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

Numero,
Where did you purchase your i7 3820TG and at what cost?

Thanks,
Todd

 

I 'm selling my 3820 Core i3 and i bought from Computer Universe in Germany one 3820 Core i5 450M with ATIHD5650!!

Someone know if it's possible to buy from acer the Portuguese keyboard and make the change?

Regards!!

 

Hello,

I want to thank everybody for this information full thread especially Bronsky & Hendrickson!!

I'm going to buy the Acer 3820T-332G25MN Click.

This one is only available in The Netherlands. When I use the NB at home I will unplug the battery, b/c it sticks out for a few centimeters.
- is the notebook sturdy on the table without the battery?

I'm thinking about buying a better wifi card. On one of the pictures of the motherboard I saw a sticker on the wifi module.
- is the wifi link 5300 much better than the wireless N-1000?
- is it possible to replace the wifi without breaking the sticker/warranty?

The acer warranty is a bit short (1-year) I'm thinking of buying an extended plan of 3 years with or without accidental damage risk. This is an extra ~80Euro's. A notebook of E530 (without VAT/company usage) the extra warranty is more than 15% of the retail price I'm not sure if it's a right choice.... Any advice on Acer's or notebook in general possibilty for warranty claim is welcome.

The upgrades which are determined so far;
-extra 2GB kingston DDR2 DIMM
-Intel SSD 80 GB G2
( case Zeroshock III)

 

Better try to get Intel wifi link 6200, as for 5300, you can't utilize it fully since it needed 3 antenna....

 

I have one spare antenna left. My retailer has both 5300 and 6200....

 

Is there a way to automatically sync the SD card when i plug it into the 3820TG? I use it in the 1410T when I'm traveling and would like it to automatically download the files created while it was out of the 3820TG. I'm hoping that there is a way to do this in Windows 7 without the need of any 3rd party software.

Bronsky

 

Hendrickson,

Was your CPU overclocked when you obtained the 3DMark06 results posted on the first page? Because I get similar results to yours for the SM 2.0 and 3.0 scores, but my CPU score lags by 200 points or so, which of course negatively affects the total score.

If your CPU was not overclocked, then I suspect my Turbo Boost does not work properly. Do you (or someone else) know a way to verify and ensure that Turbo Boost is indeed enabled in my system? There does not seem to be a BIOS switch.

 

The results in the first posts were taken with a i5-430M at stock clocks.

With the i5-450M you should get something between 2750 and 2800.

Monitor your core speed with cpu-z to verify that turbo boost works properly (i5-430M: 2.26 GHz / 2.53 GHz, i5-450M: 2.4 GHz / 2.66 GHz)

 

Dont think windows has that feature for sd cards anyway...you need to use sync software...allwaysync is free and easy to use but it does limit the size/amount of files you transfer....I personally use goodsync to a network drive...its paid software...you can possibly get a trial...or there are...cough cough...other methods of getting it!!

 

guys i need desperate help and please reply sooner

i uninstalled all the catalyst drivers and deleted all ati/amd folders from c drivers i wanted to do a clean install of catalyst after i rebooted my 3820tg the "configure switable graphics "is gone please help me step by of how to fix this?

 

Tell us how you did the clean install. Did you use eRecovery to back up the drivers and apps first? If not, find my drivers posted on this thread and make sure you have them. That will include the basic Intel and ATI drivers. Switch the bios to install the ATI drivers. That should get you back to square one.

Bronsky

Hey ... if I replaced the MOBO on this 3820TG, I would get a different Clock Gen - right? (not that I am, just wondering). Didn't Acer have a $200 flat rate to replace the mobo?

 

Hi guys.

I'm having a weird(?) problem after doing a clean install of win7 64 pro om my 3820tg.

Ok, so i assume I need acer powermanager to control which one of my two grapich cards I want to use? Is that right?
If that is the case I might have a problem, the thing is that I'm just not able to run it. It just won't start. I can see it in the taskmanager(?), under processes though. Tried running it as admin and reinstall.

The same thing happens with catalyst control center.

It would be great if you guys could help me!
I'm not english, so my writing isn't perfect..!

 

Did you install launch manager after the clean install?

 

The ATI Driver provided by Acer brings the switching feature. It contains the Intel Driver and the ATI one.

If you'd like to use a newer catalyst driver, just install it over the Acer one (after setting graphics mode to dedicated in BIOS for installation and revert to switchable afterwards). If you uninstall the Acer driver, you will loose the switching ability.

 

No, I did it now. The program won't start though. Just like the others.


Ponjornoh: I had acers driver installed earlier, but don't I need more to be able to switch between cards?

