ?

But now the question is that I am currently in Asia and was thinking of picking this laptop from Singapore , will the Asian version have the digi output as well ?

 

Hehe!

That's so cool.

Awesome!

Yep, about the 4820TG, I share the same feeling of contentment .

 

Hi guys, been reading this thread about the Acer4820tg for quite a while before I decided to buy it on Sat.

I can't help but notice that all the models quoted only featured the i3 or i5 processors. However I managed to get a core i7 640m model with 750g HDD.



A quick review:

1) Screen

Resolution seems alright. Colored can be quite vibrant but not exactly top notch. Brightness is really good. Setting brightness to 50% was more than sufficient.

2) Battery

Battery was impressive. I surfed with Wifi on from 8am to 10:30am and still had 78% battery remaining. However, I do notice that the battery readings can vary alot as I checked every now and then. Odd. But I suppose battery is really a strong point for this model despite it sporting an i7 processor which is supposed to consume more battery.

3) Keyboard

Keyboard was well spaced out, and may need time to get used to. Not backlit which was a disappointment but not a major problem.

4) Webcam

Webcam image was average. No visible lag.

5) Heat

Have not managed to do any temp readings yet. But based on touch, the notebook does not feel hot at all. However it should be noted that I was mostly only surfing the Internet.

Tip: I suppose with gaming the notebook might get hot. For those with heat issues, I will highly recommend that you purchase a Coolmaster Notepal Infinite. Comes with adjustable fan speed reaching a max of 2,000rpm which is much faster than typical 1,500 rpm ones in the market.



http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1291014969&sr=1-4

 

Another blue screen, and I wasn't even doing anything (was getting a drink and saw it blue screen from across the room). Looks like I'm having to mail this thing back and get it repaired. Very annoying, I was really liking having the machine around.

EDIT: Actually, I noticed this time that when the computer bluescreened the main error message at the top (during the bluescreen) was "bugcode_usb_driver". So it'd make sense if my usb driver was faulty or something, but I have the latest usb driver, and I did not have any usb devices plugged in when the error occurred. Is this a software issue that I can fix or should I just mail it in?

 

The ATI 5650 has HDMI 1.3,
the ATI 6000 series has HDMI 1.4.

Are you looking for full resolution 1080P 3D playback?
The ATI 5650 can still output 1080P (just not 1080P 3D) from Blu-Ray
and output digital lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio formats through HDMI.

Yes, I just checked PCHome Taiwan, the 4820TG models
listed on their website (should be the same models available in Singapore) has the S/PDIF output listed.

Good luck!

 

Hey, that's awesome!

Thanks for the quick review.

That so impressive that the battery isn't drastically affected with the i7 CPU.

Where did you get yours?

Thank you for mentioning the Cooler Master NotePal Infinite.

Hmmm, quite interesting.
Now I'm thinking about returning my NotePal U2 and getting the NotePal Infinite. LOL

Great coincidence!

Just did a Google search. That particular model is listed on some Singapore
websites. Hehe!

@ nikunj_cal

Since cooleo mentioned the 4820TG-644G75Mn with the i7, it seems to be available in Singapore. Awesome!

Now you have available whichever hardware specs you prefer when you're in Singapore.
You're so lucky!

 

Yup i bought it in Singapore. The only grouse is that it seem much more expensive than the i5 model you guys have in the States. I got the i7 model for approx usd$1,100. Of course, it also came with a crazy 750g HDD which is a pity that it only runs at 5400rpm.

It should be noted that i bought it during a recent I.T fair where prices were slashed from an initial launch price of usd$1,290. I managed to bargain for a free upgrade of ram from 4gig to 6gig plus an additional 2nd year warranty. Also, as mentioned earlier, the free 2nd six cell battery really helped me to make up my mind to purchase this.

For guys who have heat issues, try to get a laptop cooler fan. Or try to use a thick hardcover book to prop the notebook up to create space below your notebook and allow the hot air to disperse.

 

Wow!

You sure did get an awesome deal.

Especially with those extras you mentioned.

That's surely worth the extra amount of money.

 

Thx all for your help. Got in touch with Dell. They have given me an offer. They will charge me $300 and give me a 2 year warranty extension on my XPS M1530. They will then repair the motherboard under warranty. Now I am confused. Do I put more money on this laptop or do I scrap this and go ahead and buy a new one ? Any suggestions anyone ?

