Acer TimelineX 3830/4830/5830 T/G

It seems like soon we will have an ability to use Nvidia Optimus on Linux! Kind of makes me want to consider getting 3830TG now , well, not really

Bumblebee brings nvidia optimus GPU switching to Linux users

 

No one mentioned but the new timelineX page is up on ACER USA, as I said would be up soon

NEW Aspire TimelineX | Product Series

No models up yet but I posted 3 earlier.

 

It was up last week. When I saw it, I went looking for new models too. Not really sure why since I'm not buying one.

On the HD 6550, GT 540M HD 6630, they are close on paper, I think the HD 6630 will probably outperform the other 2 when OC'd.

Bronsky

 

Hi guys, I'm new at this site but I registered because I am planning to buy a 4830tg. I really like the laptop and its specs, but I've been reading through your discussions and now I'm reluctant. I am not that familiar with throttling but I get the gist. My question is how adversely will this issue affect gameplay? Has anyone tested the laptop with a real game like crysis or black ops? How was the performance?

 

CPU gets down to 1.2GHz when it throttles. That makes a hell of a difference even in games that are not very CPU intensive let alone in those that are.
As of now these notebooks are junk.
If throttling issue gets resolved it's going to be a different story but until then don't buy one.

 

what about this workaround posted a week ago? Does this work? If 4830 is trash, I'm considering buying aspire 4750g instead. It has the same specs as 4830, without the cool look. Having the same specs as 4830, wouldn't it throttle as well?

 

Assuming it works you get no TurboBoost at all which means 2.3GHz (instead of 2.9GHz) for i5-2410M.
SandyBridge is not that much faster compared to Arrandale that it would still be faster than- let's say- Core i5 480M (2.9GHz with TurboBoost).

I don't know if 4750 is throttling or not- as we've established this issue is not limited to Acer- Asus, MSI and other as well.

 

I will try out both the new 1.04 bios and the max proc state on my 4830TG this evening and post my findings.

 

Sorry for my noobness, but At 2.3ghz would it still lag? Say, in blAck ops?

 

In Black Ops it wouldn't because Core i5-2410M and GT 540M achieve some 37-45fps (with no throttling I assume)- and the game isn't very CPU dependent, so there's a safety margin.
In Crysis 2 or BFBC2 it would be a different story though.

 

Thanks for the answers, I might need to consider another laptop then. I can't find a laptop that could match the 2gb 540m of 4830tg, although some people already told me that the extra 1gb is useless. I'm looking at an inspiron with same cpu and a radeon hd6630m. I'm not sure if it would perform at least as good as a 4830tg (with no throttling issues.) Does anyone have a suggestion for a laptop close enough to 4830tg's specs with about the same price?

 

To docbaca: I had had to make the same decision as you and I chose the ACER TravelMate 5760G. I haven't got it yet, but as far as I am concerned it has problems neither with the throttling nor the temperature. This notebook has almost the same configuration, but I am not sure whether it comes in the 14 inch version or not.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure if the 5760G is available in our country, but I'll check it out. Right now, I have my eyes in the 4750g which has the same configuration as 4830tg (cpu,gpu) but not as sleek. If this is indeed a bios issue with a fix in the works, i'd still go for the 4830tg even if I have to wait a week or two. Until then, any other suggestions?

 

There's a sticky on top of Acer sub-forum called "The Definitive Guide to Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue Throttling Issues". Guess why it's still there

 

So we could say that most of the notebooks on the market are junk.

I think that I'm going to buy the 4830TG (I can't wait, my 6-year-old notebook needs a replacement now), it should be fine for Football Manager, for intensive games I have my Xbox 360.

However... this is a fail for notebook manufacturers.

 

I see, i'm guessing you guys tried the fix featured in that sticky on the 4830tg and it didn't work?

 

My gut feeling is that it's more of a fail in Intel's part. I don't think it's possible that all reputable manufacturers suddenly forgot how to make notebooks especially that SandyBridge is not any hotter compared to Arrandale and the latter had no throttling problems.

It can't work- different CPU. My point is- don’t count on this issue being solved any minute. It may take a week a month or it may just last...

 

In my opinion the problem is that:

1) The throttling (bidirectional throttling?) temp is too low.
2) The notebook manufacturers cooling systems can't keep the temp below that limit (which is too low).

------------------------------

3830TG review Test Acer Aspire 3830TG Subnotebook - Notebookcheck.com Tests same throttling fail

 

I'm so ready to pull the trigger on this one, since I'm really tired of the old 1810tz, but the damn throttling issue is what's holding me back.

What's the story on the 1.04 bios? A few pages back there was someone who would try it and report back?

 

1: I'm so very glad I already have a 4820TG which has no throttling problem.
2: I'm not sure whether or not other SB machines have the same issue. I'm willing to bet most others do too, it being some kind of "stock BIOS" setup from Intel. Most other laptop manufacturers do NOT attract the insane heavy testing crowd that Acer does, so it's likely there are plenty of other throttling SB laptops out there getting a pass that shouldn't.

 

1.04 bios: still throttling exactly at the same temps as before.
99% max proc state: still reaches the critical temps and hence throttles.

The CPU does not overheat, so lowering it's frequency does not help to solve the issue. I'm running a stress test with prim95 on four threads to see how high the CPU temp actually goes. It's gonna take a few hours but I will be back with result tonight.

