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

You don't answer me on the fact that many people are experiencing the same thing.
Perhaps I explained this with my words, the best I could, and it is not "scientifically" accurate (how to know if this strain come from calibration, polarisation ... ? I've got no device to get mesures of this phenomen).
Now it is admited (search on internet please) that this symptoms are binded with LED flickering (to dim the screen's light, LED have to be ON/OFF very quickly) for a part of population (how much, I don't know).

It seems that newest circuit controllers (or better quality ones) , tends to decrease this phenomen. (I have no problem, or so it seems, with my other LED laptop)

1/I've been barely half blind after 2 weeks of use.
2/stopped using it > better
3/re-used it (I was really skeptical about the source of the problem)> worse and worse
4/re-stopped using it > better
5/re-used it a short time to save some files on it > bad for a short time.
6/ after that > better

For my part, it's enough proof. Not for a tribunal, but for my part yes.

But, please, just read the link I gave (macbook one), after reading, if you don't believe it, I could do nothing more to explain what I were experiencing.
(keeping in mind that Mac users are addict to their brand, they would not bring all of this with no reason).

Facts are facts, before to know the reason, apples were falling from trees.
then we knew about the gravity...
This screen is straining some eyes.
If you want to help us knowing how is it possible scientifically, you're welcome, if not, just accept our testimony as the closest way to explain something by words.

All this story don't entertain me at all, and make me very bad / sad, I'll have a LOT of work to recover time lost.
One more time, please read the link above, I will not justify myself more than they have done there.
Anyway, I'm really happy that it ended well.

 

Your statements are full of contradictions.
First you state your dislike for 13" screens, then you
say it's "pleasing to your eyes".
Well, what is it?

There are people that still prefer an ODD in their
laptop. It's a personal preference. Those people
have many reasons/uses to want an ODD.
You saying anything to the contrary is being ignorant and conceited.

Oh yes, this is coming from a person, that wrote on another 3820TG vs 4820TG
thread, that "all" ODDs will break if not used frequently. Sigh.

One model being superior to another is your opinion. Just that, your
subjective opinion. I say it's irrelevant, that it's all based on personal
usage and preference.

As for the 4820TG. I can say that 1" screen difference does make a difference.
The 14" screen displays the default icons / fonts in a larger size, everything
in general is larger.
Less eyestrain during longer usage.

A slight size / dimensions difference gives a larger
touchpad and palmrest. Less strain on the palms/wrists/fingers.

There are photos kiskapu posted that shows the slight size differential.

If an ODD isn't desired, it's removable. Install an HDD/SSD.
Now you have a dual HDD/SSD setup (Windows performance & page file optimized,
clone / file backup, and other uses). External enclosure for the ODD.
Now you have several options and a dual HDD/SSD setup in a laptop 4.6lbs or less.

But that is not my point. My point is that choosing which model is
all based on personal usage and preference.

Just like Bronsky and others are fine using a 13.3" screen for general usage
and gaming.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Your solution is to buy TWO laptops. Well, that's your opinion.
Hey, that's fine for you.

Well, people here know there is a middle ground and compromises, be it for price/budget,
performance, form factor / portability, etc. There are excellent options
available in ONE laptop instead of buying TWO laptops.

Good luck on your next laptop.

 

@cykotoxik

I would have kept it if I had not been so unlucky with its panel. I was very impressed about the laptop on the first days until my eyes rebelled. I wish I got one with an AUO screen so all of this could have been avoided.

This experience and this thread have taught me lots about notebooks. Now I know the priorities when choosing a mobile device.

-Stability, solidity
-Display
-Low energy consuming hardware (Good battery life)
-Mobility

As for my next notebook I plan to wait until 2011 so lets see if netbooks/notebooks with better battery life (new cpu's with new structure) will come out. I think a new 3820 with this new sandy bridge could be very nice. It may be wise to wait for those.

Btw thanks for your good luck wishes, I am going to need it next time.

 

Yeah i'd like to know why it doesn't oc that much as well but i believe hendrickson pointed out this issue somewhere in this thread that it might have something to do with the 4mb cache 620m has.. Higher cache, lesser overclockability. I wonder how the 640m oc's though

 

Ugh, the only reason I didn't buy this was because it was too darn small. Why can't they shift all the specs over to a 15.6'' size chassis, and keep the pricetag same? In Canada the i3 3820TG is less than $750, but the i3 5820TG is more like $900.

