Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge

okay good to know was going to order the 1.0mm but ill wait. thanks

 

It never happens with the Intel GPU - it must be the ATI GPU. Windows log:
Level: Critical,
Source: Kernel-Power,
Event ID 41,
Task Category (63),
and: The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
And it happened 27 times between 2 of March and 14 of March.
What is your advise???? Reinstall ATI??? And which version(11.2???)??? And HOW? TX A LOT

Tx for the idea but I think the problem is elsewhere. Anyway which hard drive utility do you recommend - to try and to exclude this possibility from the list of potential problems.

 

Sounds to me like you're going into thermal shutdown. Have you got something like hwmonitor installed so you can track your CPU / GPU temps? I'd use that and see if the GPU temps are climbing above 95C or not.

My GPU/CPU run in the mid 80s while gaming, which is a little warm but not too hot. If you're hitting 95C on the GPU something is wrong with your cooling system.

 

So it appears that I have a new problem and I hope that I can get some insight into it. The warranty was over to begin so I decided to change the thermal paste due to high temps under high load (such as gaming). I have an I-5 core 430m.

Temps for the GPU are absolutely fine but it's the CPU that I'm worried about. Before the new thermal paste, CPU temps went up to 102C when playing games (e.g. BFBC2). With the new paste (as well as cleaning the fan), idle temps are in the 40s but still, when it's under load it reaches up to 100C for at least one of the 2 cores.

I know a good laptop cooler may help with bringing down the temps a bit but what I want to know is how likely is it that the fan/heatsink may be the problem and need replacement? Again, GPU temps are exceptionally fine with a capped high of around 80C.

 

There seems to be a problem with the sleep function. If I close the lid for about an hour or two, the laptop is still under sleep mode, no problems. If I leave it closed for any longer than that, it seems to automatically shut off.

Is there something wrong with this unit? Can anyone confirm there sleep mode works for extended periods of hours?

EDIT: Okay, I've searched the thread and found that a couple users experienced symptoms that were very similar to mine. So I'm thinking that there is a problem with the sleep mode inside my unit.

 

No, it is a feature of windows to shut down the laptop complete after a time at standby mode.

 

Are you serious? My old gateway would go into sleep mode for literally days on end.

 

So I have been running the Firefox 4 beta client, though its now the release client, and have been having an issue. Every time I switch the graphics cards when I have my browser open, the browser completely fails and is unusable. It doesn't crash or become unresponsive, but the screen besides for the toolbar goes black and the minus, maximize, and close buttons disappear. Very strange.

Any thoughts?

 

You probably have hardware acceleration enabled in FF4- so it's actually using the GPU when you simply switch it off.
Try to disable it and see if the problem persists.

 

Yes, it happens if the timeout for the hibernation mode was reached.

Windows wake up the laptop from the standby mode and bring it to the hibernation mode.

 

So I updated to the new BIOS V 1.23 and now the fan is constantly on, versus before where it would rev up occasionally (every 10-15 minutes). Just a low constant flow...its annoying and seems uneccessary as the load on my cpu is practically zero when I'm just typing and browsing..

Any ideas?

 

Flash back to the old one. On your OWN RISK.

 

I did the update and mine seems to cycle. Being relatively new with this laptop, I am not sure what's normal and what is not with regards to the fan.
Is it normal now, was it normal before?

 

Well I reverted to the old bios; well ver. 1.22...no problems so far. I also got rid of Acer epower management, as bronsky and others mentioned its uselessness and it tended to get buggy

I'm totally new to it too! I just seem to be learning something new each day, I figure the new bios doesn't let the cpu/gpu get as hot as before maybe as a safegaurd??

 

So I just bend up the L-shape and I shape tabs(the 3 tabs on the GPU part of the heatspeader with screws ) with my hands and screw it back on with thermal grease applied?


I put a StarTech thermal pad on the GPU part that was thinner than the original thermal pad, and didn't seem to help, in fact it made it worse by a few degrees...but my CPU temps were improve by the thermal pads, weird. Also I used to be able to run at 700/1000 frequency on the GPU, but now it crashes randomly is some games and instantly in others, and the temps are barely 78 degrees max at this point.

ha my right speaker doesn't work.

