Acer TimelineX 3830/4830/5830 T/G

The Acer is also lacking a back-lit keyboard(more important to some than others), it weighs more(4.1lbs vs 3.5 ~supposed~), and it doesn't have an ODD, and in some instances SSD.

The Acer cannot really can't be compared. Unless screen quality, back-lit keyboard, weight, and hard drive speed, mean nothing to you.

 

Also, i hear people here say acer's quality isn't comparable to sony. But what specifically what are they referring to? does acer laptop die earlier or the material is just bad?

odd, you mean optical disk drive where you put the cd in? I saw the acer video on youtube. it does has a optical disk drive.

 

Optical Disk Drive (CD/DVD RW drive).

I can't personally speak about the Acer vs Sony quality, as I've never had a Sony. But I've read many reviews/postings stating that the previous and current Timelines had flexing issues (namely by the palm rest).

I had a 3820T for a short while and it was very sturdy, but I'm assuming the bigger you go (4/5830TG) things will start flexing. Sony's are known to be pretty solid and use better materials such as metals instead of plastic.

 

my 3820tg is pretty good with barely any flex anywhere unless i apply abnormal pressure. I've gone through hundreds of different surplus used laptop models at my job and most sonys I've seen were pretty beat up just like the rest. The only models I get in that still look good after years of use are thinkpads and toughbooks.

Acers used to be absolutely horrible. They made the most horrible cheap crap computers for years but this timeline series seems good. Old acer models I've seen had the paint worn off where you could see the plastic color underneath, plastics broken, broken hinges (LOTS), dead motherboards, broken trackpad buttons.

 

I think the Sony SB will compete well with the 3830TG. It looks great. Its specifications are remarkably similar. The problem with Sony is that it tends to control heat issues with software controls on its components. HP does the same thing. The 3820TG was an engineering solution to heat and permitted maximum overclocking of the CPU and GPU. I5's run at I7 speeds and the HD 5650 performs like an HD 5730. Once the new units are out and reviewed, it should be easier to see if there are any performance differences.

The SB is also much more expensive than the 3830TG. Sony will not allow you to configure the SB with the faster GPU (HD 6630) unless you also elect an I7-2620M CPU. That puts the price of the SA, with a 7200 rpm HD, over $1,200. The 3830TG with an I5-2410M and NVIDIA GT 540M (which is a bit more powerful than the HD 6630) will probably sell for $850. The SA will probably cost over $1,500 for similar specs with an HD+ display. The Sony will probably gain a lot of market share on the Acer in the US by a wide margin due to Acer's crappy distribution network in the US. It will be interesting to see owner's reviews of these new models to see if Acer made a big mistake dumping the dual fan system in its 13"er.

Bronsky

 

Some price updates on the 3830:

Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG Laptop | new laptop type
$1,133 and $1,374 depending on the model

digitec online shop
999CHF = $1100

The 3830TG "Devil" is more expensive: (8GB ram, i7, SSD)
Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG devil (LX.RFR02.032) | The H Price Insight / EU
1056€ = $1500

 

If these prices are accurate, I'm gonna have to get a 3820TG while they're still available.

 

If these prices are true,I'll buy a Lenovo G570 because the right price is more important for me.

 

In here South Korea it's about more than $900 for the i5-2410M 640GB HDD and $1250 for the i7-2620M 750GB HDD
ACER Aspire TimelineX 3830TG-2414G64n ???? :: ????? ?? ! ??? (????) - Danawa.com

 

I cannot see Acer pricing these at near $1400. The dual screen Iconia is $1400. I cannot see anyone paying $1400 for a 13.3" Acer without it being a premium unit.

That would put me out of the market for one. Would start looking at an entry level Sony S or Lenovo U

 

Is it actually heavier than the 3820 (the specs calim it wieghts 2.2 Kg) ?

 

I'm reading 1.89KG per

:::::Acer Aspire ????? ??? ???::::::

if that's the case.. too heavy.

 

When Acer released the 3820TG, it was unique and the closest thing I had seen to the LG P310. People like me imported it from the EU because it was such a great little portable notebook and there was nothing to compete with it.

This new refresh does nothing for me. It is hard to understand why Acer just didn't update the 3820TG. NVIDIA must be literally giving its GPUs away. Anyway, the changes make the Timelines less competitive with Lenovo E420s and the Sony C/S series.

Even Acer seems to understand that it has to step up its game. Today, it has changed its logo (big deal) and wants to be more like apple. Acer changes its logo, hopes to start afresh -- Engadget

Bronsky

 

Not threadcrapping here, but for people awaiting the new Acer Timeline X models you might also be interested in Alienware's new M14x. It looks like a great package.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/568500-m14x-official-specs.html

 

I could be carrying 2 laptops at that weight..... I wonder why laptop manufacturers can't do what Acer did with the 3820TG heating w/o going crazy on the weight.

