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

Oh oke, I just checked the GPU reviews on notebookcheck because there is no 3820TG with 6550 review on there. So, what do you guys think?
Buy:
3820TG i5-460 + 5650
3820TG i5-460 + 6550
3820TG i5-480 + 6550

As of now I think I'll buy the 2 option with the 460 because the difference seems marginal for the 50 euro's it costs extra...

 

Yeeh Alot Of Questions but im in Bali and My Computer got smashed By A wave So i Have to be In A Cafe...

Okey i dont mean to Lap The Cpu But The Cpu Heatsink, Well Yeeh Its Up To Me But i Know What im Doing.. Its Just Hard To Explain It Over Text

And How Did You Get Your Core To 850 Overvolting? Or just A Good Chip..

Well Seems Like the People Getting Some Good Results After Changing The Compuond So Hope Your Getting Good Results

Bronsky That is Some Nice Temperature Drop ! Did You remove the Thermal Tape From The Vram of the Gpu and Applied Thermal Compuond Insted or did You just add A LITTLE bit of Ic Diamond 7 on the Thermal Tape?

And Do Anyone Know If Acer is Planning in Releasing a Better 3820 with Amd 5850? or have they Already Done That?

And What is The Difference Between The 5650 and The 6650 somewhere ive Heard That the 6650 has 0,1 More Core Voltage so its a Better Overclocker?

Thanks For Replies !

 

I believe he asked how much is the difference of price...

I would go with the second option. The difference between the video cards is marginal and they are essentially the same, but it's still one generation newer.

 

I would not do lapping on my heatsink. I understand that making it a mirror corrects some imperfections of the contact area, but it may level off, which is dangerous for a mobile environment.

 

So what ATI driver do I download?

The one that is 1.1mb, catalyst software suite
or
catalyst control center 63.6mb

 

Sorry, does anybody have any ideas? I've been trying to figure this out all day and still can not figure it out.

Does anybody have similar boot times, aka it's an average boot time and I'm just being paranoid.

Cheers.

VGA Driver (Radeon HD 5650 & Radeon HD 5470)

VGA Driver (Radeon HD 6550M & Radeon HD 6370M)

 

Is Catalyst 11.2 included in those?

 

Thanks for the interpretation. It would depend on the amout of discount he can get for the older model.

Bronsky

 

That seems to be a very long time! Shouldn't take any longer than a minute. You have CCleaner so use the tools section to check startup items. Run a defragment too that can solve a lot of issues. If you can get your hands on perfect disk I highly recommend it. Check your drivers too. Otherwise I guess it could be a faulty hard drive? Is the loading all windows time?
There's a guide here its fairly tedious but may help What?s Taking So Long? How to Fight Slow Startup Times in Windows 7 IT Expert Voice
Also type services in the start menu and check there are no unusual services running. You can stop them and set them to manual or disabled if you know what you are doing. Just be careful what you disable!

 

I'd say the speakers could be better/louder.

Not saying theyre especially weak or anything, but theyre definitely not at the high end of the laptop spectrum, or possibly what you might expect for the original price point of the 3820.

Sometimes when I'm streaming a video with poor audio, I have to plug in my headphones to hear it.

 

All my drivers seem to be up-to-date (is there a quicker way to check this..?), any idea what could cause drivers to cause delays? Also, I can't find anything about boot times in CCleaner, but my event viewer shows me all of that, seems to be raw windows load times showing "error" or "critical" with one or two minimal (~15s) degradations, which seem to be from updates, etc.

All my services are disabled except any necessary ones, so I don't think that's the issue. Ugh this is frustrating.

 

Hey Mdot, those aren't the catalyst drivers right?

 

You should probably run some hard drive checks to ensure things are operating as they should be. Whats windows like when it boots up in the end? Any stalls or anything like that? Did you do a defragmentation? Sometimes they can get messed up pretty quick. I was hoping the event viewer would show the rogue drivers. If it were any I'd say it would be the video drivers... All I meant for CCleaner was to check the startup programs...you dont have any usbs plugged in do you? You could try this http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/04/03/trick-to-speed-up-windows-7-and-vista-boot-up-process-by-increasing-processor/ What anti-virus are you running? Have you tried disabling that? Have you installed all the drivers especially the hard drive related ones?

 

So is Catalyst 11.2 faster in a synthetic benchmark (3DMARK06) or not?

A little test:

• Previous driver (8.713): 850/1140 MHz = 10.500 3DMarks
• New driver (8.741): 850/1140 MHz = 10.678 3DMarks
• New driver (8.741): 852/1144 MHz = 10.697 3DMarks

Conclusion: There is a very slight improvement (about 1.5%) which might just as well be explained due to result fluctuations as actual improvement.
I could also clock the card slightly higher but this didn't give any noticeable improvement anymore.