 

I got my ebay caddy today took about almost 3 weeks to get. Uninstalled the odd before installing it. It shows up in manager. I haven't used it still trying to figure out how to put the face plate on the new one, and the place you screw the odd doesn't fit at all in the ebay caddy but if you plug it in only real way to get it out is if you force it out.

edit: fixed the issue with the screws to screw in place. the hold on the back of the caddy were to small, i used a knife to carve it a little bigger works now, and holds it into place. i didn't put the faceplate on so i uploaded pictures just in case people wanted to see it.

http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac259/espada09/IMG_0593.jpg
http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac259/espada09/IMG_0590.jpg
http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac259/espada09/IMG_0589.jpg
http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac259/espada09/IMG_0588.jpg

 

Looks nice. Makes me want to do similar... considering i use the ODD about once a month...

 

I've been thinking about molding a new faceplate for this caddy. I've been looking to buying a new one. They're hard to find and if you do find one they're to expensive.

 

yea im thinking on finding other faceplates too. since the original faceplate on the odd doesn't match with the ebay. But i dont wanna break the clips on the original I might get the newmodeus but they are expensive.

 

Just bought the i5-480m model from newegg along with an intel 120gb ssd and intel 6200 wireless card. Can't wait

 

Ok so i have the 4820tg-7805 with the core i5 480. Anyway is was wondering of there is a way to make it so when i open the lid the computer will wake from sleep?

 

I have recently figured out how to control the fan on 3820TG and want to figure out how to do it on 4820TG. Without having an actual laptop it is pretty hard...

Can any of you install RWEverything, take a screenshot similar to this:
http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb453/renreynolds/2.jpg and post it here?

It would be great if you provide two screenshots: 1) when both fans are off 2) when at least one of the fans is spinning.

Just make sure to save all your documents before launching RWEverything as it might freeze your computer.

 

Hey guys, I've had my 4820tg since January and love it, but I have a question about battery life on Ubuntu 10.10

I believe it's because the drivers for the switchable graphics aren't there in Ubuntu, my battery life is abysmal. On windows I get 4~6 hours depending what I'm doing, and barely get 2.5 on Ubuntu. I've installed a program called Granola and tweaked a few settings to barely get 4, but it's still a bit less than I get on Windows.

Anyone have any solutions or tips to maximize the battery life?

If it matters: Windows 7 x64 (stock install) and Ubuntu 10.10 (32 bit) dualboot

 

you can try going to the 3820tg mods section that has an install guide for ubuntu allowing you to have switchable graphics and see if it helps with the battery issue.

 

Can someone help with my 4820tg camera?

After a fresh Windows 7 install three months ago everything run smoothly, except the camera. It was functional when I tested before the reinstall.

The device manager doesn’t have any device with marks, but there’s no camera there either (not sure how it should appear there).

Thanks.

___ edit

When I try to install the Camera_liteon_1.0.2.0_W7x86W7x64_A it says "The video web camera isn't found! Please plug in the camera and try the installation again."

 

Anyone experiencing these issues? I'll be playing Team Fortress 2 for a bit and while the game is running it has these moments of freezing for a few seconds which are very irritating.

It just freezes randomly although I think there is a pattern somewhat. The freezing lasts for less than 3 seconds but are highly annoying.

 

Could the temps be a problem?

 

Definitely check your temps and make sure you're not throttling.

There have also been reports that WD hard drives have a "quiet mode" that always tries to park the drive head. Check if you have a Western Digital primary drive. If so, download and install QuietHDD to disable the head parking feature.

