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

How big is the core 7 with 4GB? In germany we have only 4MB.

 

It's a typo.

 

Running the gfx card at 650/950MHz I'm getting temps of 93C with 15min of FurMark stability testing + prime95. God I don't like this. I'm getting CPU temps of 99C. The processor is not even overclocked or touched. Better to replace the unit I guess?

 

Is it normal that your cores temps differ quite alot.
My core temps:

Core 0 Core 2
Now 35C 45C
Min 34 44C
Max 45 55C

Have been just surfing, no benching or nothing.
Might it be that all processes are mainly priorized for the other core?

 

Too bad about your puny little cache. 4GB is much faster.

Bronsky

@whelibob ... your temps are fine.

 

No question about it. My guess would be that you have some bad contact w/the cooling system. But, I would take it back immediately.

Bronsky

 

Thanks for the information.

How much more battery drain will my 8 GB RAM upgrade cost me in terms of battery life?

Do you feel that the shorter battery life vs processing performance is a worthwhile trade for the RAM upgrade?

Or am I better off upgrading the CPU to an i7 instead of upgrading the RAM to maximize performance?

Thanks for letting me know about this. I wasn't aware of it. It's not too late for me to return the RAM!

I also came across this blurb from Intel:

Your system uses RAM to run program instructions with the computer's memory instead of its hard disk drive (HDD), where it stores data. Refreshing the RAM requires less power than spinning the hard drive, so having the correct amount of RAM means less drain on your laptop battery.

If you have more RAM, the computer can load more data into memory and will use the hard drive less. As the hard drive is mechanical, it can easily use more power than RAM. More RAM also means that the OS wil not need to use virtual memory as much, which again means less use of the hard drive.

 

I would replace it. Those are some hot temps there.

 

Probably the safest solution yeah. Problem is though, I'm leaving for studies in Hungary in 3 days so I wont get my replacement unit back within that time. I guess I'll have to take my chances and replace it when I get home within 5 months. Worst case scenario would be that the notebook goes broke and I'll have to send it back to Norway in my study period; however, I've got a netbook that could work okay in the meanwhile. Not that it's great, but it'll suit my needs for taking notes until I get it back I guess. Hopefully the notebook wont die, and I'll replace it when I get back instead. Thanks for the help

Edit: How much can the 5650 reach in terms of max safe temps by the way? Is it just a countdown for death having it run at 93C?

 

Have a look at the cpu layout. This may solve why one core is a little bit hotter than the other one: http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/inteli5450-sg.jpg

Even "a little bit of surfing" can kick your CPU (&GPU). JavaScript and Flash eat up your cpu

 

Almost anything you add to the unit will pull battery power. Believe it or not, there is a difference between 1DIM Ram and split ram in terms of power usage (there are also trade offs).

A new CPU would give you more of an increase in performance than the Ram IMO. But, the ram is a hell of a lot easier to install. Seriously, the incresed ram is going to give you very limited performance increases.

What I would suggest is getting to know your laptop for a few weeks before adding any new performance enhancements. When you first get it, there is a natural tendency to throw the kitchen sink at it.

Plus, if you're adding Ram, there is another option. I would have considered the OCZ kit, which is close to what you paid for yours. Newegg.com - OCZ 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop Memory Model OCZ3M13338GK

Once you get comfortable with OC'ing the GPU and CPU, spend some time with the type of work you will be doing and see how the 3820TG performs. I suspect that you may find that it needs no performance enhancement. The 450M is a true workhorse. It has really impressed me.

I brought my Acer with an eye toward building a mobile workstation (like the precision or elitebook brands) but much smaller and lighter with maximum CPU and GPU power. Even still, if I had an OC'able 450M, I don't know if I would be upgrading the CPU, given that the 450M OC's to I7-620M speeds.

Let the dust settle a bit ... then take a hard look at your needs and upgrade accordingly. I have been using my 3820TG for almost two months now (hard to believe ) and have a pretty good idea where it needs improvement. I would like to speed up the CPU intensive tasks a bit more. The Acer handles all of my work related GPU and GPU accellerated functions without a hitch. I keep it OC'd for that work at 690/1050 and the GPU slices through the work without the slightest hesitation. I have noticed a couple of applications, however, where I would like another 10% or 20% out of the CPU. Once you figure that out, you can look for the most cost effective way to get there. I am having that debate with myself (and everyone else here ) ATM.

