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

hi guys i just got the 3820tg. Just wondering, why do ppl bother with doing clean installs other than just removing the bloatware and freeing more hardrive space? I heard it improves actual performance but how?

 

fantastic... hit 3668 mhz and no problem... now trying fine tune with step of 3mhz like yóu´ve told me...

one more thing: i´ve seen that in primary partition there´s 2 sub-hidden-partition, 1 of 12 giga and one about 100 mega... i suppose for restore??
if i delete that partition i´ll have problems?? instabilities or similar???
i´ve already done dvds with backup...

 

100mb is from Windows 7 installation, I'm not sure what's it for...
12GB, no problem if you delete it except no more recovery using alt + f10...

 

I just swapped out the hard drive as I said in my earlier posts. Also got a Acronis backup image. Not going to delete that hidden partition yet.... At least not for a while. Clean install of Windows 7 feels so nice.

I'm having trouble connecting to my school's WiFi AP. It takes forever to connect and sometimes it'll slow down. Everything was fine at home, and looking around me, other users on their own laptops can use the AP just fine. I'm not sure if it's a AP problem or if the problem is from the Atheros network adapter.

 

i vote Atheros problem.
i get the same issue with my home Wifi sometimes after hibernating... it would connect but say "No Internet Access"... forever and ever and ever until it finally decides that the internet is there and start working.

by that time my mother has already booted up her old laptop (boot, no standby nor hiber), login and is already watching youtube video when i'm still staring at "No internet access" z_z

on most days though, it works decently fine. darn weird..

anyone else any idea?

 

thanks, i think that fixed it.

 

no problem, if i´ll have some issues i´ll boot my win image from hdd!!
so, no controindication deleting.. well
another question about SSD :
is advisable buying now or wait some week?? (SF1200 vs SF2000)

 

ehm... sorry...
one more thing:
is there any other performant software beyond ATI GPU CLOCK TOOL for OCing the gpu????
it gives me some errors (it always set the gpu clock and memory like 100 and 150 mhz, i have to set manually every time i restart windows or every time i switch the VGAs)...

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6432896-post1156.html

PS : I will soon receive exactly the same notebook you have. How is the 6550 overclock on it ?

 

Looks like I wasn't the only one having trouble with connecting to my school's network today. It's fine to use at home so it's hard for me to determine the problem.

 

Using Ubuntu Original post on Ubuntuforums.org
Disabling discrete ATI graphics card to the intergrated graphic card on the Intel motherboard (saving battery)

In TERMINAL execute the command

and paste in the following into the notepad document that has been opened from the above command

Save the document and exit. Next enter the next command in TERMINAL

Paste in the following the document that has been opened from the above command

Save and exit the document. Type in the following commands into TERMINAL

Enter in the following into TERMINAL

At the end of the existing document, input in the following at the very end of the codes.

Save and exit. In TERMINAL

Enter in your password to update your system and reboot

 

Nice! Can you tell us something about the power consumption... min., avg. (pdf reading/browsing) etc.?

I still stick to my VirtualBox image... everything works out of the box after installing VirtualBox tools

 

I just want to show off ;]
1st result Gpu 6550 : 780/1120
2nd 800/1150
max temps around 80C @ 3dmark

CPU i3 380@ 2,8ghz




Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Happy days. The GPU have taken it last breath. Went dark while I travelled from home to school this morning.

LMAO, my sister's laptop (also an Acer) is at service at the moment. For what? Oh yes, the GPU.

Anything special with Acer and screens/GPU's?

 

On Ubuntu, I currently get 5 hours on the dot when fully charged with my average load. The load would consist of 2 Web browsers open simultaneously (opera and firefox or srwiron) with about 10-15 tabs, a music player, file manager, a few instances of office apps (usually a word doc and pdf or power slide). I also have compiz on so the graphic effects use up some battery as well but I don't think it draws much less power compared to windows aero. I also have various small processes running in the background such as widgets, invest applet and conky

I always have the laptop on the lowest dimmed settings for saving battery and to protect my privacy in the library. I believe when I first installed Ubuntu it was 10.04, the Fn + brightness arrows did not work with the kernel back then, so I had to write up a script to get it working properly. I'm not sure if the current kernel has been updated to fix that problem.

