Acer TimelineX 3820TG Owners Lounge. Info, benchmarks, tweaks, mods and upgrades

Yes, this is an idea. Maybe I'm getting old, but with a tendency to open new applications without closing any, I sort of like to restart the laptop out of old habit... Feels good to clean all potential problems away, once in a while..but it may not be as necessary as it used to be...

But you say: Restart does not require Fn+F3 to enable Bluetooth.???
Mine does (-except for this one incident, it suddenly started with BT on..hasn't happened since..)

Interesting!

After searching, I found this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6482078-post1841.html

The only problem is that the link is dead!

So excuse me for being a little slow, but the solution is, in other words: SetWireless_0.5, which can turn bluetooth on, and then useTask Scheduler to make this program run every time at start-up?

You wouldn't happen to know where to get this program now? (And btw, who developed it?) It sounds like a great solution..

 

Check my Post above..the link to download setwirless on page 606 is still active.

Actually, BT will remain on if you restart the laptop but if you power down and then power up for some strange reason it stays powered off

 

First post on page 606?
Meaning:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6781723-post6051.html or http://forum.notebookreview.com/ace...info-benchmarks-tweaks-mods-upgrades-606.html

I can't see any link -?

 

See, I'm pretty much always getting -10W to -14W depleted. I've only see it dip below that a few times and not for long. Need to find the processes that are causing the power draw.

 

Thank for reply, Im not sure how it happen
ok I took off the HDD and open it in another computer it showing C:, D:, and System reserved (30mb of 100mb) I think this is the partition. But there is nothing inside. I don't know what to do please help.

I can see there is Acer eRecovery Management in C: should I try in? can I able to do the erecovery of this HDD on another computer??

About the partition undelete tools do you know any good one? And how can I use it?

Also if I lost my partition will I have to buy a new windows 7?

Thanks

ps. if anyone know plz help!

 

@apowers same here. some times I get 9-10, but rarely.

 

HOLY ****
Google Translate

This baby can play FFXII... I really want this now... no money

 

OOHHHHH SNAPPPPPP! Some older YT vids depict the i5-430m/450m being able to handle PCSX2 titles, and Dolphin (NGC) titles. Woohoo for i3!

 

Man I live right by CC, who has this baby, but I got no $! Can't wait until I get the money

 

Is that with wifi off and/or external monitor? After a clean install of w7, with the 5650 turned off and browsing the web in firefox on wifi, my discharge rate is generally -10w to -15w

 

I am currently in the process of overclocking my HD5470.

I have it currently set to 950/1050. I ran 3DMark06 and no artifacts showed up. My mark also went from 3800 to 4750, a very impressive boost from the stock clocks. Temperatures under load hit 72 degrees.

How else should I test the stability of my new settings? Also, is there a way to make it default to 950/1050 every time, or should I just use the AMD GPU clock tool?

EDIT: On further testing with Hitman: Blood Money and NFS: World, anything over 1050 gave me artifacts. I also got crashed with the 950 clock, and also on 900, so I've lowered it for 850 for the time being.

 

You're able to set the clocks automatically via command line parameters, just create a shortcut and provide your clocks, e.g.:

Code:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\AMD GPU Clock Tool\AMDGPUClockTool.exe" -eng=650 -mem=1050

Move the shortcut to the startup folder to set the clocks at boot time.

I prefer setting clocks (GPU & CPU) on demand by manually invoking the shortcuts.

 

Thanks!

I think on second thought, I might just manually set them up instead. It's probably better that way in case I ever run into problems.

I just ran 3DMark06 again, but this time with 900/1000, and I got 4925. Is there any reason to explain why lower clocks would equal a higher mark?

 

More efficient operation of the GPU at optimal settings. Happens all the time. That is why you have to tweak and test. Otherwise you could just set th ehighest setting and be done with it.