You seem to really like your Acer. I'm glad it is working out so well for you so far.

Bronsky

 

Why do you prefer the OCZ RAM over the G. Skill in my signature?

I believe you're right about my getting carried away with adding things like RAM to my laptop. I only have 6 GB RAM in my desktop PC.

I guess I'll return the RAM (unopened) to Newegg and save the money for a SSD when prices come down.

I'll try overclocking my CPU and see where that goes. As you said, it may eliminate the need to get an i7 CPU completely (at least for me).

Thanks again for stating what I needed to hear.

Yes, I really do love my 3820TG. Thanks again for opening my eyes to this incredible laptop!

 

Am I doing something wrong?

I used SetFSB to increase my FSB from the stock 139/760 (2394 MHz) to 166/760 (2718 MHz).

Then I ran 3DMark06. My CPU and GPU temps held constant at 85*C and 76*C respectively.

My new 3DMark score was only 7625.

At stock CPU speeds, the 3DMark score was 7604.

Am I doing something wrong here? An overclocked CPU should directly impact and increase the 3DMark scores, right?

Or is there another Benchmark score that I should be using to evaluate my overclocked CPU?


Thanks.

 

Does it shows 2718MHz on CPU-Z?
or does 3dmark06 recognized it running at 2.7Ghz?

 

It's the slide value in SetFSB that he mentioned. Posting FSB values in MHz would be better

 

That is correct. It is the FSB slide value in the SetFSB program.

Any thoughts on my question or suggestions?

 

Overclocking the fsb degrades the gpu performance... there's no solution atm.

To compare just the cpu performance, you should have a look at 3dmark's cpu score or bench it with wprime (or any other cpu benchmark tool).

 

Still the same question, does the 3dmark06 or cpu-z recognized the i5 450M running at 2.7GHz ?
like this..

and what's the cpu score you get?

 

The IC diamond 7 is really worth it in my eyes. Acer used a type of heat pad/paste mix that looks to have been attached to the heat sinks for quick placement on the production line.

I hear you about the CPU's, I'm not to sure what to do. But this i5 540m ES isn't staying its behind my i5 450m on overclocking. And since swapping CPU's is a pain. I Don't want to do it 2 more times.

So I'm not sure to try a OEM 540m and see if it overclocks like other OEM 540ms I have seen seem to. Or just sell the i5 540m QS and forget it all and put the i5 450m back in at leave its at 169.3Mhz FSB. Which = a nice 3Ghz per core and a turbo of 3.4 almost.


Just seeing users having OEM i5 540's OC'ed stable at 3.3Ghz both cores and 3.9Ghz turbo is so temping....The extra power you do notice on intensive tasks when encoding videos and music. And I'm using this as a mobile work station, I don't play games that much as I use my Xbox 360 more for that. But having nice desktop cpu power in a 13.3 slim and light package is just awesomeness According to Cores Mark 2010 ranking my i5 450 O/C was out doing desktop i7's....

What to do, try a i5 540 OEM or just put the i5 450m back hmmm.....

 

The bigger one is the Intel GPU and not a part of the CPU.

 

The OCZ ram has a faster timming with 9-9-9-20, your G.Skill is 9-9-9-24.

 

Hey Hendrickson,

I will wait for a 560M or 580M CPU and try this one later the year.

Best regards for the benchmarks!!

 

This was the answer I was looking for, thanks Bronsky!
I haven't seen anyone here put an i7 into a 4820TG. I would be really interested in the temp measurements.
Since the 4820 has only 1 vent compared to the 3820.

 

Your results are correct and as expected.
You have now seen how little the CPU can make a difference in a typical app.

Look at the 3dmark CPU score to see that your new speed was accounted for in the total final score

Couple hours ago I tested a desktop with a Phenom X4 9750 and nvidia 8600gt with 3dmark2k6.
Stock 2.4ghz results were 4985
Dropped speed down to 2.11ghz, and it scored 4925
Disabled 2 cores, so that it now is two cores and two threads
stock speed as dual core = 4689
at lowered 2.11ghz, dual core, scored 4581.

From a quad core 2.4ghz to a dual core 2.11ghz, a difference of around 8%. Results in my test system might be more pronounced due to the lower end 3d video card. Even then, not much.