 

You are kidding me right. Many people need portability, how am I suppose to carry around a 15.6 inch notebook. Ill tell you how, not happening.

As far as eye strain could it be adjustment time? Alot of things in life take time to adjust to. Like your body conforming to new clothes you should give it no less then 3 months of short intervals to let it adjust. Obviously thats m own opinion as well cause who wants to keep a laptop that doesn't work right for 3 months but you could always let your eyes settle down while using the laptop with an external monitor. Every LCD has some sorta of eye strain no matter what you watch and that goes for television anything that's bright.

I do agree with you letting others know about your experience. Its your right to return the item if you don't like it especially if the screen isn't what you want. I think your comment about 13 inch screens is totally off the mark though. Where do you get that 13 inch screens arn't good for anything??? Dont you think there are people out there that would rather use smaller screens for things?

 

Agreed, seconded.

I carry it around every day, working with it every day, mainly with the 13.3" screen, though genereally hooking it up on a 26" samsung when gaming (though I've played on the 13.3" screen, nothing to be carried away of).

If the screen has any defect, the unit should be returned, the 3820TG is shipping whit a variety of panels, I have the AUO322, a lot of members hate it, I don't have anything against it.

 

@jeffreybaks

13 inch

bad for gaming
(some games are suitable still while some really not)

good for web

Examples...

Starcraft 2 alike strategies: Not so suitable due to very small figures
FPS games: Not suitable due to loss of detail, ambiance, targets very small to shoot at...
Turn Based Games: Suitable (Played Civ 5 and enjoyed it)
Simulation Games (plane&ship): Suitable since there are not much details
FRP games Assasin Creed type games: Suitable

Even though suitable it is not as enjoyful as 15'6 playing all these

I explained this... I said 13 can be useful too instead of a netbook. If you had read my comment all through you would not write this...

In strategy games the items are way too small and in FPS games you miss some art values due to small size...

 

I play BFBC2 on the 13.3" screen and can't complain, I think it looks fine. As a comparsion, I play Black Ops on my xbox360 through a 42" LCD. So, it's not like I'm not aware of the visual difference.

I can easily live with the 13.3". IMO Portability > Screen size

 

The screen size has nothing to do with gaming. There are many portable devices that play games on them, like the Nintendo ds/psp. Gaming has nothing to do with screen size. In no way does playing any type of game on a smaller screen make it not as good. That's completely bias remark and totally preference personal opinion.

 

I would have to agree with the majority here on 13.3" being a good size. Though it's not for gaming (which I use an external for), it's a sweet spot between portable and usefulness.

To elaborate on this, anything smaller than 13.3" I feel is way too small to get any kind of work done, while anything larger I would be much more reluctant to carry around.

Furthermore, I also disagree on the point on strong hardware being wasted on this size. Some people like myself do not want to have a separate powerful system at home and carry another weaker one around. I'm a student and find it an advantage to be able to bring my laptop home (in a different city than my university) when I visit and still be able to work on more demanding projects/play games because my laptop is powerful enough (which would not be possible if I got a netbook + desktop).

Finally, in regards to the large power adapter, the battery life in this laptop is good enough why do you need to carry it around with you on a regular basis? Just leave the adapter at home and play games/demanding routines when you get home.

In closing I'd like to second cykotoxik and wish you good luck in finding a laptop that will meet your needs.

Regards,
nux.

 

My 3820TG replaces three systems... desktop, 12" netbook and 15" notebook.

At home it's usually connected to a 22" screen or a 40" tv. In most hotels/locations I was able to connect it via hdmi/vga to the provided tv or found a spare screen.

It's the perfect size if I'm en route, has a long battery live, enough power on demand and finally I have to manage one device... instead of three

I think everybody has his own preferences... a colleague for example uses a 17" notebook and a friend returned a 24" screen, because it was too big

 

You are just too damn subjective man. Way toooooo subjective. You keep on insisting that this is not good for gaming especially on strategy games like starcraft 2, when i enjoy it way much better in this 13.3 than my LG 24", mainly because the huge monitor gives me headache. What's too small for you could be big for me. Get that? The point is, it all boils down to individual preference and you can't change that just as i respect yours. So please just stop bashing this lovely notebook of ours and buy yourself a different one. Thanks!ü Good luck!