Bronsky

 

Okay, so you have your partitions in place. The System reserved is Win7's special partition but it does not contain any setup files. You should see a 10GB hidden partition, that's where the Win7 setup and Acer's stuff is. If it is missing, you lost the recovery partition. Because it is hidden, it does not show up when put into another machine, but you can check it by right-clicking on MyComputer, manage, disk management. No need to panic as long as you got your DVD's even if it is not there.

You can probably run erecovery on any machine, as it is basicly a copy-paste routine. On the other hand following the instructions from the first post of the thread gives you a better optimized windows 7. You dont need a partition undelete, as they are clearly there. Save your stuff from C before proceeding! Ofcourse you dont have to buy a new Win7, you have the sticker with the serial on the bottom of the machine (good idea to write it down somewhere safe before it fades).

BTW I love how everyone knows how [some people]s unit loves to overclock or goes 17hrs and beyond on a 3 cell battery, but noone gives a damn about answering a serious question or helping others. Sometimes it feels more like an eFap colony than a community

 

So what I have to do now is run the erecovery manager and hope every work (are you sure it won't recovery my friend computer right?)

Thanks!

 

So UPS updated my delivery status to today instead of tomorrow....next thing I know the van if pulling up outside.......and they go into my neighbours house! I swear they are teasing me!

 

Just be sure you select your C-drive and not your friends one. Check the partition size before, or rename the partition to Acer or something. Also you might lose your MyDocuments folder, so save it beforehand!

 

Another quick question, what is the max overclock people are getting on average? Because I see there are i5 4xx and i5 5xx series CPUs, the difference being that the turbo on the 4xx series is only 2x above the stock multi, whereas the 5xx is quite a bit higher. Is it worth it to get a 5xx over a 4xx, and if so is it worth getting the i5 560m over the 540m, or are people topping out around the same overclocking speeds due to temps and other factors?

 

Ordered yet another unit today. This time from LU computer. Maybe the third time is a charm.

Cash discount price = $738.52 USD. 3 Day UPS shipping is $30.97 USD.

Bronsky

 

What? What happened to the other 2???

 

Well after many tries the most i got from my HD5650 is 600/900, if i change any of those numbers to anything higher the system locks and i get the message "Drivers failed".

Could it be that the 10.10 drivers are not letting me OC? Do drivers have anything to do with it?

I am just bummed out that 3 other people with the same model from the same store can OC A LOT higher than i can.

 

Ok, so I've read a couple of reviews of Cendirect here and there and I'm not too sure if I want to risk my money with them. I suppose I will end up buying my unit from Computer Universe even tough it is the most expensive of my options. .

I'm thinking about buying some Spanish keyboard stickers instead of replacing the keyboard entirely at least the first year ( that way I should still have the warranty right ? )

 

Yep.

Bronsky

 

Those clocks are very low for max clocks. 10.10 is not supported for switchable graphics. It might not be working properly on your unit. Roll back to an acer driver and see what happens.

Bronsky

 

1 order was out of stock ... the other (PCHome), I could not use my Amex card and my bank could not figure out how to transfer money to Paypal as a debit/Visa card. I finally gave up on Wachovia and called LU. They were very helpful and I wire transferred money to them this morning.

Bronsky

 

I had it when I played with my graphic drivers. Cleaning, uninstalling and driver sweeping everything and reinstalling the original Acer drivers _twice_ made it work again in the 7-9 W region.

 

I see you received you Motherboard?
Is it up and running or did you find a dozen other problems, hence you purchasing another laptop?

 

Nope ... motherboard was sent from Shark to Acer for diagnostics. That is why I decided to get a replacement unit. If I get the motherboard back in a few weeks, I'll sell this unit. If not, I'll put in the I5-540M, etc., and move on.

