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

i3 -> 4570, i5 -> 5650

 

Hey Bronsky, did you ever fod out which carrier is taking care of your package in the States.

 

The DHL website was correct, once the package leaves Germany, it can't be tracked. I'm just waiting for it to be delivered.

 

Even if you try plugging in the tracking # to several carrier and nothing comes up?

Oh well, bummers.

Do you know how long the overall shipping is?

 

Yea, I tried them all, including the USPS. I have no idea how long it will take. I am guessing next week. It's funny, though, I've become very patient again, now that I know it's on its way.

Bronsky

 

As long as you can confirm to us that you can get your laptop safely, I'm going to jump the gun on computeruniverse too.

This might sound dumb, but seeing how we're all crazed about this particular laptop. I think we should have a meet up somewhere. Well, assuming we all live close to each other and not feel too paranoid seeing each other in the real world .

 

@Bron,

Did you get your package yet?

I just remembered that when I ordered something from ebay, the seller sent it to me via DHL, but it arrived to me at college, and USPS took over. This mightve been cuz I had a college mailbox = PO BOX, though.

Just keep an eye out for these kind of shenanigans.

 

DHL does not deliver to the US anymore. From what I understand of international shipping (which is nothing) I think it is comming by US mail. It looks like DHL puts in on a plane to the US and the post office takes over from the terminal, delivering to my office. The good thing is that the major frieght terminal for international shipping in the Northeast US is the Newark, New Jersey airport. I am guessing next week.

Nothing left to do but wait and hope.

You ordering a 14 on Sunday? I'm glad I made a decision on the Acer. Now I won't be tempted to order the Envy. I really like its look and the display will probably be beautiful.

 

Ya, if the Acer actually releases, I might consider it, cuz as I noted before, I saw the 13inch Timeline in real life at the library. The lady said that it was good/durable, and indeed it looked to be just that. Now, if the Acer comes in a 520, 540, or 620m variety, I'd consider it. ENVY is really appealing to me mainly cuz of the durable build, and cuz I trust HP more than Acer. Not sure if I'm gonna order on Sunday tho, cuz my credit limit is only $1g. I'm gonna call my bank tomorrow to see if they would raise it though, as I've been in good standing.

 

Don’t know about that.

Mine was 217.000- HUF with 3 years warranty. The cheaper units were with i3 or 5470, or integrated graphics.

Retailers who had the 3820 with basic 1 year warranty were selling it at the same price range, the cheapest one was 214.000 – HUF, so the additional 3 years warranty had a cost of 3.000 HUF (11 EUR / 14 USD) in my case.

You say that the i5+5650+6 cell+1 year warranty can be bought for a maximum of 194.000 HUF?

I envy You that You’ll get the 450M, I know the 430M could be overclocked in order to compete with the 450M, but that would void the warranty. That Turbo Boost would ome in handy, RealTemp’s log show that Turbo Boost is on during GTA IV, that means one could benefit from the faster processor, originally I thought that GTA IV would utilise at least 2 cores, so with no Turbo Boost, the 133 MHz difference wouldn’t matter at all. (The game runs fluently anyways, the built in benchmark showed an avarege 31.6 FPs at max settings, though a faster processor – that’s where the TurboBoost would serve it’s purpose – would allow one to increase some settings, like view distance, etc.).

 

I have the 3820tg with the Nine cell battery.

Can anyone give me the model / part number for the six cell.

Thanks

 

That's printed on my battery:

Code:

AS10B5E (3INR18/65-2)
Rating: 10.8V 6200mAh,67Wh

 

I've been googling that model number, all I come up with are fake/generic 4400mAh batteries, can't find an authentic 6200mAh battery.

