Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge

can anyone help me with this?
after switching to firefox 4 (dont think its related though) my videocard has been having some problems. after I use my 5650 for a while, windows freezes and then the screen blinks and resumes after a while, a notification then pops up informing me of some display drivers having an error.

my question:
1) whats the best way to reinstall the 5650 drivers? should I also reinstall the intel integrated drivers?
2) whats the latest version of cataylst drivers for my 5650 thats compatible with the 4820tg?

thanks guise :3

 

Make sure hardware acceleration is disabled in FF4- it uses the GPU and may not work properly with some (especially older) drivers.

 

OH thats why! That saves me a ton of time and trouble! thanks man

 

hey!
a doubt about the battery: i own a 4820tg i have made a clean install;
i have 8gb ram and i have changed the harddrive to a 500gb 7200 black scorpio and the new drive's specifications shows it's more power saving than the original 640gb blue scorpio.

but, using wifi, making some downloads, with only the firefox opened, gma and the brightness on level 1 (considering the lowest as level 0, i don't know the percentage of this) it is lasting about 4h. is it ok?
it's kinda far of the "8h" they promise.

thanks!

 

4 hour seems right, youll get 8h if you literally prob doing nothing, i get a little over 5 web surfing 6hr just taking notes wifi off dim lowest so your fine.

 

I highly doubt that the 7200RPM Black Scorpio saves more power than the 5400RPM Blue Scorpio. It should be reversed.

Around 5-6 hours is typically what most people get with the 4820TG stock.

However, battery life could be lower due to many reasons. Newer models coming with lower spec Li-ion batteries than previous models, having a faster Core i5 or i7 processor, having a faster hard drive, not having proper drivers or applications installed, etc. Mentioned above, even Firefox 4 with "hardware acceleration" could somehow impact battery life.

 

Do newer drivers help FF4 run smoothly, without crashes or blurry text?

 

It may be smooth (didn't test it thoroughly) but it's still blurry- HD5650 and Cats 11.3 that were released today (or yesterday depending on your time zone ).
It's better to leave hardware acceleration disabled for the time being.

 

i have a ati 6550 on my laptop; when i installed the ati's latest drivers, i had a worse performance on games than on using the acer provided one. the driver identified the gpu as "5600 series".
what's the best to do?

 

Just go on ebay and type acer 4810 backlit. There should be about 10 that pops up. Pick the lowest price or whichever one you want. I chose the one that cost around $17 and was located in New York, so it only took about a week to arrive.

 

I'm running the modified v15 hybrid drivers with hardware acceleration enabled and it runs without crashing on both Intel and ATI. Some people complain about the font rendering in FF 4 with hardware acceleration but it looks good to me. Of course there's room for improvement but it's not that bad that I would disable hardware acceleration.

 

Man I wish the search function worked on this forum, but could someone please inform me whether this laptop supports Sata 3 or only sata 2? Looking to buy a SSD.

 

Sata II.

Bronsky

 

For the keyboard, is it a direct swap and just finding power for the keyboard or are there fitment issues as well? My o key is starting to not work and I think I am going to have to replace. Might as well upgrade when I switch. Though I am kind of upset that after only a 5 months, the keyboard is breaking when all it does it sit on my coffee table. The up arrow is breaking as well. Used my sisters $500 HP and they keyboard feel is much better, though the layout sucks.

 

@eagle132: I use a Intel SSD 128. It works perfectly on 4820TG. Battery lasts even longer now (I reach 7 h with Internet+Office). Never going to go back to traditional HD

 

Ah OK, that's what I had thought. HWiNFO had said something about sata 3, that's the only reason I was curious. I'll post a screenshot below on what I'm talking about.

 

It says SATA 3Gbit/s which is max for SATA II.
SATA III maxes out at 6Gbit/s

 

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

I was kind of leaning towards a Samsung 470, what made you pick the Intel? My biggest issue is that I use this laptop as my main computer, so having enough space for the OS, apps, music, and a few games is important to me. I could do this with a 256GB model over a 128GB but those are very expensive.

I have seen I suppose that Intel's TRIM is better than Samsung's... haha I'm very noobish when it comes to SSD's even though I've read a lot. Then the 320's are coming out soon here, though they don't look all that impressive.

Oh and the upcoming Crucial c400 right? Though I think that's sata 3. Too many options.

 

Where can i find that driver?

 

Btw, is the 4810 backlit a replace for the 4820 kb?

 

I'dlike to know the same thing. Has anyone done it yet? Are there any instructions online?

 

I am pretty sure somebody has done this and posted it on this thread. I think the 3810T backlit KB fits the 4820TG as well.

Bronsky

 

Should fit.

 

For those that are interested in adding the backlit keyboard, just follow hendrickson's acer 3820tg backlit keyboard mod. It's almost same except when you add the switch, unless you use the power from the bluetooth module then you do not need the switch. I did it on my 4820tg with the hard switch using the usb power. When you add the switch, you will need to cut off the plastic of the kensington lock which looks different compared to the 3820tg. Other than that, everything is same as his instructions.