 

Sadly, the 3830TG is a giant step in the wrong direction. They HAD changed their product in so many good ways. Then no one bothered to sell the 3820TG in NA. morons. We'll what they do. My guess is the only real change will be in marketing.

 

They should have stepped their game up for the 3830TG. Dual fan design, better materials, IPS screen, lithium polymer battery. Maybe then they could be more like apple.

 

Actually an IPS panel would have been sufficient to make an impact, but no no...same crappy old panel like the older version. This "new path" of theirs will fall flat on it's face...

 

Yeah, even if they just went with a nice 300nit 1600x900 screen and dual fans they'd have a MBP beater, even if it was $1200 or so. Urg. I see no reason to "sidegrade" from my current 4820TG.

 

Ah well, time to wait for 3/4/5840TGs.

 

Well maybe the x830tgs are not that super upgrade which some of you mentionend but they are still nice notebooks.
Maybe the new single fan of the 3830tg is not tg the best invention in the word but far better than a fan which is blocked by the display like in the new sony notebooks.
And till now there are no tests about the 3830tg and maybe it will not throttle, then its fine for me because a loud notebook while gaming is no problem for me.
So i am waiting for my 4830tg to get rid of my ugly, extra slow an loud 8 year old Gericom Notebook.

 

Agreed. As someone using a 4-5 year old Dell Inspiron I think waiting for the usb3.0, faster gpu and cpu, better battery life, and chicklet keyboard is worth it, providing its only 100-200$ more expensive. Although if you already have a 820 not upgrading makes sense. Providing this is around $900 or under there is still nothing with as good as features (minus the screen) for the same price.

 

Wow, a lot of people of here don't like the 3830
But if someone with an old laptop would like to buy a new one, it's better buy the 3830 than the 3820, right?

 

If Sony keeps a comparably equipped SB at $1,500, the Acer will hold its own in the marketplace if it remains in the $850 price range (which I suspect). The notebook I would have to consider if I was buying a 4830TG is the Lenovo E420s. I prefer AMD's notebook GPU's to Nvidia's. The E420s will be released on the 19th so we'll know more about pricing. Don't get us wrong, the new Timelines are good values for the money, but with a bit of tweaking, they could continue their ultralight market dominance. I suspect that the 4820TG will be giving ground to the E420s, if the price is right. If Acer forces US buyers to import the 3830TG from Canada, the Sony will dominate the market here in the US, if it works reasonably well. No one has demonstrated that the lid issur will be a problem. It will be interesting to read the first owner reviews to see if there is any issue.

To be honest, even with USB 3.0, the new KB and the second generation I5-CPU, I would have to be convinced that Acer's new cooling system works and that the GT 540M runs in an acceptable temp. range. Otherwise, I would prefer my 3820TG and would consider a $715 3820TG before they're sold out. It will be interesting to see early owners reviews of the Acer as well. We are a hard group to please.

Bronsky

 

Yeah I am definitely hoping for some reviews of the 3830 before it lands in Canada. If they come in negative I will try to grab a 3820 while they're still available.

As for the E420s, rumor has it the 19th release date wont include the AMD 6630, and that it will be coming in a couple months. If thats the case its definitely not a contender. If the AMD is released then, I will definitely be considering it. Also not sure of the batter life on this one?

As for the SB, I hear Sony's cooling solution and fan location are not optimal if someone was to game heavily on the system. Apparently the fan is constantly going, even when idle, and it is quite loud at that. If I know the Sony could handle gaming without overheating I might spring for one of those instead of waiting for the 4830. They are also nicer looking in my opinion.

Oh the choices.

 

The 3820TG would be just as nice however.

 

So the 4830tg is not worth waiting for? I'm looking for a new 14" laptop and the specs and size of 4830tg fits my demands. The asus n43sn is also a nice choice but i like the the slimmer format of the timelineX better....

 

It's just not a huge upgrade. The 2nd gen core i CPU should get you another 30 or so minutes of battery life, and the GT540M is maybe 10 or 15% faster than the 6550. Me personally I prefer chicklet style keyboards, so I'd probably like the 4830TG a little better, if linux got along better with optimus.

 

There is nothing wrong with the 4830TG. It's just not a major improvement over the older model 4820TG for those who already have it.

However, the 3830TG is a downgrade from the 3820TG since it only has a 1 fan cooling design instead of the 2 fan cooling design on the 3820TG model.

Also, the Sony CA with the 1600x900 screen and several other 14" laptops are starting to look more attractive than the 4830TG, but the 4830TG should still be a great laptop for those who have much older laptops.