 

Since there are no volunteers for providing Embedded Controller (EC) dumps for 4820TG, I just went to Costco and took them myself

Here are the EC dumps:
Fan is OFF (Auto):

Fan is ON (Auto, 2nd speed):


I think these registers are the same for 5820TG. But testing is needed:
[0x55] - Fan control register. 0x00-0x0B seems to be Automatic mode different speeds. It will automatically lower to some value in that range depending on the temperature. If you want a real manual control, then you will need to find the appropriate values (for example, fan-off could be 0x1e)
[0x58] - CPU temperature
[0x??] - GPU temperature. I am pretty sure it is there, you just need to find it.

Since I don't own a 4820TG or 5820TG, I will not be investigating any further. Don't ask. You can investigate yourself by following this.

If you find the actual fan control values please post them.

Some useful information:
- If you are planning on creating fan control tools, you should take into account that in 4820 there is only one fan and it cools down BOTH CPU and GPU, so reading temp only from CPU will not be good enough.

- 6930G Fan control utility
You can use this program with 4820TG/5820TG once you find proper fan control values and edit the .rw files in Fancontrol directory. It is very amateur and a hack, but it works. You could contact inteks and ask him to modifiy his 3820tray program to work with 4820TG/5820TG too once you find all the appropriate fan control values.

- For Linux fan control, you can add 4820TG/5820TG support by modifying acerhdf module. Will need to add both CPU and GPU temp monitoring, which should require minor modifications to the module.

 

I'd be very happy to contribute to the developing of a 4810tray (adatpting if possible the 3810tray). I am not a real comput expert but I'll do my best. Playing with RWEverything I found out that in
[0x55] a value of "26" will turn off the fan. Can this be good for the beginning?
[0x5C] seems to read fan speed

 

Wait, are you talking about 48 20 or 48 10? What computer did you use RWEverything on?

 

sorry, my fault, it's 4820!

Something new:

- [0X57] should be CPU temperature
- playing with 1810tray i could stop the fan: RWEverything shows in [0x55] "9E"

 

Hello, I love this laptop so far after having it for a few days

However, I have a few issues with audio. Every few minutes there is a stutter/lag for a second. I hear this in games, itunes, and web browsers. Also, after closing a game, sometimes theres static and I can get rid of it by playing sound from another program, such as iTunes. Anybody know how to fix this?

 

A lot of values can turn the fan off, which leads me to think that the fan doesn't take invalid/out of bound values. So far I've tested up to ~0x50 and I didn't find any manual control value for the fan. One cool thing I found was that in Intel GPU mode the fan spins considerably quieter than in ATI mode even with the same fan value

 

Yeah, with Intel GPU the fan is quieter, but not enough in my opinion, expecially in idle or "almost" idle situations, i.e. Office work, the temp is low (<42, and the fan is running). It would be nice if we could better control fan behaviour, let's say: start cooling at 46 (with Office->almost never).

I'll try new values later today. Maybe we'll find something useful. I'm wondering: there should be a vaule somewhere to set fan in auto or manual mode?

 

I think 0x00-0x08 are different stages of auto mode. And any other working values will make it work at some manual speed. But I don't have 4820TG so no way of testing it.

The reason I thought it was just [0x55] with no other register to set fan to manual is because I looked at how fan is controlled in other Insyde BIOS Acer laptops.

That is interesting. Maybe whenever ATI card is in use they double the fan speed or something?

 

1 hour of changing values... no positive results from me, unfortunately. Too bad to give it up. If it works on 3820, it must work here too. Were is the talented IT-folks? Keep on hoping...

 

If you have a Western Digital hard drive then you need to download quietHDD and enable it during Windows 7 startup (startup folder, etc.). Then you will need to disable APM in the program. its on the first page to fix it on this thread.

 

I seem to be having trouble with the switchable graphics. I know that I can't have anything open that uses the dediccated card to switch to the Intel graphics, but if I have the dedicated card running with internet explorer going, and I unplug it, it won't go to Intel. But if i close EVERYTHING and open the switchable graphics properties and try to manually switch to the Intel card, IT STILL WON'T go. The only way to get it to switch is to reboot the computer, which we all know takes a while. It seems that the buttons have no functionality when you try to switch them. IS this just me or are others noticing that they can't switch graphics cards when they want?