Oh, and just for fun, I ran the 3DMark06 test at 640x480, giving a crazy score of 12.847 3DMarks

Edit: btw, if you're curious about temps: CPU max reached 76°C, GPU 84°C after runing like a dozen of tests ... still pretty damn cool if you ask me ... really wonder how much the IC Diamond 7 may be able to bring those down

 

Why don't you use 3D Mark11?
I know it's based on DX11 which is not widely used but 3DMark06 is mainly based on DX 9.0b (PS 2.0) so it's even more useless.
If I'm not mistaken Cats 11.2 have shown some nice improvements in 3DMark11.

 

Haven't installed it just yet. Will do it one of these as I have a license anyway ... but right now: to bed

 

I'll be clear as possible. I want to upgrade to Catalyst 11.2
I have the HD 6550, with the latest driver installed.

What steps do I take to upgrade to Catalyst 11.2?
-Do I have to switch to discrete, install, then switch back to switchable?
-Or just install it? Switchable (HD 6550 + Intel) will still work?

 

Because I wanted to install Win 7 SP1, I tried to update the Intel HD drivers. Firstly using the HP Envy 14 method as described here earlier, that did not work and as a result I have lost the ability to switch graphics automatically. I managed to update to version 8.752 and I have both adapters installed correctly, but I don't have the Catalyst Center or the Igf icon anymore. I cannot start CCC and I don't see the Igf icon in the system tray, where it used to be. I am able to switch the ATI off in device manager, so I know the Intel is working correctly. Sadly the P button, and the desktop shortcut, as well as the system tray icon are not working anymore. Does anybody have an idea how to fix this?
And back to the root of the problem: Does anyone know a method to get SP1 in windows update? (apparently it is not showing up if you have Intel HD driver versions 2104 thru 2141).

 

If you have the latest Acer driver installed, switch to dedicated GPU and install the Catalyst driver. Switch back and see if it works.

Bronsky

 

Thanks. If you have Atheros LAN and Broadcom WLAN, you can't use the Atheros drivers for WLAN right? You would have to manually disassemble the laptop and install Atheros WLAN adapter?

 

Right. Yes.
If you like Atheros WLAN adapter so much this is not going to be hard, since you have access to the WLAN by opening the same cover of the HDD and RAM. Don't need to disassemble all the laptop (access to bluetooth module for example is incredibly laborious).

 

Just read my post a few pages ago:

• download THIS new driver from the Acer website.
• Do NOT switch to switch to discrete, just run the setup!
• After setup, the new driver AND switchable will still work as it should

Bronsky, you're really making things a bit too complicated here

 

lol ok, I'll do it right now. Hope it works.

EDIT: Done. The new catalyst says the same version I had previously, 2010.1021.531.7998

Is that 11.2?

 

A better link with photo and no mistake (on EQAA_NA) that work with Catalyst 11.2 too:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136666

 

Does not look like you get Catalyst 11.2. My software info:

Driver Packaging Version 8.821-110126a-112965C-ATI
Catalyst Version 11.2
Provider ATI Technologies Inc.
2D Driver Version 8.01.01.1123
2D Driver File Path /REGISTRY/MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet002/Control/CLASS/{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}/0001
Direct3D Version 7.14.10.0812
OpenGL Version 6.14.10.10524
Catalyst Control Center Version 2011.0126.1749.31909

 

Haven't done the update yet, but try to switch to discrete graphics in bios. Intel HD Graphics should disappear and the update should work. Afterwards switch back to switchable.

 

Can just download windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe from Microsoft

 

Since no-one has figured out how to load the VBIOS of the 6550m onto the 5650m is there any chance that we could over-volt this chip at all? only to the same voltage as the 6550m of course which would be keeping well within the hardware and cooling limitations.
I want 6550m!

 

Does anyone have problems with external monitor?

I can't run Acer H233H via HDMI on 1920x1050 resolution. There is no 1920x1050 resolution in catalyst manager... :/

 

wow. some of you folks seem more concerned with benchmarks then actually using the laptop. not that theres anything wrong with that, im just noticing how picky some folks are.

 

If the new catalyst driver is not an Acer driver that supports switchble graphics, switching to dedicated before installing the unsupported driver seems to minimize problems with the intel driver installation.

I agree that there is no need to switch to dedicated if you are installing an Acer/AMD authorized driver but unauthorized AMD drivers (like 11.2) still require that step. Is the driver you link 11.2? I'm not sure because I'm still using 10.10e because of open GL capabiluty.