 

Here’s the reply from one of the retailers I’ve asked about the 6 cell battery, so these are available on the hungarian market:


ACER ASPIRE 3820T, BT.00603.116, BATTERY.Li-Ion.6C. 6000mAh
ACER ASPIRE 3820T, BT.00605.063, BATTERY.Li-Ion.6C. 6000mAh
ACER ASPIRE 3820T, BT.00606.009, BATTERY.Li-Ion.6C. 6000mAh
ACER ASPIRE 3820T, BT.00607.128, BATTERY.Li-Ion.6C. 6000mAh

All of them were 39.000- HUF + VAT, so a total of 48.750- HUF ( 172 EUR / 220 USD).

These prices were converted from USD, since the importer charges everything in USD, so these were like „at the moment” prices.

 

BT.00607.128 BTY PACK LI+ PANA 6C 3.0AH PAN

 

Found another sticker: mine is a BT.00605.063 and found it at one shop in Germany... € 144,96 (shipping excluded).

 

That is ridiculously expensive. You are better off buying it directly from Acer.

 

Found another one (118 €, shipping to most countries possible): Acer BATTERY Li-Ion 6C 6000mAh (BT.00605.063) for Acer Aspire 4820TG - Samsung Notebook Ersatzteil Shop

 

yeh that DHL number will not work once it hits the USA.... no matter where you track it.. is USPS gets a hold of it it is possible that they change it with their own confirmation number.

When i have ordered from DHL in the past it seems at the border that UPS takes over sometimes but it is possible if they used DHL global mail that USPS will take it over.


Bronsky does ur laptop come with the 9cell?

 

No. I ordered a 6 cell model.

Bronsky

 

Hi!

I've just recieved my 3820TG and managed to install a clean win7 ultimate 64bit.
Before wiping out the preinstalled win7, I did a 3dmark06 test, and achieved a score of around 7400. It was almost identical to Hendrickson's score mentioned in the first post (without overclocking), so I was happy with it.
My BIOS version is 1.13

After the installation of the new windows, I installed the ATI and Intel drivers from Acer's page, along with the chipset and other drivers. Then I rebooted setting the Graphics Mode in BIOS "discrete", as adviced before. After that, I installed the latest Catalyst (10.6), did another reboot, setting the BIOS Graphics Mode back to "switchable".
But since that, I only get 3dmark scores around 6600. (my PCI-E speed is 16x according to Everest and ATI Power Tool).

The switching between graphic cards work fine.

Because I believed I did something wrong, after uninstalling all the ATI software and the drivers of the ATI card, I repeated the whole procedure, with the same result.

I don't know what the problem is, so if anyone has an idea about it, please, help me.

Thanks: David

 

Try pressing off the AcerPowerSmart button on the upper left side of the keyboard, that will automatically switch the GPU, then untick the "enable powerplay" on the ATI catalyst under powerplay option. Then re-run the test. Trust that helps.

 

I got just over 3:30 hours with 15% left on my battery in power savings mode and with the screen all the way down. I was puzzled, but it seems that Paint shop pro photo X2 eats the battery. After closing a few apps including PSPX2 the battery life gauge doubled.

I guess it also comes down to what your doing. Image editing is as bad as gaming almost.

Bronsky what upgrades to have in store for your 3820TG, apart from the keyboard. Picked up a i7 620m yet?

 

AspireAnt: I tried it, but without success. Pressing the P button doesn't do anything when running on external power, and doesn't change the graphics card even in battery mode. But the GK is automatically changed when I pull out or push in the power cable.
I switched the powerplay off but the 3dmark result was 6623 again...

Any idea?

 

vtata, sounds like your pn PCI x 1 not x16 are you sure your installing the mobile drivers? Check the first post of this thread for the steps involved to update the gfx drivers.

 

So far, I've only ordered the keyboard and the new power chord. Before I go spend another $600 on SSD and CPU, I want to make sure I'm not dreaming. I should have the notebook by next week. As soon as I get it, I will put in the keyboard (but probably save the wiring for later) and install an english version of W7. Then I will put the notebook through a series of checks to make sure everything is operating correctly. Then I will probably use it at work for a week or so. Once I am convinced that there is nothing wrong, I will order the SSD, the CPU, new paste and maybe the new wireless adapter (depending on how well it picks up my office signal). Once that is done, I would like to calibrate the display and apply double sided tape if necessary.