On the lowest screen brightness and turning off WiFi and sound via function key, I get 6.5 hours running only office apps, a file manager, compiz and conky

If I were to run a 1.5 hour movie full screen, I get a bit more than 4 hours with WiFi on and maybe a browser open

 

You abused the laptop or something? Was it protected? So far I consider myself taking good care of the laptop and I took to school for two days now. I need to get myself a sleeve though. Currently using that white "sleeve" it comes with.

Anyways to update the network problems I had earlier, it seems to me that it was the school's network having problems. Booted up the Acer today and I instantly connected to the school network.

 

@ Hotwax. Glad to see your still enjoying your Acer. It was the only one, other than mine to come on the SS Rotterdam. Nice work with the Ubuntu. I'm stuck with Windows 7 Pro due to work constraints.

Bronsky

 

does anyone want to sell a 9 cell battery for this laptop? im looking to buy an authentic one

 

Has anyone had any trouble with the sound quality? Installing the latest Realtek drivers after doing a clean install and the sound is awful, both from my Sennheiser CX-300 headphoones and from the speakers. I'm going to try the Realtek sound from the Acer site later and see if it's any better.

Also, has anyone found a good equalizer setting to use?

 

Turn off surround sound and other enhancements.

 

I just noticed that, when my 3820TG comes out of Sleep Mode, SetFSB is still running (task bar indicates it is running) but it sets the CPU back to its base clock speed. All I have to do is reset it and the CPU goes back to its OC speed. Anybody know a way to have SetFSB return to its OC'd speed when the notebook comes out of sleep mode? I'm having the same issue on my HP Slate 500, so it is not something unique to the Acer.

Thanks.

Bronsky

 

Not at all. In a sleeve, inside the sack. I've seen dark flickering once in a while the last weeks, so this wasn't an one-time bummer. Something got to be bad connected inside, as it works once in a while.

 

Has anyone had any experience replacing the screen on these?

Would a Macbook 13.3" LED screen work in one of these?

Are there any other higher quality panels that would fit the 3820TG's dimensions and connector?

I want to buy one really badly but the displays are all pretty average it seems.

 

This has been discussed but no conclusion was actually reached.
It seems that the screens which ACER uses are the only panels guaranteed to work but no others have been tested to my knowledge.

 

I upgraded my 3820TG with 8GB of memory and a WD Scorpio Black (mission accomplished!). However my WEI score for hard disk seems to be the same as the previous hard disk (5.9), which seems a little odd. I ran the test a few times and it remains the same. Any ideas?

 

Increasing HD speed from 5400 rpm to 7200 rpm does not noticably increase the WEI AFAIK.

Bronsky

 

@too456, you need SSD to go further than 5.9

 

i found the BT.00907.013 for the 3820TZG/3820TZ on the german spare parts site here
Acer Notebook Ersatzteil Shop
and i was wondering whether the 9 cell battery will work on the 3820TG? I get about 4-5 hours of battery life which is good but I have 6 hours of lectures to take notes for and theres very few power sockets so it would be nice to get around 6-7 hours of battery life with a 9 cell battery.

 

A few driver updates.

Intel Chipset Driver v9.1.1.1025 - no update as of today

Realtek HD Audio R2.57 Updated [TESTED]: Realtek - select the one for Vista and Windows 7 32/64bit. You might also want to install the ATI HDMI Audio Device driver highlighted in red in the same page.

Broadcom Bluetooth v6.3.0.6700 [TESTED]: Broadcom.com - Bluetooth Software Download - accept the license agreement and download. Bluetooth must be turned on during the installation.

Atheros Bluetooth v7.0.2.13 [TESTED - thanks ChasePack]: Drivers for Atheros AR3011 and Windows 7 - Tested by ChasePack, works fine.

Alcor Micro Card Reader v1.0.15.54 [TESTED]: http://www.station-drivers.com/tele...eader_1.15.54-w7(www.station-drivers.com).exe

Atheros LAN v1.0.0.36 [TESTED]: ATHEROS Network drivers for Windows - look for your hardware (mine's AR8151) and select your version of Windows (likely Windows 7 x64)

Alps Touchpad Driver v7.6.2020.204 [NOT TESTED]: http://www.station-drivers.com/tele...ad_7.x6.2020.204(www.station-drivers.com).exe

Synaptics Touchpad Driver v15.2.7 Updated [TESTED]:
32 bit: Download License Agreement | Synaptics
64 bit: Download License Agreement | Synaptics - select the one for your system. Direct from Synaptics servers, includes Scrybe. Ponjornoh reported that the installer does not work. One workaround I found was to uninstall all Synaptics drivers first, then install the one from above. If that does not work, Ponjornoh worked around it by extracting the installer and manually installing the driver via Device Manager.