Bronsky

 

OK, done some more research. Let's start by making clear this post is about the HD6550. Also, we should make a distinction between display driver and catalyst version.
The link contains the download location of the AMD 8.741.1.6000 driver for Windows 7 and is Acer specific (the previous Acer driver was version 8.713.3.3000).
The update will however give you the latest version of Catalyst Control Center 2 which also comes with AMD's Catalyst 11.2 and looks like this (actually introduced in version 10.12):



When installing the Catalyst 11.2 "driver" from the AMD website, this one contains the ATI Radeon display driver 8.821. However, install fails on the HD6550 (at least in my attempts), with or without switching to discrete, uninstalling ... as it doesn't recognize the HD6550 as being a compatible videocard (so it only updates the CCC but NOT the driver!).
This driver does however seem to support the HD5650 so people with this videocard in their notebook may have other experiences (and they may have to switch to discrete and so on).
Tonight I will strip the AMD Catalyst 11.2 driver (containing the ATI Radeon display driver 8.821) and add the 6550 definition to the inf. I'll keep you all posted if this would work or not

 

Some people get a thrill to push their game score records, I'm getting mine from pushing my benchmark records

Overclocking to me isn't but a game. I'm not in it for the better performance (actually, even when not overclocking, this little gem gives me enough power for whatever use, even Photoshop) but purely for the fun. This does not mean I don't actually appreciate the speed gained, but for daily use, I always stay within the 'safe' limits of heat and stability.

I'm probably just one of those persons who simply wants to explore the boundaries of the outer limits because it simply gives me a thrill to keep pushing those limits forward (hence Watercooling, Dice ...).

 

What kind of harddrive checks could I run? And there's not really any stalls apart from it loading a few things at once and maybe hands for a split second, but the mouse never skips if that's what you mean. I run Perfect Disk now, and it runs when the computer is idle too. My video drivers are up to date, and I've disabled every startup program except for the required ones, and my AV is AVG-free (I used to run NOD32 but it's pricey). I've tried, but the only time it causes a degradation is when it's updating or something. I believe I've installed all of my drivers, not sure about the harddrive ones - i've done all of the ones on the Acer europe website though.. How can I ensure all of my drivers are up-to-date?

Thanks a lot.

edit: I'm down to about 70s, up to about 100 or so, but the odd time it'll spike to 130-140s. I guess that's not too bad, but nowhere close to the ~60s it used to take. I have a feeling I'm missing a driver, as it only started happening after my original restore, and it's still happening after my clean install.

 

I didn't benchmark yet but since I have this laptop I didn't use it, instead I spent a lot of time in this forum and other researches. Anyway I know I'll have this laptop for at least two years and the time I spend now is gonna worth later.

 

The new Macbooks have ATi Graphics maybe Mobility Radeon Drivers for OS X will be available for TimelineX. (Just Joking)

 

Yeah it's great to see. I've been tweakin and overclocking desktops but I'm very new to the laptop world and it'll be a while before I feel comfortable enough with this mobile hardware before I start pushing limits. For example in a few years when I buy a new laptop I'll begin pushing the limits of my 3820tg

 

Have you tried running any modern games on it? They generally need to access the hard drive quite a lot so you'll know after a couple of minutes if it starts stuttering. I knew mine was bust when I played Colin McRae Dirt 2 it just just freeze every couple of seconds. There have been a couple of reports of issues with AVG. Have you gone through your device manager and checked there are no errors? I meant the likes of the chipset driver and the sata ahci driver. You could start with windows own check disk scan How to use CHKDSK (Check Disk) - Windows 7

 

Unfortunately I don't even play any games, so I don't think I'd be able to check that out.. I went through it, no yellow !'s or anything, everything seems to be up to date and everything. I'll run a chkdsk scan and see hos it goes, i'll post back. It just seems weird that my computer takes ~90s to load, but other peoples computers who are older, lower end parts inside, boot in as little as 40s. -_-

 

You could try downloading and running PassMark and see what kind of speeds you get. There's a trial available here PassMark PerformanceTest - PC benchmark software Have you got it long or is it under warranty?

 

I'll try that out. chkdsk reported 0 errors, so that's not cool. I'm not entirely sure of what it would be aside from something that's installed incorrectly, but I do not get degradations, so I'm not 100% sure. -_- this is really bugging me because I cannot figure it out for the life of me, even after a clean install it's acting up.

I bought it in September, so it's still under warranty by Acer; realistically though, what would I say, that "it takes 30seconds too long to boot"? lol I don't see that going over too well.

edit: Passmark score is a 666.4.. not sure if that's good lol

edit2: Down to about 71s with no degradation? Maybe it's fine? Seems to be running slow though -_-

 

Overclocking raising CPU temperatures. Gaming raises GPU temperatures. When both are raised, the overall temperature in the laptops are increased as well, thus resulting in decreased performance due to throttling.