 

yah what this person said.

 

The funny thing is 3820TG has the same screen resolution as 4820 and 5820, so overall really its image quality is better because of denser pixels. That's another way to look at the screen size.

Then again I have moderate nearsightedness and small laptop screen would worsen my vision over time because it'd be more straining so...

 

Depends on whether the person is comfy or otherwise with high density screens.

I absolutely love gaming on the HP Mini 311's 11.1" 1366x768 screen (older games of the PS2 and Gamecube era that got a multiplatform release - eg Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg), and even the overly detailed Transformers War for Cybertron is easily doable for me on the 3820TG at Native Res.

The other Steam and non-Steam games I play (Batman: AA, Chimes, L4D2, Borderlands, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock, Amnesia Dark Descent, Warcraft 3, Heroes of Might and Magic V, Halo, Halo 2) area easily discernible on the 13.3" 1366x768 screen as well (I play sniper style if given the chance).

At 118 DPI, the display fineness of the 3820TG should be very workable for most, I think.

Currently exploring options to upgrade the screen to a 13.3" 1600x900 model as well as long as it can be found and fit. Such an option doesn't seem to exist though since the closest options belong to the Vaio Z series...

It'd help for the Maya and Adobe Premiere works I have to do for my job (animator) to have that high res screen though.

*continues searching*

 

@run.dll: 13" is really bad for gaming... if 5650 available in 11" that'd be best!

i chose this notebook precisely for it's size (and weight) and it's power! i can play Starcraft 2 in an economy seat within a flight, with some room for the mouse too!

i brought this notebook for more than a month now, after training for many hours searching for burrowed zergling in Starcraft 2, i think my eye sight improved! i can now see road sign 500 meters away!

ps: i have LG screen, totally love it

 

^ Hahaha +rep

 

Sorry to annoy you, is it LGD023F one ?
thx

 

Yeah I can see better too besides I have free night vision enchantment for the eyes.

 

I have an LG display too, I don't have any problem with my eyes after using it but I've been having headaches lately and can't really tell if it's related to it since I've been having some other health problems lately as well and it's just my second week with this notebook. You guys saying that this display could cause problems scare me a bit tough

The screen is really glossy and has bad viewing angles. I've been using my 3820 mostly while laying on bed so that could be a factor (it's not the optimal position for the screen right ?).

I'm thinking on buying the anti-glare protector to see if it helps.

 

Oh wow, this thread blossomed from around 50 posts in July to nearly 800 now!

My 3820 has been really rock solid for almost 5 months now, but recently I've been having some gaming (Fallout New Vegas, Mass Effect 2, Europa Universalis 3) stuttering and was curious if other people have had similar problems.

The possibilities I've considered are that either the HDD is just too slow, the thing is overheating, or there's some background software running interference (can you say that?). I just measured temps at load using Everest and got 105 C for the GPU and 80-85 C for the CPU. Seems really high to me.

So, I guess my question is: Is opening up the back panel and cleaning out the fans easy on this model? Any special precautions to take? Any other way to keep the unit cooler short of splashing out on a cooling pad?

 

One thing with laptops, you have to take most of them completely apart and clean them all the way. 105 C is definitely what is causing it to slow down. Definitely nice to know its worked well for 5 months though.

 

Don't be scared if you have no vision problem.
I think if you were subject to the "LED Flickering" (let's call it like that, since nobody can really tell us what it is), you would have more trouble than an headache.
The common point of all those who had problems, is an altered night vision : seeing less in the dark than before, and trafic lights or cars optics may be really painfull (all sources of bright light). It's not a little pain, or something undetectable, it's somewhat huge (at least after 2 weeks of use or more).
(But, experience may vary...)

I agree for the viewing angles, they are more than poor on the LG screen.

 

Memory Express has dropped the price of the Canadian I3-370M/HD 5650 3820TG to $699 .

Anybody see this post about the fan control software? http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/536084-fan-control-utility.html

Bronsky

 

Wow somethings is not right there, 105 degrees on the GPU is not good at all. I recommend you don't play games till you clean the dust out first or fix this heat issue or your going to burn out the GPU. The easiest way is to remove the keyboard from there you can get to the fans as there is a gap in the plastic below the KB that allows access. Use a vacuum with a brush attachment to get any dust out. If there is no dust your GPU is not being cooled enough by the heat sink / heat pipes and I would look to replace the unit. Your inside the warranty so no issues there.