 

For those of you wondering about the BL keyboard mod, here's the ultimate guide:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/491169-acer-timelinex-3820tg-backlit-keyboard-mod.html

 

I am not a computer expert. Just read a few reviews and Intel turned out to have good reports on speed and durability/stability. 128 is sure not that big. I too use it on my main computer. Big stuff (music, films, etc) are now on the 500 WD that came with the laptop....now as external driver. I do not regret my choice at all.

 

Hi,

I got Acer Aspire Timeline X 4820TG-6847.
I got it all set up, but could not get the Crystal Eye webcam software to work.

On the acer support website, under applications, you got 3 different webcam vendors that provide the software - Chicony, Liteon and Suyin.

Acer Support: Downloads & Support Documents - Notebook / Aspire / Aspire 4820TG

Now, I do not know which one is the manufacturer of my webcam. I do know how to identify the hardware, however in this case, it was of no help.
the hardware IDs are:

USB\VID_04FC&PID_2801&REV_0011&MI_00
USB\VID_04FC&PID_2801&MI_00

Googling these did not help much, so what I did, I tried to install all three, 1 by 1, and all 3 would fail to install in the end, creating an error message, that the webcam was not recognized. However, the webcam is diplayed in the Device manager, has got the correct drivers and more importantly it works!
At the moment I use Debut Video Capture Software Proffesional and it works flawlessly.

Video Capture Software - Capture Streaming Video, Screen Record or Webcam Video Capture

My question though is - who is the manufacturer of my particular webcam, and why cannot I install the software from the Acer website.

thanks

EDIT:

it turns out the vendor is Liteon.

after chatting online with Acer support,I now know, there's a vendor detection utility under the drivers section on their website, which I wasn't aware of before.

With the installation of the crystal eye software, they suggested performing a restore, but I'm not bothered for now, as said I quite like the Debut program anyway.

 

Doesn't matter. The driver is standard, Acer WebCam is just a front end to render the pictures.
If you check out my threads you will know that they are switching to a new front end by Cyberlink.

 

I am just wondering: is it normal that the 4820TG (I3) 's fan is always on (lowest speed) even on idle (or FF/Office) with CPU temps of about 37°C, power settings on low (CPU constant at 911 MHz) and Intel grpahic? Don't get me wrong. It is not loud (even if udible), but it's annoying as I don't see any reason why the fan should run the whole time even in this conditions. What do you mean?

 

On average is there any real difference in battery life - between a 4820T with an i3 vs an i5 CPU..?

Thanks,
-mike-

 

Not really. The i5 turbos when there is thermal headroom but I believe that is only when you are on AC. On battery, both try to downclock when workloads are light. The i3 does begin to throttle back at a lower temp compared to the i5. 95C vs 105C for i3 and i5 respectively.

 

is there any possibility to use something like a dimmer to control the backlit?

 

OK Guys, I bought this laptop from amazon a few days ago. Amazon.com: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820TG-6847 14-Inch HD Display Laptop (Black Brushed Aluminum): Computer & Accessories
So far I have uninstalled some bloatware but am not sure what to get rid of altogether and don't want to do a clean install.

I have the GPU overclocked with afterburner to 725/1000 and get a 3d mark 06 score of 9307. You think that is about as high as this thing will go?

I tried reading this whole thread but just don't have the time. What all do I need to do to get this thing optimized?

Also what do you think safe temps for the CPU and GPU for this thing is? right now I am getting CPU temps around 77-78 and GPU temps 74

this is after a while on farcry 2 with v sync on and 2X AA on high settings.

I appreciate all you guys time.

 

Remember to backup the drivers and applications before you uninstall them to avoid future problems. Read the first post on how to do this. Just uninstall applications you do not need like trial software, links, etc. You should be able to uninstall most of the bloatware in 15 minutes.

You actually have lower than normal temperatures. A lot of people already have CPU temps around 90+ Celcius and GPU temps around 80+ Celcius during intensive gaming. Temperatures have varied among many users.

 

Hey aylafan,

You keeping your 4820TG when the 4830TG hits the streets in a couple of months? I'm not a fan of the new KB design. I prefer the Island type and I really like the backlighting.
They also took one of the fans out of the new 3830TG . Not enough of an improvement in the design to tempt me.

Bronsky

 

few questions:

1, I started gaming, CPU temps are top at 80 degrees C, GPU is top at about 75 degrees C. Is it worth applying Arctic Silver 5 instead of the stock paste?

2, is it ok if one CPU core is 20 degrees hotter or cooler at any one point? say 55 degrees on 1 and 75 degrees on another. So far the temp differences on the CPU cores I came across were like 5-7 degrees max.

3, what is the best cooling pad for 4820TG and what type should I be looking for
(the one that sucks hot air from bottom and spreads it or the one that actually blows cool air from bottom up etc.)