Can anyone direct me to the thread where I can find the program used to control the RAM timings and GPU clocks? The Search function is broken because this thread is too pro.

 

The decreased performance in 3D games has nothing to do with throttling or heat from the CPU. With IC Diamond 7, my CPU never ran over 85C, 20C under its max temps. It has to do with something that no one has yet explained to me. Plus, I use my CPU overclocked for a lot of other uses and never get the slightest hint of a throttle.

You can use AMD Clock tool or MSI after burner to control GPU clocks. I think Ram timings are controlled by a program called Typhoon.

Bronsky

 

So I mainly will use 3820 for gaming and web browsing.. that means I don't even need to bother ocing the 480M, huh?

EDIT: I just received my US keyboard and unfortunately I don't have my laptop to test it out. I noticed the space bar doesn't press down much at all. Is it supposed to be like that when the keyboard is not installed? Can someone test this out for me? All the other keys make a solid click noise and can be pushed down, but the space bar doesn't do either.

 

Just to be clear here, I am pretty sure that switching to discrete to install a driver will only result in the new driver working when you are in discrete. If you switch back to switchable after you will still be using the old driver.

I noticed this with WoW. When using the most recent Acer driver WoW rendering is messed up. The most recent AMD drivers don't have that problem. When I am in discrete there is no issue. When I am in switchable there is an issue.

 

Not true....

 

Good ol MSI AfterBurner eh. Ok I'll just use that then. Anyone know how high the ATI HD5470M will hit?

I believe it has an affect. Take desktops for example. When you stress just the CPU, only the CPU makes additional heat. When you stress just the GPU, only the GPU makes additional heat. But when you stress both like I do when I run Folding@Home on both the CPU and GPU, both temperatures increase a lot more than the max temperature that you're used to seeing when stressing each component individually because both CPU and GPU are producing heat, thus raising the overall temperature within the case. Same thing applies for laptops.

As for the CPU being 20C below the throttling limit, that I do not know about, nor got an idea why it's like that. Have you monitored the GPU temperatures? Maybe they made a custom profile in the vBIOS so that it slowly throttles as temperatures hit say 80C or whatever.

 

Hey guys, I just got my Acer 3820TG i3 thanks to everyone providing information on how to get it in the US!I have been reading a lot on here, but there is still an intimidating amount left!
First impression is that the build quality is much better than I was expecting. The display is bright and colorful, gloss is high, but I ordered an ebay matte cover. The keys are snappy, but will take some getting use to, if I'm typing sloppy my fingers get caught up on the edges. Performance is fast and quiet and the games I've installed are playing nicely. The look is very sleek and ergonomics are perfect The touchpad and speakers are the only things I could see improvement on. The left click has more travel than the right and feels squishy, making the edges more pronounced. The speakers sound great in quieter rooms, but it cant go toe to toe with other noises very well. Maybe they will have a driver to increase voltage to them or aftermarket ones that can slip in?
It will mainly be used for school and gaming, and will see lots of Starcraft 2 and some shooters. Sc2 plays nicely at Medium, and High is okay, but can see some lag in large battles. What can I do to help it perform on higher settings?
I am running the latest Ati driver (8.752) and followed the instructions on the site by uninstalling the old catalyst and reinstall the new one. I have read on this site that you should keep the old one and install the new one over it, so which is the right way?
I followed the overclock guide using Amd Clock Tool, and it now shows the settings at 650-950 correctly, but the CCC graphics hardware information still shows my old 550-850 mhz setting. Which one is right and how can I tell if it worked?
The hard drive seems to be a popular upgrade, but file transfers aren't much of a problem for me. Does the 5500rpm affect loading screens or fps, and by how much?
Thanks!

 

In my experience it has nothing to do with possible throttling or temperatures, but everything with stability. When I get worse performance at higher clocks, it's mostly because of instability which causes the system to make errors, thus increasing clock cycles and therefore reducing overall performance. Especially the RAM is subject to this problem. As games are often very RAM interactive, they're the typical victim of this problem.
In a desktop, increasing the voltage on RAM or CPU usually did the trick to get better performance again. Just make sure not to push it too high or you'll get processor degrading (meaning it will keep asking for more and more voltage to keep the processor stable). I wouldn't recommend overvolting in a notebook however because of the insufficient cooling mechanism.

In short: in my experience, OC will only increase performance up to a point where the components loose internal stability.

 

Sorry but does anyone recall if a CD or CDs came with the package? TIA!