 

Yeah, what I hear is that even though 105 C might not damage the GPU, it will trigger safety mechanisms that reduce performance in order to prevent further damage.

It's very good to hear that you don't have to remove the back panel to get at the fans. I can't find my good screwdriver :-/

I didn't expect dust to build up this quickly, tbh, but then again I moved back to a city with a LOT of construction going on, so that might be a factor. 5 months seems a little early to require a clean to me...

 

Agreed. These temps are way too high. Unless you've been stuffing dryer lint in your unit on a weekly basis, I doubt if your problem is dust. I would suspect that Henrdickson has it right: there is some conncetion issue with the heat sink. Do the vacuum thing but I would probably return it for service to the depot.

@Hendrickson - ordered the new KB and the seller only charged me $10 for the replacement. I also ordered 8GB of 1333 GSkill Ram for $80 on a Black Friday sale. Should be able to put the KB and the Ram in in less than an hour. Once I put them in, the finishing touches are done.

Can't wait to OC the Atom Z540 in the HP Slate to 2.5ghz.

Bronsky

 

I've had my 3820tg for about 4 months now, and my cpu went up to 102C and started to throttle. I've decided its time to take it apart, clean the vents and apply new thermal paste.

Sure taking apart entire 3820tg is a bit of a pain but once you do it you will be much better at it. I cleaned the vents from inside (with earbud) put it inbetween the vent and slowly got clunks of dust out. Applied new thermal (ic diamond) on both gpu and cpu and ended up with temps goind down 15C on cpu (max now is 87c), and around 10 on gpu. You must remember to use 3820tg disasembly guide as there are a lot of little things that must be unscrewed, etc before getting to fans. Its somewhere on the forums but if you like i can send it to you PM me with your email.

I came to a conclusion perhaps once every half a year it is good to clean the vents, next time I'll do it will probably be when i upgrade my cpu and hd untill then everything works fine with GPU oced to 700/1100 i play MW2 on native res verything high and AAx2.

Good luck mate.

 

I'll be getting my 3820TG pretty soon, mind if you can send me a copy of the service manual? I can't seem to PM you. Thanks much!

 

Well, my CPU never hits 100 C, but sticks around 85-88 C, which is very hot already. How high was your GPU temp before you did the clean? Mine is around 105 C at load and around 50-60 C on idle.

Will have a go at disassembling the thing once I find my good screwdriver.

Btw, sent you a PM with my email, the guide is very much appreciated.

 

Installed it and it couldn't read the bios. But maybe its possible to edit the config to make it work with our 3820's But the info is in German. I think a few members are from Germany here. Any help on translating this?

 

Just_A_Nick is German and seems to know a lot about about this stuff. You out there?

I've been experimenting with my SetFSB settings to find the Optimal CPU OC and I find that if I back-off the settings a bit, I get idle temps > 30C with very little sacrifice in power.

After hitting Capture, I have the correct Optimal settings displayed in my SetFSB.

That is a full 10C cooler than my last unit, even after I used IC Diamond. Could I have done that better of a job or are the heat sinks in this unit that much better? I did go to great lengths to make a nice thin film connection between the sinks to facilitate cooling, applying the Diamond twice when I was not 100% pleased with the first application.

Optimal base setting seems to be Front Side Buss setting 158.0 which produces a base speed of 3.008mhz and turbo speed of 3.64ghz. At this speed, my CPU idles at 22-27C. As soon as I boot the FSB setting to its maximum of 164.0/3.7 turbo speed, the temps rise almost 10C at idle. The small performance increase between the 2 settings is clearly not worth the added temperature increase and increased load on the system.

Haven't had much time to work on the GPU. That'll be next.

The arrow keys adjust the backlighting with 10.10e, but my GPU does not switch to the Intel IGPU automatically when battery power is selected. I can manually switch it to the Intel GPU in Catalyst or with the P button, but the button does not light. You have this light issue in 10.10e? I must say, I really like this driver.

8GB Ram should be here Monday or Tuesday. I would like to get the KB and the Ram installed before my Tablet gets here. It's time for this Acer to give back with a couple of years of flawless performance.