Difference in games is worse. A 10% speed improvement in a game that averages 40fps would only get you to 44fps. The more the game needs the speed, the worst it would get, the games that do not need extra speed, such as games that already run 100fps, would get the most gain of 10fps. A 20fps game would jump up to 22fps.

 

Bronksy is right. Find out what should be upgraded.

First I wanted to buy my unit with a 540M, ran out of time so pulled the trigger on the 430M.

Since then during everyday use I've figured the 430M suits my needs really well, everything is fast enough, even converting video files for iPod.
However, I still think a lot about upgrading my system, an SSD would be nice, some days earlier I was looking for 540M CPUs but in the end of the day I ask myself is it really necessary since everything I use runs fast so the faster CPU would probably just suit my ego better.

Still, an SSD would be a good upgrade, even better than a faster CPU IMO.

 

At best it is 15% lighter.

I have not noticed any difference in recharge times. It is rated at 90w.

It is thinner, but a bit wider.

 

Upgrading to a SSD is definitely on my list.

I erroneously thought that adding RAM would speed up my laptop's processing capabilities. Further research showed that it mostly helps programs like video/audio/graphics processing. The only program that I use that fits that category is Sony Vegas (video editing) and Photoship.

Also, adding more RAM increases the number of apps that you can have running simultaneously, but again not necessarily run them faster.

I used the Windows Resource Manager to determine that I'm using about 3.25 GB of RAM on average (Sony Vegas, web browsing spreadsheets, word docs, no games).

So I'm using about 75% of my current 4 GB of RAM. If I increased the total to 8 GB, then my current usage levels as a percentage of total would drop to about 38%.

Decisions, decisions....

 

Thank you.

Seems the improvement is in weight only, as the dimensions seem to be a wash (wider vs. thinner).

 

How substantial is that difference of 4 in the last number (20 vs. 24)?

 

RobsTV, Lee-What2004:

Yes, the 3DMark06 score does show the CPU score to be higher than the stock score with the overclock (3100 vs. 2750).

Someone explained earlier that the GPU suffers as the CPU is overclocked, and that's what I'm seeing on the scores as they are broken down (the net result shows the 3DMark06 score to be a wash).

Yes, CPU-Z shows the increase in MHz, but it is not identical to what SetFSB states it should be.

I am guessing that this difference is because of TurboMode.

 

Came across this while researching RAM timings and TRPS:

9-9-9-20 are outside the normal Jedec spec timings. In the DDR3 world those type of timings have been problematic at best. If you want stability run those at 9-9-9-24 and you should be ok. Just a heads up since they may work at 20 but my experience with OCZ says doubtfull at best.

What this means to you. You can run the 9 9 9 24 and you are still running OCZ's timings. You are just running the standard Jedec timings that all ram has profiled for that speed. You can also run the 9 9 9 20 timings and you are running what OCZ also programmed the sticks for. Mind you if you dont catch issues with those timings before you install your OS then you may corrupt the OS while you install it. Then you will have nothing but problems to deal with down the road as your OS throws up random errors due to the original corruption. That corruption can also get worse over time until it fails. The way to catch it is Memtest the system atleast 4 runs with all of the sticks in the system. Then shut the system down. Flip the switch on the PSU to the 0 and pull the power. Wait 5 minutes then plug and turn things back on and start the memtest over for 4 or 5 runs. Ideal would be wait with the power off overnight to really make sure your not having the detection issues but 5 mins will catch it most of the time. That will help eliminate running into issues with the ram sticks causing corruption.

 

Brankergolfer, seriously ditch the 8GB ram upgrade and get a SSD if you can. Its the best performance increase you'll get from a single component. And you really do notice the SSD...Sure 8GB vs 4GB is a nice figure but its a waste at this stage.

Not sure which SSD you would get but I recommend over 80GB at least. Even 120GB is too small for me. I would like 200+ but they cost of them is just too much. I've seen a 180GB OCZ vertex II for 399, its the fastest SSD but the cost is a bit. My OCZ vetex 1 is still going strong. But at 76% health now ?!?

No CPU-Z only picks up the real speed when your in turbo. So run a benchmark that will use the turbo and then you will see the turbo mhz.

I think my i5 540m QS is whacked. It doesn't seem to go over 19 x multipler or even turbo. Looking at HWinfo if bounces between 18-19 x in prime95. My i5 450m didn't have the erratic behavior this 540m has.