ATi Display Drivers v11.1 Updated [TESTED]: ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver - Remember to set graphics mode in BIOS to "discrete" before installing. Brightness key functions fixed.

Intel WiMax Driver for 6250 v6.1.0 [NOT TESTED]: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19616&ProdId=3199&lang=eng - Not tested because I am not using Intel WiMax, hopefully someone can verify if it works.

Atheros WLAN v8.0.0.366 [TESTED]: ATHEROS Wireless drivers for Windows - look for your hardware (mine's AR5B93) and select your version of Windows. Apparently v9 does not install properly because Windows thinks v8.0.0.366 is the latest version, so install v8.0.0.366.

Broadcom WLAN v5.100.249.2 [NOT TESTED]: http://www.station-drivers.com/tele...0.249.2-vista-7(www.station-drivers.com)).exe - This driver should be compatible with all Broadcom WLAN devices. Verification needed.

Intel WLAN driver v13.4.0.0 [TESTED - thanks Ponjornoh]: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19516&ProdId=3200&lang=eng - Read the readme in the page. If it scares you then don't use this driver. Ponjornoh tested this driver without Intel PROSet/Wireless, works fine.

How to install the Atheros LAN and WLAN drivers from above: Extract the drivers somewhere, the go to start > search device manager > expand Network Adapters > right click on Atheros LAN/WLAN > Update driver software > Browse my computer for driver software > Choose the folder which you extracted the files to > wait for Windows to install the drivers > done

 

hi guys...
a couple of questions:
i´ve formatted the hidden partition in C: (the one that we need to boot from bios)and now is a phisical partition visible in win7 (D: photos 12 giga) but i can´t
include it in a pre- existent partitio (like C: for example),... i´ve tried with the partition win7 application and a 3rd party application (easeus) both...
any suggestion???
is there an alternative program for clockin´ the vga??? ati gpu clock tool gives me several issues... or, wich version of ati program i have to dowload?? mobile??
has someone used VLite to get win 7 lighter and faster??
is there any guide???
thanks a lot

p.s: still testing with setfsb, amazing results....
but in your opinion, is better to carry on with the freeware version and the ICS9LPRS365BGLF clock gen or i´ll get more fine and better oc with the share ware and rhe asus g73 pll???
thanks!!!

 

You can only extend the free space to the left side partition of the free space...

what kind of issues with amd gpu clock tool?

If yours work with ICS, don't think it would work with G73 since its different PLL..
you could try the shareware version and "get fsb" to see if there's error or not..

 

If I recall correctly, the ICS and the G73 PLLs worked on the 3820TG. They are not mutually exclusive. Some were using the freeware version of the program with the ICS PLL and others were using the shareware G73. Only one way to find out.

I use the shareware G73 definition and can OC the I3-370M up to 3.1 ghz stable. It optimizes at 3.0. I can run my I5-540M up to 3.7 ghz stable. It optimizes at 3.66 ghz.

Those of you ordering the new I5-480M/HD 6550 units, it looks like many of them are coming with the LG display. That display has recently been reviewed and your observations about the inferiority of the display vs. the AOU have been confirmed. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Acer-Aspire-4820TG-i7-HD-6550-Notebook.44096.0.html

Bronsky

 

You can find a 9 cell battery in the official acer store as well: Acer Online Store - Battery for Aspire: 9 cells / 9000mAh / Black

Perhaps it's even the same battery and spare part nr BT.00907.013 matches manufacturer id LC.BTP00.119...

After some googling, I've found the following site: Acer Aspire TimeLineX 3820TG-334G50n LX.PTB02.119 - Aspire TimeLine 13.3" - Acer

BT.00907.013 seems to be the stock battery for the 9 cell model

 

lee: ok i'll keep my 12 giga partition apart..
don't know why but ATI GPU CLOCK TOOL on every reboot set automatically my vga's clock on 100 for the gpu and 150 mhz for memories... very boring.. which exactly version i should download and install?? is there one particular??