 

Intel Core i7-640M Processor Review

Intel Core i7-640M Processor is the new i7 series mobile processors from Intel for notebooks and laptops. This is a dual core processor, whose model number is i7 – 640M. This processor has Intel Hyper threading technology implemented so each core can handle two threads at the same time thus the processor can handle four threads at the given point of time. 2.8 Giga Hertz is the normal operating clock frequency but it can be varied up to 3.46 Giga Hertz Dynamically to ensure maximum performance. Intel Core i7-640M Processor has a cache memory of 4 Mega bytes, the cache memory is called as Intel Smart cache. Each core uses 2 MB of cache memory. The bus to core ratio of Intel Core i7-640M Processor is 21. SSE4.1 and SSE4.2 Instruction set extensions are supported by this processor. The lithography technology used for manufacturing of this processor is 32 nm technology.

The maximum Thermal Design power of Intel i7-640M is 35 Watts and the instruction sets are of width 64 bits. The Direct Memory Interface provides data transfer at the standard rate of 2.5 GT per second. There is an integrated graphics processor which works at processing speed of 500 Mega Hertz and can stretch itself up to 766 Mega Hertz. This graphics processor has all the advanced technologies that Intel has developed for graphics processing incorporated. Thus making this graphics processor more than sufficient even for accelerating High Definition Videos and since the capabilities of this graphics processor is unmatched it rules out any need for external graphics card. There are two memory channels to connect processors. Intel core processor i7-640M supports 8 GB of RAM memory of the type DDR3. Each RAM channel can support up to a maximum RAM memory of 4 GB. The refresh rates of the DDR3 RAM that this processor supports are either 800 MHz or 1066 MHz.

Intel core i7-640M processor has all the advanced Intel technologies in place, thus making it an ultimate choice for anyone who needs unmatched performance. This processor stands out with its performance as Hyper threading, Intel Flex memory access and Intel Fast memory access are there the processor’s performance doesn’t dip even when are multiple applications are running on it. This is one of the few processors that support AES New Instructions and Intel Trusted Execution Technology. This processor is simply the best processor that Intel has ever made, which fits everyone’s needs. Some models of HP dmt4 laptops comes with Intel core i7-640M

 

For sure, the I7-640M is a wonderful processor. The I5-580M is nearly as fast, has the same AES encryption and Com suite advantages and easily overclocks higher than the I7 (confirmed OC in a 3820TG of 3.8ghz stable). It does this without the need for the additional 1MB of cache and therefore runs more efficiently. Thus, in some applications and for some users, the I5-580M is a better fit.

Bronsky

 

That is a very tough choice. What does repair the motherboard mean ... will they replace it? You would have to throw at least another $500 on top of the $300 to get a new unit. The question is "will the XPS spend the better part of the warranty period in the shop?"

Bronsky

(oops - sorry downloads ... I forgot to combine these)

 

Yes they will replace the motherboard but you know what it really does not make sense to put more money on this because here on the xps I invest $300 and I am assured of a two year service. However I went to my local acer shop today and checked out the 4820T ( he did not have the 4820TG on display but he said that both are the same ) 4820T does not however have the HD 5650 card. My comments :-

Lid is wobblyyy. Why is this I wonder ? Even my existing travelmate has the same damn problem. I initially thought that this was becuase my travelmate was old but no all acer laptops have this. I even checked out the 4745 and other acer laptops next to it and ALL of them had the wobble . My Dell XPS on the other hand is rock stable at every angle.


Lid -Flex: I found this to be quite acceptable and I also dont think the lid will break when we pick up the laptop using the lid ( occasionally , not regularly please). It seemed to be quite firm.

Flex on Keyboard , over the optical drive - Ok for my standards. Even my dell xps has a bit of flex in certain areas. Keyboard was nice to type but again I just spent 15 mins with the laptop overall.

Screen Quality : seems ok but I forgot to check the manufacturer of the panel ! Should have paid more attention there !

Sound Quality : Avg could have been better


I am not considering the i7 as that is beyond my budget. Last time this is what had happened . Was aiming for a $800 laptop and bought a $1400 XPS instead. Will not repeat that mistake once again.

Additional 2 yrs Global warranty is available for purchase at a nominal amount - for me this is the best part and exactly what I wanted !

 

Hi does anyone have a problem trying to enable Internet tethering through bluetooth with iPhone? Can't seem to get it to work. I did manage to get internet tethering through USB cable though.

 

My graphics will not switch back from the HD 5650 to the On-Board now. I'm not sure why as it recognizes it and says the drivers are updated, but they won't switch right now. Any ideas? It's killing my battery life.

 

Hmm, well lets start with something obvious.
1. Do you have it set to switchable in the bios?

2. Try closing your web browser and all other applications and then trying to switch to on-board. I've heard web browsers sometimes cause it to not switch.