I guess that's why its a QS / ES. Runs just fine but maybe not 100% as intended. It seems to me almost impossible to get it to turbo. I would stay clear of ES/QS chips if you want to overclock. Its odd this is the first ok ES chip I've had. My X9000 was an really amazing ES that undervolted like a dream. But very different chips. 2 threads only and no turbo!

 

I agree about the SSD. I'm planning to wait until the larger sizes come down in price. I'd like to get something in the 400-500 GB capacity, and am willing to wait for prices to be more cost-effective. At the moment, capacity size impacts me more than speed (even as quick as the SSDs are). Like you said, the price is ridiculous for the larger capacities.

I wasn't aware that a SSD could lose health. I assume that it will "die" when it reaches 0%? I need to do more research on SSDs.

Can you recommend the most common benchmark for overclocking CPUs? What's the CPU benchmark equivalent for 3DMark06 (which is for GPUs mainly)?

Thanks.

 

With regards to CPU overclocking, how do I increase the multiplier to x20? Or is the multiplier adjusted automatically by the CPU as needed?

CPU-Z currently shows me at x10.

Thanks.

ANSWER: When running Prime95, I see that the multiplier automatically goes from 10x to 19x on its own.

 

For realtive OC'd capability and speed, Hendrcikson was using Coresmark. For stability testing on the CPU, a pi calculator like super pi gives a pass/fail standard. Floating point calcualtions like whetstone or livermore loops can give you a numeric comparison. You can always run a passmark performance test. For all-around stability, intel burn. Cinebench is a decent program as well.

Bronsky

 

Thanks!

I'll try coresmark, first.

I also read that SuperPi is falling out of use as a OC program since it's mainly geared towards single core/thread CPUs.

 

Yea ... it has its critics. There's modern versions of pi and floating point calculators. But, if the CPU can pass the 32,000,000ths test, its stable.

Bronsky

 

Wow! Looks like OEM is the only way to go.

Bronsky

 

Does your 3820TG run slightly warm to warm on the bottom during regular use after being on for about 8 consecutive hours?

My CPU temps are 41*C; GPU temps are 43*C. Ambient temps are 28*C.

 

Can I just hit the "Return to default clocks" button in AMD GPU Clock tool before I send it in for a replacement unit? Hopefully there isn't any way of finding out that I've tried to overclock the gfx card after doing that. Just checking to make sure so I don't get a "Sorry, you have voided your warranty because of overclocking the graphics card" message back from the reseller.

 

Actually, when you restart your laptop, your ATI GPU clocks reset to default automatically.

And you won't void your warranty by overclocking the graphics card. You will void it by adding thermal paste to your CPU and GPU.

 

Has anyone got this to work?

 

Ok, been trying to learn a little bit about OC CPUs. Apparently FSB is out and BCLK (base clocks) are in, with the new 1366 architecture.

So, why exactly is the OC program called "SetFSB", when we're really using the slider to make changes to the BCLK?

After all, the total clock (core) speed = BCLK x multiplier.

Also, what does that slider number (e.g. 139/760) represent? What is its relationship to the BCLK? For example, when the slider is set to 165/760, the BCLK = 150 (and the clock speed = 150*20 = 3000 MHz).

Thanks.

 

Hmmmmm. My spider senses are tingling.

 

The tool SetFSB is from the time where the FSB was the name for BCLK. The name hasn't change to "SetBCLK" because all the older users, foren postings and everybody else use the name SetFSB.

Or simple, never change the name of your cash cow

The number 165/760 should be an intern PLL register Value and is only important, if you will work with the pll directly.

 

Wrong, it's possible to detect overclocked hardware, but not every company do a check for it on a "cheap" replacement but on expensiv examplares it is easy to check it.

The hardware has just to save the highest clock inside in a little memory.

In the production of a cpu/gpu it costs the extra memory less than a cent.

 

Hi kiskapu,

I bought a 3820TG finally and returned it later because of flickering screen. Now I am looking for a new one. I think the 540M deal is not worth it. For the difference you can sell your old one and buy an OC-able 450M, finally prices come down.

 

Does OC the GPU void the warranty? But everyone OC the GPU.

 

Which part is wrong?

 

This part


Yes, everbody overclock the cpu and gpu and a lot of us get the defect/killed part replaced but it must not be.

It is just a risk.