 

Yeah, that's what it is, the sandy bridge gains about 10-25% more cpu-speed, the 540GT is about 15-20% faster than the 6550.

A 3830T-reviewer in polish language was quite happy with the fan, but that's without the 540GT.

As for pricing, here in EU all models with TG cost the same 799 Euros ($1150), come with i5 2,3 Ghz, 4 GB of RAM, 750GB HDD.

Weight is 1,85kg (4 pounds) for the 13,3", 2,2kg (4,8 pounds) for the 14" and 2,55kg (5,6 pounds) for the 15,6".

I'm still waiting for a review, but I won't buy it without comparing it to the Lenovo E420. Well, let's see what May will bring to us.

 

Ok, the screen res is not so important for me, i vill use my 22" 1650x1050 screen and get a 23" 1080p ips screen later on. 1366x768 vill work just fine for me when i not use my external screen. Sure 1080p or 1600x900 would be nice, but it's not the most important thing for me.

 

Just curious, if they sell the 3820TG there, how much does that cost by comparison. Might get a better idea of how much the x830's will be in North America

 

An Acer 3820TG with i5 2,6, 4 GB and 750GB HDD costs 749€ here, that's $1086. That's not what one calls a huge difference, but the price might fall.

 

can you give me the link to the review? I will read this

 

Here's the review: Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T – test [cz??? 2]

Additionally this is the preview: Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T – test [cz??? 1]


I let Chrome translate it

 

Did anyone did a temperature review on the notebooks?

 

The temperature doesn't look promising as mentioned in the polish review previously posted. An user already got a 4830TG here, I think I'm not the only one waiting for his review

 

you meant that guy that posted some pics of his acer 4830 a couple pages back? I'm not sure he will do one.

 

Yea that guy since he's currently the only one with a 4830tg on this forum. It would be nice for him to do a temperature review and share the information with us since all of us are wondering whether the single fan cooling system is sufficient for the Nvidia graphics card.

 

by "mudster" on lowyat forum,
Bioshock on high setting. After 30 minutes:
GPU: 62°C
Core1: 81°C
Core2: 82°C

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1806729/+840

 

If my guess is not wrong the in the heatsink structure the GPU is located closer to the fan than the CPU so you have such varying temperatures.
It also means you can potentially get 60 on GPU and 78 on CPU if you reapplied the thermal paste.
If you run Intel Burn test (4 Threads) it should be around 90 on Cores and Furmark 80 on GPU.

 

Hey again. i tot by this time 4830tg already launched n available throughout the world. Here some benchies program that i can grab n temp reading while running it. Hope this somewhat help





although that FFXIV stated HD Intel but GT 540 actually ran it.

 

I would like to see someone post burntest results. 3DMark scores on the GT 540M would be nice too.

Bronsky

 

Thanks alot revamperz! I've also seen your previous review here https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1806729. Well done.

But aside of these benchmarks... how loud is the fan in idle and gaming? Is it disturbing?

 

thanks

about the fan, its working good as i can feel warm air rushing out during gaming and its not noisy at all, in fact , its too quiet for my liking. The sound is even softer then the optical drive, u know, when we insert dvd n its start spinning. Maybe i havent really push it enuf for full rpm tho

 

Hello,

is it possible to remove the back of the notebook in order to insert an SSD Harddrive? I would like to buy a 3830 and replace the current harddrive with an SSD.

Thanks for your reply in advance

 

Yes, you can upgrade the Hard drive and memory, there's a picture of the back cover opened somewhere in this thread but I forgot the page.
EDIT: Here it is:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/553306-acer-timelinex-3830-4830-5830-t-g-39.html

 

Any new advice on whether to get a 3820TG or wait for the 3830?

They are selling the 3820TG here in Canada for about $720.

For what I want to do it seems like a good price. However, if the new version comes out for around the same.... Well it's the same old problem.

Any new thoughts on this?

Thanks.

 

I think the 4820TG was introduced at $850. The I3 3820TG was around $800. The prices came down from there.

Tough choice.

Bronsky

 

Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG Wicked Devil 33,8 cm: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör

The less fan may increase temps slightly, but it looks like they've compensated with design changes. As is, I can't get my comp to get hot even running heavy games for long periods so a small increase won't be a deal breaker.

I was thinking about pulling my i3 5650 apart and putting ssd and 640m in it, but if I could sell mine, a little more money and I could just get one of these!
Has anybody actually imported one of these to the US yet? It looks like they've improved in every area. The keyboard and touchpad problems look like they're fixed, the 3.0 usb, the much better cpu whichl also helps graphics performance. Does anyone know if the GT540 be more similar to the 5650 or 6550?