That would be about all for now. Haven't decided on which SSD yet. I'm converting the 500GB HD as a backup HD at work, while the unit is also hooked up to a display and keyboard. All of our large model databases can run from that drive and I could probably get away with a smaller SSD. The only games that I might put on it are the new black ops and Medal of Honor.

I'm trying to figure a non-soldering alternative to the keyboard power. I'll need a manual to figure out my best option. So, I'll buy one of them too.

Anyway, that's my plan. I'm really going to miss this mobile workstation but it is going back on July 9th.

 

the one from computer universe is the 6 cell?

i am debatin between the asus 30jc , the hp envy 15 and this!!

freeking technology

 

Hi! How can i clean the keyboard under a specific key? My R letter has to be pressed harder now :S (i think there is a crumb under o something. Please help me thanks!

 

@Bron,

I know that you and many others on these boards are "Power Users," but why spend a G, and have to go through all that trouble modding just to be satisfied with a made-in-Taiwan toy? Does your post conclude that maybe I shouldn't get the 3820TG, cuz I'm not tech-savvy yet I'm super picky? Do you think that the ENVY14 will be more satisfactory in my case?

Thanks for the advice

 

Vacuum cleaner with the dust brush attachment......

 

The short answer is yes. I am converting because i want a very specific device for a very specific purpose and the Sony Z12 is my only alternative and is already outclassed by the 3820TG. The more powerful CPU is a business choice as well. If you don't need to put yourself through hell, buy the Envy 14 or wait for the 3820TGs to find their way here (even then, you might need to wait for something more powerful than an I5-450M).

Dam ... the beach was nice today.

Bronsky

@Skyli ... no coffee and biscotti near the computer!!

 

In germany you can buy compressed gas to clean it. It's like deodarant without aroma.

What do you say? On the right side of my laptop is every time a cup of coffee or some fruits or the like. I need it .

 

@Bronsky,

I was also toying with the idea of buying a 3820 from outside of the US (I live in Boston) and having it imported, but it seems like a nuisance. I'm just waiting for the Envy 14 to come out. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's a little bigger than I would like- 13" form factors are much more convenient.

I agree that that the Z12 is outclassed by the 3820TG in terms of computing/GPU power, but I'm curious about the build quality. I'm looking forward to reading your review of the 3820 once it arrives.

That said, I'll be ordering my Envy 14 tonight. I wish I could wait for the 3820 to come out in the US, but it's just taking waaaay too long.

 

I was very close to ordering the Envy at one time. I think if I hadn't ordered from Germany and found out that there were no 3820TG's coming to the US soon, I would have gotten an envy with these specs: I5-540M/HD5650/4GB/1600 x 900, 350nit display/160GB SSD/6 cell/Slice.

 

It's very disappointing that the 3820TG isn't coming to the US for a while. It's really the laptop I actually want. The issue is that I tend to carry laptops around, but I have a a large external monitor at home I use for work, so screen quality of the laptop doesn't matter as much to me. The Envy has a great screen but is bigger, while the 3820TG is smaller but has an inferior screen- catch is that I don't care, because of my external monitor.

I'm also worried that the Envy 14 might take a while to get here. In fact, I'm almost certain your 3820TG will arrive first!

 

Can anyone with a 3820 tell me if the Bios has the option to boot from USB? My 3810 does`nt. Is there a way to hot rod this feature into your Bios without a reflash? Failing any of these is there a workaround that does without an external OD? It would be usefull to be able to do software installation without the expense of additional hardware.I`m asking because I want to upgrade to the 3820.

 

i have a question when i first bought my 3820tg i could run 3dmark06 at up to 660 1050 (not sure if it was stable but i could run it) but now after 2weeks if i run 3dmark06 at 660 970 or above it crashes. i havent tried memory clock lower then 970 yet. im wondering is this kind of result normal? under 2weeks i installed few games,movies and programs and updated catalyst 10.6 from 10.5 and i tried in catalyst 10.5 to see if catalyst 10.6 was the problem but catalyst 10.5 crashed 660 980 again. do anyone knows how to fix it?