 

Yes, I'll be keeping my 4820TG for another year or so. The 4830TG doesn't look like it will be a major improvement; so I'll be skipping Sandy Bridge for now.

I can't really complain about the 2nd generation of Acer Timeline laptops besides the mediocre screen. I'm content with the keyboard and everything else.

 

I don't think I've seen this posted yet, but with this massive thread I might have missed it. Background, one of the main reason I bought Acer 4820TG is for the ATI GPU because I thought the eyefinity and two video output will allow me to have 3 maximum display (1 internal LCD + 2 external LCD). This setup is very helpful when working in your office since you can have more information displayed at once (better if you have large high res LCDs) without switching windows and this also reduce eyestrain because you don't need to use the mediocre internal LCD. Today I got the chance to try if this laptop can display on 1 internal LCD + 2 external LCD.

So here is what I found, the Acer 4820TG can output maximum two display at the same time. For example, 1 internal LCD + 1 external LCD or 2 external LCD through 1 HDMI and 1 VGA. But, in my case, the Dell LCD (Dell 2408WFP) connected through HDMI was having difficulty recognizing the signal initially. After playing around with the setting for a while, I was able to get it to work. Also, you need to use the ATI GPU to output through HDMI. Not what I want (3 display), but at least I can use 2 external LCD at the same time. At least when I am in the office, I don't have to use the tiny (relatively) internal LCD.

Here is what I did to output to two external LCD:
1. Connect two external LCD, 1 VGA and 1 HDMI.
2. Make sure use ATI GPU.
3. From ATI display configuration advanced menu, choose the disabled external LCD and set it to clone the internal LCD. This should display on both external LCD while the internal LCD is blank.
4. I think if you want to extend desktop, you can switch to extend now.

After further reading, to output to 3 display or more with eyefinity, you need displayport, which this acer doesn't have. Without displayport, you can only have 2 non-displayport display. Here is more info, AMD Eyefinity FAQs. I wish I would have known that before buying this laptop, but it's not too big deal because at least it works with two external LCD.

I hope this help.

 

1: Those temps are quite low actually. the max temp for the CPU is 105 and the max temp for the GPU is 95. Most machines, like mine, run the CPUs into the 90s and the GPUs into the high 80s / low 90s.

2: This is also completely normal, remember that core i can overclock on of its two cores by quite a bit, and since the average power output stays the same between the two cores it doesn't melt into a slag heap or anything.

3: You really don't need a cooling pad with the 4820TG, but it doesn't hurt. since it sucks air in on the bottom and front and blows it out the side, the ones that blow up would be best. I game with mine on a kitchen table or lap table thing all the time and it never really overheats. If I'm overclocking then I will put it on a cooler tho.

 

Hello everybody
I'm back now. My problem with freezing is finally resolved. It happened that I had trend Micro Titanium Internet Security which I taught is an AntySpy but actually is an AntiVirus and there was a conflict between AVG and this program.
Now I want to ask if I install the last Catalyst is there will be a problem with the brightness keys or some other? I red that my Intel graphics can disappear...Does anyone already tried it?
Should I install it directly or first deactivate the switchable graphics in the bios? Tx

 

I'm actually amazed how durable the 3820TG is. I have been very busy at work the last few months and have been taking the Acer home more than normal. It's been in service 12 hours a day, producing massive documents, editing large video files and has not skipped a beat.

The display is probably it's weakest link but the lack of a highspeed data port is second. So, I would guess I'll keep this unit for the rest of this year but I'll be looking for an IPS display with better contrast and high speed data ports.

Bronsky

 

Speaking of the display... has any consensus been achieved on what LCD manufacturer had the best quality screen? AUO, LG, Samsung, etc?

 

Please guys..... somebody to respond...don't want to reinstall my 4820 one more time...just one sentence what to do with the new CCC

 

I installed the latest ati drivers yesterday everything works for me. But what i did was completely uninstalled both the intel and amd video drivers and put them back first page has a guide to install them.

 

Will using a cooling pad interfere with the laminar wall jet? If not, which cooling pad would you recommend?

Also, is it normal for my screen to display vertical white/grey, distorted lines for about 2-3 second when I switch from one GPU to another?



And sometimes I can't switch from one GPU to another without a restart.

 

Thanks Man

 

so, I'll be buying the cooling pad. not that my 4820tg is overheating or anything, it's more like to see how much cooler and quieter it'll make the laptop.

so far I'm looking at Zalman, and can't decide:

::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::
::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::
::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::
::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::

or any other brand/model? I'll be buying in UK so something up to 35 GBP / 50 USD, quiet, reliable in black color.

any thoughts?

 

I have the zalman nc1500 and It keeps my touchpad and keyboard area nice and cool and drops both the gpu and cpu temps by 6C. NC1500 is a perfect fit for this laptop btw. NC2000 I can see it being better at cooling though.

 

Over 1GB of RAM is allocated for Shared System Memory for my GPU's, is there a way to unallocated it, will there be any negative impact on performance if done.