Bronsky

 

hey, have u heard about the new MLAA that will be supporting
HD5xxx cards, though it officially will only support the 6xxx. By modding the drivers it is possible, and people have already done it, now the question is: that could it be modded for use with our acers (with switchable graphics)

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=331108 - from the middle of the page

 

I guess I am again alone in the SB wait. I've been checking almost daily for releases from Intel or even reviews of the processors from Anandtech & such. The newest updates are from the beginning of the month but the processors are (or if not, will be very shortly) being supplied to manufacturers and that the first SB notebooks will be shipping in Q1, like everyone has read. The newest Sandy Bridge revelation is that the integrated graphics is tested to be better than the ATI 5450. ( Link) Keep in mind though, the tested SB processor is a desktop model. Even on the forums here, more people are taking interest to Ivy Bridge than Sandy Bridge.

Nothing from Acer I have found indicates an extension or upgrade of the 3820TG. While the 580m in one of these current notebooks would be only slightly lesser than a new SB unit (and still an amazing computer!) , the 22nm Ivy Bridge is supposedly going to keep the same socket so they will be swappable.

Again, supposedly.

This is a big plus for me. To get in on both the tick and tock action, have a smaller core with better power consumption and hopefully equal if not more speed, seems almost too good to be true with the frequent socket changes of the past few generations.

Edit: Also wanted to add..

A few weeks back I spoke about Sandy Bridge to a Best Buy rep on their computer floor. After Googling it to find out what I was talking about, he told me they probably wouldn't be receiving any until at least Q2 2011. He noted that they deal with sort of budget to mid range notebooks (yet they have the Asus G73 on display and in stock) because this is the trend of their inventory for new models. I can't see much being available right away, especially with USB 3, SATA III and all the other goodies we are hoping for as soon as possible.

 

I think I'm gonna hold off till SB, too close to the launch to not wait and see what's avail. If it turns out there are no 13.3" ultra-light SB with HD 6xxx graphics in Q1, I can always buy a 3820TG then. I'd rather wait and possibly not be screwed, then buy now and be screwed 2 months from now.

 

Well put. My thoughts exactly though, even if end of year sales are increasingly tempting.

 

Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.

Are you working from a fresh Win7 install or the one Acer installed?

 

Hey,

has any body a direct link for the AMD Catalyst 10.10 Mobility?

Thanks.

 

Mobile Catalyst 10.10 (direct links)

Win 7 32bit and Win 7 64bit

 

"Sometimes it feels more like an eFap colony than a community", enough said!

 

What are you using to monitor power usage? Is there a program for that?

 

BatteryCare

 

Thank you for the links

 

Does anyone play Team Fortress 2 on their 3820TG? If so, do you experience stuttering and sound looping? Which graphics and sound drivers are you using?

 

Perhaps you're not getting out of discrete graphics? If I turn the ATI card on when on battery, I get about 10.5W draw. Right click on the desktop, go to "configure switchable graphics", and make sure that you're not in "high performance gpu" mode when on battery.

I should also note that almost every time I hibernate, I can't get the switching to work again until I reboot. I haven't upgraded the drivers yet, but I get stuck in my previous graphics mode when hibernating and it's a little annoying. I can't reproduce it when I want though - no idea if it's a longer hibernation that causes it or what but I assume I can get it worked out once I have more time to mess with the laptop this weekend.

 

Nothing of that sort over here.

HD5470 + 10.10

 

Does CPU-Z show Core Voltage with you?

 

No (10 letters)

 

Is there any solution to set intel vga as a default even if its plugged? I only want to use ati if i really need it.

 

I rolled back to the Acer drivers and the max i can is still 600/900. Is there something else i might be doing wrong?

I really don't know how every one else with the same unit from the same store are getting 700+/1000+.

 

Did you sweep the old driver from your system? 10.10 already has revisions a-c. It looks like it has a lot of problems.

Bronsky

 

What i did is used Driversweeper to delete the "Ati display" drivers and rebooted and changed my Bios graphics to "discrete" then i installed the Acer ATI drivers from the driver web page and changed the bios back to "Switchable".

I still can't clock over 600/900 which is really really far behind any one else.

I would really appreciate help on this issue.

 

You are overclocking the GPU.

You can have taken a bad GPU.