 

Here is a list of the drivers you need after a clean install. http://forum.notebookreview.com/6481111-post1821.html
You also need the launchmanager and powermanager apps from the Acer DL page. Once these were all installed, my machine worked like it was factory.

Bronsky

 

Ok, thanks a lot! I think I'll download these and do a new clean install! boring, but at least it gets done right.

Thanks again!

 

@bronsky i didnt clean inwindows or anything else

i uninstalled the ati drivers and deleted the ati folders from drive c and then intalled 10.7 catalyst because i wanted to do dxva but i cant plz help if i dload your ati driver will it be fixed? help me with the dxva thing also i cant intall latest intel igp drivers it shows itself as turbo boost tech driver is it the correct one?

 

You have to start with the Acer/ATI driver set.

 

Hi Bronsky

Thanks for the files, although I'm unable to download "WLAN_LVWBF109.zip".

Can someone else check and see if you experience the same problem?

If you can tell me which of the wifi drivers it is on the acer site, I can just download it from there.

 

All of these drivers are on the acer site.

 

Yeah, I know. But I have downloaded all the files except the one I mentioned. The problem is that I don't which one of the 4 wlan drivers it is on the acer site.

I can of course download all 4 again from the acer site, but my internet is acting up, so I'd rather not. Too slow!

Sorry for being a pain, I appreciate the help.

 

Has anybody loaded 10.7a beta?

Bronsky

 

Yes.

Didn't notice any difference. Guess the only fix is to force AA in SC2.

 

Hi bronsky can you please help me with the following quesitons;

I'm going to buy the Acer 3820T-332G25MN Click.

This one is only available in The Netherlands. When I use the NB at home I will unplug the battery, b/c it sticks out for a few centimeters.
- is the notebook sturdy on the table without the battery?

I'm thinking about buying a better wifi card. My e-tailor has two intel cards 5300 and 6200. Which one is the best? On one of the pictures of the motherboard I saw a sticker on the wifi module. I have a spare antenne available
- is the wifi link 5300 or 6200 much better than the wireless N-1000?
- is it possible to replace the wifi without breaking the sticker/warranty?

The acer warranty is a bit short (1-year) I'm thinking of buying an extended plan of 3 years with or without accidental damage risk. This is an extra ~80Euro's. A notebook of E530 (without VAT/company usage) the extra warranty is more than 15% of the retail price I'm not sure if it's a right choice.... Any advice on Acer's or notebook in general possibilty for warranty claim is welcome.

The upgrades which are determined so far;
-extra 2GB kingston DDR2 DIMM
-Intel SSD 80 GB G2
( case Zeroshock III)

 

I was playing some bfbc2 and Windows asked me what I wanted to do about the aero-setting which applies while playing this game to increase performance. I accidentally miss-clicked so now it's set to Windows aero always, and does not change while gaming. How can I change it back to the way it was? And how big is the performance-change?

 

Yes ... the computer is stable without the battery.

6200 is best but it is not possible to replace it without breaking the sticker. If you're going to buy an extended warranty, I would leave everything factory until the warranty is over.

At least here in the states, I have found Acer service people to be very nice. I think the system is a bit balkanized and they are hampered by it. I bought my system in Germany and the US can't recognize the serial number in their system. Odd for a system with a travelers warranty. 3 year warranty for 80E is not bad.

The two upgrades you picked are essential. The 3820T is made for an SSD. Best of luck with your computer.

Bronsky

 

Which size of ssd should I use, 2,5" or 2,5"x1/8H?
Whats the difference?

 

ok, im almost sold on buying this laptop now but i was wondering, where do i get the catalyst updates? will I have to get them from the American site? I've got Bronskys very helpful post on how to change the language to english etc but Im not too sure how updates are meant to work. Is the US machine identical to the german machine?

 

Yes.

Bronsky

You thinkin' about a Tiawaneese unit?

 

Bronsky, can you give your impression after switching from Intel X25-V 40GB to the Crucial 128GB, any substancial improvement, though I know both is different machine, but in term of responsiveness in daily usage?

 

I'm thinking about getting the German unit, its the cheapest way really since Im in the uk. It will cost £718 which is quite cheap. I was considering ordering the n82jv (from germany) but the problem is, I cant find a US keyboard and I wont have a list of drivers and the other things to make it activate. Plus I prefer the form factor of the 3820tg

 

I would pick the 3820TG over the N82JV.