Bronsky 'n' Lee: wich is the one (share with g73 or free with ICS pll) modality you have found better??? with free+ICS my I5 480 is rock solid until 160 fsb (3520) you suggest my to contact abo-san and try the share+g73 pll too? may i find some performance increasing???


p.s: my I5-480/6550 3820TG mounts an AU Optronics B133XW03 V2 screen!!!

 

That is how it works, it doesn't make the gpu overclock permanent..
and when you overclock using amd gpu clock tool, powerplay doesn't work, the gpu will constantly run at that clock until you restart or reset it, hence power/heat increase when just browsing or idle...
permanent overclocking involve vbios flashing..
and 100/150 is powerplay, that's the clock when idle...
you could use MSI Afterburner if you want it to run specific clocks at 3D and 2D, but you would need to it to run at background..

Try download the shareware and use G73 and test "get fsb" first, see whether got error or not...

 

Could anyone tell me how can i save setfsb settings? Now I have to change manually every time those numbers in Diagnosis windows in SetFsb - 21 to 29/31 to 39 etc.- and thats just boring

 

If you're running the Front Side Bus setting at 160 and it is producing a clock speed of 3.52 ghz, that is a really good result (the 480 turbos to .7 ghz less than my 540M - which optimizes the OC at 3.66 ghz) and, although I always suggest supporting the software developer, I don't think you're going to get a significant improvement with shareware.

Bronsky

 

all right guys, now i'm ok, i've understood about ATI GPU TOOL...
just one thing i haven't understood: about setfsb shareware (and sorry if i'm obstinate!!!)
if i wanna try the g73 pll the things to do are:
1 download the share version
2 contact abo for activation key
3 ask him about the g73 pll (only him knows that pll??)
4 try
is it right??
sorry but i'm so confused about!!!

 

Do you know if the game "Magicka" runs on 3820TG ? Have you tried it ?
Same question for GTA 4 and the episodes ?

Thx

 

Here are the steps. Download the shareware version of setfsb. Then make the donation on the website. Abo-san will send you an email to your paypal address and ask you for the serial number from your version of the dl Setfsb. He will also ask you to run the PLL diagnosis screen and take a ss. Then he will ask you to make a .txt dump file from running CPUz (look on the last tab at the bottom). Once you give him all that, he will tell you if your unit will OC. Enter the key that he gives you and OC to your heart's content.

Bronsky

 

all very clear... but.. in all your method description, where i have to put the issue of the Asus G73 PLL???? this is what i really haven't understood since 10 posts ago!!!
sorry, i know i'm a pest!!

 

Anyone know where I can buy this notbook in Australia?

 

GTA 4 plays easy for sure. It's no stress for a TG series machine.

 

If you need to grow / shrink partitions you can download a live ubuntu cd and run gparted (it's in the menus so no command line anything). It's easy to use an pretty intuitive. Back everything up first, natch.

 

Hi everyone. I haven´t been here for quite some time now-have been pretty happy using my 3820TG. However, there´s one thing that keeps bugging me. Every time I try to stream HD TV, particularly BBC using their iPlayer platform, the result is unsatisfactory; the picture gets jerky quite a lot. Also, it seems to me that the picture gets a bit smooother when only the integrated HDGraphics is used, not the ATI discreet card, which I find peculiar. And as the ATI only is engaged when streaming through HDMI onto my TV-I´m left with pretty annoying reuslts.
I´m sorry if this issue has been raised here before - I did actuallly ask about it myself a few hundred pages back, and I got the latest ATI update, as I was instructed to do,which didn´t help at all.
Any idea ?
Thanks for any replies

 

installed with my laptop with AR3011

working fine with my HTC Desire and 3820TG
though i dont seem to see much difference if at all

 

Installer refused the installation. Had to extract the exe and updated it manually via device manager.

Works with my Intel Advanced-N 6200. I'm using just the driver without Intel PROSet/Wireless.

Great summary to keep the system up to date

 

Strange. It worked fine on mine, having some fun using Scrybe actually.

EDIT: You could try uninstalling all previous versions of the Synaptics drivers, reboot then install the updated drivers.

 

Looks like the rumors of the timeline's demise were wrong. http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/553306-acer-timelinex-3830-4830-5830-t-g.html
Thanks for the info Lee.

Bronsky

 

Did you check the ATI PowerPlay settings? It shouldnt affect it that much but its worth a look. Right click your desktop and select graphics properties. Depending on the firmware you're using you will find the PowerPlay settings and you should change them to maximum performance.