 

Haven't received my 3820GT yet, but booting from USB has been standard on motherboards for the last 5+ years at least, including all the Acers laptops I've had since ~2001. I'm shocked if this ain't supported. Either by manually setting the machine to boot from USB in BIOS, or by a quick-boot one-time selection menu (F8 or F10 during post in most cases). On a laptop withouth a cd/dvd-drive this is also very much necessary and an absolute requirement.

Are you sure you haven't overlooked something?

Mac

 

The 11.6" acers have used a program called 1810 tray. It is a great little program that places a temp monitor in the tray and provides a number of real time adjustments that help preserve battery power and control the fans. The temp monitor function seems to work on the 3820T. The other functions seem not to work. http://forum.notebookreview.com/6394494-post665.html don't know if it's worth trying on the 3820T or not. I love it on my 1410T.

Bronsky

 

May I ask why people want to upgrade the wireless card? Is it bad in some way?

 

Mainly because we are like people who have too much plastic surgery. Once you start ...

The original unit is fine. The swap is very easy and might get you some more range. That way, I can steal Starbucks' wireless from 5 buildings away and nobody in my office can tell what I'm doing.

Bronsky

 

For that purpose, you could just VPN into your home network router and tunnel through it for websurfing. But of course that's never as cool as stealing a wifi connection.

 

Well I just ordered my 3820TG; i5-450 processor, 5650 graphics, 320GB hdd, 6-cell battery. 1 149$

=)

 

Just registered to post in this thread!

I'm a Canadian who's been watching and waiting for the 3820TG for a while now. Inspired by Bronsky I've also ordered one from computeruniverse, so I thought I should chime in as another guinea pig for the diy import option. I'm on the West Coast so we'll see just how long DHL takes to get it here, and what happens when CCRA/customs looks it over.

Now, the waiting game...my old and busted Dell is looking more old and busted'er by the minute!

 

The pack-mules used by DHL to deliver their packages are going to have a long walk across Canada. Congratulations. Did you order the UMT version?

Bronsky

 

is it possible to order qwerty keys from somewhere? Or will i just have to get used to having the german special keys?

 

A US 3820T keyboard has already been put in a 3820TG if thats what you mean. You can also get stickers, but I think you mean the return key, etc. right? I have a US keyboard on order for my 3820TG (which is also on order) .

Hey, I may have found a way to track my package in the DHL/Mail system. I think you can request email notification of the status of your order. DHL GlobalMail Tracking I put a request in, I'll let you know if I hear anything.

Bronsky

 

ah ok, i just read the first post again and I noticed the thread about replacing the keyboard, thanks for the reply anyway. I think 'll order a UK keyboard from ebay and replace it once i get the laptop. I dont think I'll add the backlight though, I'd be too nervous about breaking a brand new laptop! This laptop is gonna have to last for about 4 years (its for university) so I dont want any problems from soldering it badly etc. I've never owned a laptop before so I assumed you had to replace each key manually but I didnt really give it much thought.

 

The easiest solution is to buy a set of keystickers that change the keys to their UK designation. If you are not familiar with replacing parts on a notebook, I would just take the sticker route.

Forget DHL Global tracking. I did a full track and it told me that the next trackable event is delivery and it provided no estimated delivery date. Not a very useful system.

Bronsky

Check out these Passmark scores: I5-450M scores better than an I5-540M and the I7-620M benches higher than an I7-720QM. http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+M+450+@+2.40GHz These things can't be right.

 

I've built my own computer and I've replaced a screen on a iPod 5G and the connector seems similar to the iPod ribbon cable so I should be fine with it, its just I'm not too confident with soldering things.

I was warned about DHL earlier, I'm probably gonna order it via UPS. Hopefully you'll get your lappy soon and hopefully the USPS haven't held it back for import tax etc.