 

It is set to switchable in the BIOS and I have closed out of all my stuff and tried to switch it. This pisses me off though that I just bought this thing and already the switchable graphics are going screwy on me.

 

Are you using the Acer drivers? If you install 10.10 or a variant, the swicthable graphics sometimes do not work. I have 10.10e and mine doesn't work.

Bronsky

 

How do I revert back if this happened accidentally? I need the switchable since I'm a college student that is on the go a lot.

 

Got mine earlier today... Lovin it so far!!

 

uninstall the drivers, reinstall default drivers.

 

Acer's AMD default graphic drivers work the best. I only posted the installation for newer ATI drivers because people kept asking on how to do it. I wrote a warning that mentioned bugs with newer versions of ATI Catalyst on the 4820TG, but people seem to ignore that part. Simply, uninstall the new ATI drivers and go back to the default ones.

 

Oh, but install the default 3820TG because they are newer, right?
Thats what I did and everything is working good.

I have a question for 4820TG owners out there...
Who has actually switched out the ODD for another HDD or SSD?
I've used the ODD a few times and it's nice but I have a perfectly good external ODD right next to me...

I think I am going to wait until they have a 128gb sandforce drive or better for around a dollar per gig. It's gonna get there before easter I think.

 

Is the mPCIe inside built for 50MM or 70MM?

 

Well just have to post, Just got my Acer AS4820TG-7805, witht he I5-460M.
I just have to say, its a THIN notebook compared to my 6 year olf Dell XPS 1210, lighter too.

Ill try and give more input later once I have used it for a little while.

Okay is it just Acer or is everyone no longer adding an Eject button to the DVD-Rom?
Not having one is just..strange and awkward.

 

The eject button is right next to the power savings button. It's on the top right side of your keyboard.

 

Gah okay thanks I'm use to eject buttons ON the drive...

 

hey guys....its been over two weeks n i am still not been able to use the webcam.....gives an error saying.....webcam has stopped working....is it because of device failure...or...driver upgrade problem????

 

Has anybody gone for extended warranty for their acer ?

 

Hey guys. Need some help with the audio on my 4820TG-7805.

Might have accidentally dabbled with an audio driver or some sort of audio setting. Can't access audio settings/adjustment now and have lost audio output to speakers and jack.

Lol, help me.

 

@ se13gits
Uninstall audio driver from control panel; reboot; install audio driver again- that's all.

 

Hey all, been lurking this forum for a long time now... THanks to you guys I chose the Acer 4820tg-7566.

i picked it up from microcenter on saturday, everything seems to run fine BUT:

when i run OCCT gpu with error check + prime95 Blend test on 2 threads my temps reached 95-96 degrees for the CPU's and 86 degrees for the GPU (celsius) and i stopped it immediately... is this normal?

I also ran prime95 small ftt test on all 4 threads 100% and max temps were around 85 degrees celsius.

(just for fun, got 9145 3dmark06 score with 690-1005 clocks)

 

Did you reinstall the webcam driver from the Acer website? I would return the laptop if it turns out to be a device failure.

I believe you have an option to buy an extended warranty online from Acer. Also, some credit card companies give you a 1-year extended warranty on laptop purchases.

Try reinstalling the audio drivers or try finding out what setting you changed because it sounds like user error from my point of view.

The Core i5s are known to reach temperatures around 90 Celcius in the 4820TG. The Core i5 will throttle when it reaches temperatures too close to the 105C TJunction. So far, I haven't gotten any Core i5 throttling results/logs from people in this thread. So, I am assuming noone has gotten the Core i5 to throttle in the 4820TG as of date. The HD 5650 should be able to handle 86 Celcius just fine.

Use Everest to log your temperatures and processor speed when you run benchmarks or games to see if the Core i5 is throttling.

 

Uninstalling and reinstalling the audio driver isn't working but a system restore makes it alright. Only thing I've done is uninstall some bloatware since getting the computer and installing some programs. Don't know what I coulda done to screw up my audio so it doesn't recognize devices. Guess I might just have to reinstall everything from the restore point, sigh.

I don't believe any of the Acer pre-installed programs have control over sound so I've ruled that out as the problem.

 

Can anyone just quickly go through with me on how to uninstall the ati drivers ?
I wasn't paying attention on the earlier posts.
I also heard that the original driver which acer provided was the best ?

Help me out ?

 

Paid in full with my VISA card - it gives me an extra year of warranty for free. It depends on credit card too - apparently not all VISA cards are created equally And you MUST pay 100% of your purchase price with your credit card. I have never had to use them for warranty work, but it is free benefit to credit card holders anyways.