Bronsky

 

couldn't PM u either - uploaded guide to hotlife heres the link:


Hotfile.com: One click file hosting: 3820TG_Processor_Upgrade_Directions.pdf

enjoy

 

Bronsky, unless I'm mistaken, the handling of the switchable gfx is with the base AMD Video Driver, unrelated to the 10.* for the discrete. Perhaps they need to be reinstalled.

I was on 10.11, then 'downgraded' to 10.10e but I however still don't have the adjustable backlight. I'm thinking perhaps the downgrade wasn't done properly.

Can you post a prntscr of the catalyst 'Information' center so I can compare driver builds & dates?

Thanks,

Marc.

 

@Bronsky:

Really nice temps, never got blow 39 C, Your 21/26 C is somewhat unbelieveable.

 

I want an Acer 3820TG with i5 and ATI5650 and found what I like in Germany online shops. Tonight, before making my order I saw on one of the shops a new model with ATI6550. It's the same card? Are there other reasons for buying this new model [like because it's newer - and newer should be better]?
Thanks

 

is 6550 better than 5650 ?

 

The 6650 is a rebranded 5650 - they're the same card.

 

OK, in laws are off doing stuff, officially time for me to pop out the stock (500gb 5400rpm) HDD and replace with the 7200 RPM 640GB I ordered. I'll report back after I restore a clean Win 7 on this thing.

 

So, ATI just renamed it? No other changes, nothing really updated?

 

I'm on exactly the same versions, but I can't control the brightness via fn + arrow keys. The automatic switching when on battery works flawless... the P-Button works as usual (including the blue light).

I've read the initial post in the german forum regarding fan control, and the last couple of pages... we'd have to use either ACFanControl or RW-Everything to identify the registers and to probe which ones are for fan control.

At least it will be a lot of trial and error. ACFanControl can diff two EC-states out of the box, while with RW-Everything external tools must be used.

Here's the method to collect all necessary data:

• open your preferred monitoring tool
• wait till the fans shut down and the temps are stable
• take a screenshot from your sensor state
• save the ec state (ACFanControl: read EC->EC1; RW-E.: Access->Embedded Controller & choose preferred save format (ASCII/BIN))
• stress your system to high + stable temps
• take a screenshot from your sensor state
• save the ec state (ACFanControl: read EC->EC2; RW-E.: Access->Embedded Controller & save)

Now we've got everything we need to identify the possible addresses:

• diff the two ec states (ACFanControl: disp. EC2-EC1; RW-E.: use your preferred diff tool)
• identify the known addresses by comparing the values with the ones from the monitoring tool (mind the hex to decimal conversion)

Every value left may be for the fan control. Try to get low temps and set the values read from the high rpm state one by one.

Perhaps you'll have to run the whole procedure again and again to identify more known values.

If there's no success with above method: set values from 0 to 255 for each unknown register

 

850 euros ???

too expensive

 

First, I'm sorry, I just saw that my question was already answered.
Second, 850euro is a good price comparing to what I can find at home. Do you have other German online shops to recommend?

 

Bronsky, I'm also running the same drivers as you. Fn + keys doesn't work for brightness, and my 'P' button is fine.

Leads me to think that perhaps you're not switching to discrete ?

 

I just bought 3820tg-7360 (i3/5650). Was wondering if it will run ArmA2 at 1080p?

I was thinking of hooking it up to monitor to get better screen

 

Yea ... I am really pleased with the temps. This I5 is running cooler than the I3 was.

@MarcMTL - Nah, did the switch to discrete when installing the driver. Everything worked perfectly before I upgraded to 1010e. The GPU's work fine, I just have to manually switch them and they won't let me select IGPU under power, so their protocols are working correctly. I actually like the manual switching. As long as it works, I'm inclined to leave it alone. Before I upgrade the next driver, I'll take it back to the Stock Acer configuration.

Bronsky

 

Brightness function keys are still not working on 10.11 and 10.10e, that is if you are using ati, when on intel everything works perfect. I even noticed that when on discrete mode, there's no option to adjust the brightness, either through the battery icon or win+x.

 

On 10.10e, I can control brightness with win+x no problem when running with discrete graphics. If you're refering to the BIOS set to discrete only, then I'm not aware.