Bronsky

 

hello all,

I posted this earlier in the "can my notebook play this" thread:

I am planning to get a Acer 3820TG, i5 450m with 5650, this is my more or less decision haha..it will be used to play mostly:

1. Starcraft 2
2. Mass Effect 2
3. upcoming Fifa 11 & PES2011

After reading up, I know the laptop should be able to handle the above comfortably on med settings but my question is, how will it fare if I connect the laptop to my 24" Dell monitor? resolution would be either 1680x1080 or 1900x1080. Advice appreciated. Thanks!

One guy answered it should be fine on 1680x1080 but not the latter. What about the 3820TG users here? hows the in-game performance at the above resolutions?

 

No problems with 1680x1080 @ high settings / Catalyst 10.7. Since the game is very CPU intense, frame rate depends on SP / MP and stage of the game: usually > 30 FPS, max ~ 60 FPS

 

I was dissapointed with the C300. I had to send it back, as it was registering errors and loosing data. It was probably just a bad unit. When I returned it, I was considering the Intel as a replacement because I began to realize that I needed a larger drive. The lack of an ESata port in the 3820TG makes the loading and unloading of large modeling data sets painful. Newegg had the 128GB Crucial M225 on sale for almost a $100 less than the C300, so I bought it, figuring that I would be putting a larger drive in by Q1-Q2/2011 and hoping the prices come down by then. The M225 is my stop-gap drive. The drive runs perfectly, but the firmware updating process is antiquated. Intel supports its drives much better than Crucial IMO. The Crucual feels noticably faster than my 40GB X25, but it was the V model, not the M.

Bronsky

@cire - who has the I5-520M model?

 

Thanks Ponjornoh, I think the internet lag might have a role to play too in terms of performance? but good to know the 5650 can handle it.

how about mass effect 2, anyone?

 

my bad, thanks for pointing the error out, it should be i5-450m. I was possibly dreaming

 

ME2 is a well optimized game that the 5650 will not have any trouble with.

 

Hey Bronsky, you mention the Intel 6200 is the best wifi card, is it better than other one like 6250 or 6300? I don't really know much about wifi card.

 

thanks, I Think I'll definitely go for it now I mean the main draw of the n82jv was the fact that it had usb 3.0 and a CD drive built in. I normally play fallout 3 using the disc and I am going to use this laptop for around 3-4 years.

 

I think the 6300 you have to add another antenna. Not sure about the 6250. I know that the 6200 works. It has been used to replace the same broadcom wifi card in the 1830T.

Bronsky

 

The 1366 x 780 display looks much better on a 13.3" than on a 14". I think a 14" needs a 1600 x 900 display (that is the one thing that the Envy did right).

The Acer has a cooling system second to none. I would trade the optical drive for a second sink/fan in a heartbeat. I don't know how the Asus OC's but we know that the Acer's HD5650 is stable at a 40% OC. If you get the right model, you can even OC the CPU. Is the N82JV comming with factory CPU OC? That would be something.

As far as I can tell, the 3820TG has no problem with heat at all. Any issues with the N82 so far?

USB 3.0 is a real plus. I wish my Acer had it, or at least ESata so I could have a fast connection to an external drive when working at my desk.

The Asus warranty is also tempting. It would be great to drop the unit and know you didn't just loose $1K. But, I bought the Acer, not knowing if I would have a warranty at all. So, I guess that wasn't as important to me.

Good luck with the decision.

Bronsky

 

The N82JV's cooling is also alright, but not as good as the 3820TG, from what I gather on the Chinese sites. The main thing about that notebook is that it's bulky. Also, from what I hear on Chinese forums, Optimus is giving people a lot of trouble, ie doesn't recognize when it should be on or off, and doesn't allow manual selection.

 

I can recommend the intel 6200 wifi at least.

Went from broadcom wifi which lost signal or was at 1/5 signal strength at my bedroom to intel 6200, now I'm stable at 4/5 signal strength at my bedroom.

That clearly shows how superior intel wifis are.

 

Yep the "manually" switchable option of the timelinex is something I prefer at least.

Not to mention the current optimus card choices are weaker than HD5650.

 

Thanks min! Now i just got to go back to the shop that offered me a S$1300 deal, hopefully that deal is still valid & my ears werent fooling me!

 

Got SC2 yesterday, runs just fine on high settings on my 3820TG. Around 32 fps with plenty of action on screen.

Interesting the CPU Overclock, does seem to have much of an effect on the game unlike say BFBC2.

 

It's the same here too.

 

You people who are having problems getting a decent connection with the Wifi. Was this because of having Windows in low-performance-mode? Will a 6200 improve this? When I go to work again I will use it mainly in power-save-mode and I want a good and stable connection.