Honestly, i'd like to switch to the INtel card even when i am plugged in when i am just surfing the internet. It'll save me a few watts which in turn will help with my electric bill!!

 

Mine switches fine. Have you updated your video drivers or anything like that? Not being able to switch with IE open isn't surprising as it might have HW accelerated flash running or something. If you can't switch with all programs closed, take a look in your task manager and see what might be causing this. Some rogue program in your startup or something that holds something on the GPU so it can't switch.

 

Hi, I have the same issue. I've been using 3820Tray to force the system to use the Intel card on boot and wake. The only time it switches are when I allow it to switch. Sometimes, when it wakes up, the system tries to switch to the dedicated card but the 3820Tray app is pretty good at forcing a switch back.

 

Which tray icon are you talking about? the only way I can get it to switch manually is by right clicking on the desktop and picking 'copnfigure switchable graphics". I haven't really deleted any programs and I updated my drivers when i got the computer in December...

 

this was posted in the 3820 lounge but it also works for 4820tg graphics card. its an 11.2 catalyst package modded with intel .2281 driver version that has a very stable and working switchable graphics solution.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/561840-3820tg-owners-lounge-part-two-16.html#post7281572

my friend has a 4745g which is almost practically the same laptop as 4820tg except for cosmetic differences (his specs basically match 4820tg on all named components but there might be something inside that's different)

anyway, his laptop actually does not have an autoswitch functionality, meaning when he plugs in or disconnects, it doesnt change graphics cards. also, his laptop boots to the last used graphics card that was active when it was turned off. anyway, i really dont know how to investigate the differences between the two machines enough to know what is it that makes his machine not autoswitch vs the 4820tg.

 

I'll give these a try and see if it helps. Making a restore point today!

 

Is there a way to add bluetooth to the AS4820TG-6847?

Also, does it support 5.0GHz wireless?

 

There is an application created by someone on these forums. Google search: 3820Tray

Yes it is possible to add a bluetooth module. You have to pretty much disassemble the entire machine to get to that port; however, it is nonetheless possible.

5GHz WiFi depends on the wireless card you're using. The stock Broadcom or Atheros cards do not support 5GHz. An Intel 5100 or 6200 would. You need to buy one of the Intel cards to use 5 GHz WiFi.

 

Hi everybody

I'd like to know if someone did already add a bluetooth module inside its 4820tg please, and if it's easy btw please

Thanks in advance,
Have a nice day

 

I wrote customer support (replied quickly too..) and told me if you do not have a white sticker on the bottom stating it has Bluetooth it does not. It does have the software though, as it is easier to supply the basic software package to all sub-models and let the hardware configuration decide what can be used.

They inferred it was not possible with the board configuration of the -6847.
If you look at the 6847 specs it says it does not have BT. But then we do have the 480M processor and larger hard drive the BT model does not have.

Based on what KingRaptor posted, it certainly may be possible, but of course the mfg. is not going to give you instructions that involves invasive modification of the PC. Something that would be wise to heed unless you have the knowledge and hands-on experience in doing such modifications.

I thought of doing it myself, but having a PC with BT was not a priority, or I would have bought one so equipped. As it is, you can use a USB dongle with BT functionality. Not as cool, but does work.
Nonetheless, I would be interested in what you discover if you plan such a mod.

 

I can get a model with a 480m/6550m AND bluetooth 3.0 (but I'm in France, so I don't think this model is available in the USA ^^').

I saw a report of someone making that "mod" (it's in french actually), but it seems to be easy, and to require not that much time (about 30mins).
The man only needed two screw-drivers (one to unscrew the screws, naturally, and another to put off the keyboard, in order to access to the mini-pcie port, which must be the one directly on the mb).

I'm thinking about buying an older model and making that sort of "mod", because I really need bluetooth for my mouse.

 

From my disassembly experience, getting to that bluetooth module involves more than removing the bottom cover and keyboard. You need to remove the bottom casing of the laptop and take out the motherboard. See the service manual linked on the first page of this thread for exact details.