 

All right, I consider one hour as enough since the temps stabilized after 8 minutes and did not move since then. CPU only stressing proved that the core is not overheating:
CPU: 80-86°C
GPU: 63°C

Next I locked the cpu multiplier at 8 and run furmark to find out how high does the gpu goes by itself. Here are the results:
CPU: 69°C
GPU: 67°C

 

Thanks for posting the results Etiggy!

I want the 3830 so badly I could buy it knowing the limitations/problems. But that's probably not a good idea Well at least not for now...

 

3820TG with decent cpu and gpu is a much better choice - if you can find one still on store.

 

Does people here believe 3820TG is better than 3830TG?
Is the 3830 so buggy?

I want to sell my 3820TG because I didn't find time to use it yet. Should I keep it?

 

The main strengths of the 3820TG is the dual-fan cooling solution and that the CPU doesn't throttle like on the new Sandy Bridge versions.

I would definitely keep the 3820TG; it's one of a kind.

 

Exactly my thoughts.

 

Does the 5830TG Have the same problems ? " throttling "

 

Does this mean all intel sbs suck? I don't want a buggy processor. Neither do i want an older version of i5. I'm so confused. I don't know which laptop to buy.

 

I don't think that they can't fix the throttling problem. I think it is just a matter of time. The great thing about the 3820tg is the dual fan. But the newer version only cost 200 more?

 

Yeah, i also think it's just a matter of time. But school's about to start and I really need a new notebook asap. I'm afraid they might fix it right after i buy another notebook. That would really suck.

 

I decided to check this thread for the first time in 25 days... Has this laptop come to the US yet? Its pretty ridiculous, im just waiting to see how much this thing is going to cost.

Im itching to just buy a y470, i might be better off just doing so.

 

Some insider info by nicksti:

 

I think I am skipping Acer altogether.
Acer used to be cheap and powerful.
You could easily see $100 or $200 lower pricing compared to other brands.
Lately I took a look in stores and could easily pick out a few laptops $100 or $200 cheaper than Acer Offerrings.

 

No USB 3.0 and ATI gpu are showstoppers for me

 

I think the 4750g works well because I already saw some videos in youtube. I'm not seeing complaints, plus it's much cheaper than 4830t. I might settle for 4750g if no one finds a workaround for 4830t's issues.

 

I really don't want to buy an older model... that would be a stupid move Especially when the new models where I live are only 150$ more. I also want the the USB 3.0 and nvidia gpu.

Guess I'll have to wait a little more and see how this thing goes. The order page is bookmarked, and I'm checking it every day and ready to click "buy", when a thought suddently crosses my mind "THROTTLING" and then I close the tab and go check the forums here, lol

 

well, someone here ran the stress test and stated the notebook is not overheating with his settings. So that is a good sigh I guess. But man, I would love to hear from acer why they stopped the dual-fan cooling design.

 

When the older model handily outperforms the current model (because of the throttling), ordering the current model would qualify as even more stupid. For now the only winning move is to not play.

 

Unfortunately, 3830tg is really not an upgrade. So far, I have not seen any nVidia 540M that can out-perform my ATI 5650m (OC):

Street Fighter 4 score: 12391 (1366x768)
3dmark Vantage: P5035
3dmark 11: P1455

 

What's even more stupid is recommending the older model because people think that the throttling problem will never go away. Eventually it will...

Can't see Acer or the other manufacturers with similar problems ignoring the customers. Stop being paranoid

 

I think it's erroneous to assume the newer is always better.
Look at specs, search for prices and decide by the factors what really matter, don't fall into the trap of commercialism. Stuff don't get useless just because there is a newer modell of it.

P.S.: Gemstone Blue throttling has never been relieved by Acer. We can't assume they will solve an issue just because that seems to be the right thing to do. Business is not driven by fair choices, it's driven by profitable choices.

 

If acer doesn't fix it, some other guy will. I hope some modder fixes this. Soon

 

USB 3.0 is a significant improvement in the 3830TG. Even still, in pure performance, I think the 3820TG will still out perform the new Timeline. The dual fans are unique. The keyboard is an improvement but there is no backlit replacement option nor, AFAIK, any US swappable keyboard (so for use in NA, we have to use the crappy bilingual unit).

I have to agree with Cow that the 540M can't keep up with a fully OC'd HD 5650. I run Firepro 8800 drivers on mine and it is a monster. It is a better workstation than units costing 3x as much. At work, I run it through an LG FHD 24" display with a 75hz refresh rate and full backlit keyboard. I run the CPU at 3.66 ghz and the GPU fully clocked. The dual fans keep my work temps, at full load, around 75C. Max temps never exceed 84C.

I would not buy a new Timeline as long as there is any hint of the throttling problem. If you can wait, I would. So, on that score, we all seem to agree, even n0elia. If you can't wait, I think the 3820TG is a seriously viable option and may, actually, be the better unit overall.

The 3820TG reminds me more and more of LG's P310. LG had a great unit and failed to follow up with some minor improvements, eventually loosing the market altogether to Acer. Acer is going to loose a lot of sales in the US to the new Sony S series. The SA, at $1,400 for HD+ display, backlit KB, 3.5 lbs, OD, aluminum case, 500GB 7200 rpm drive and fingerprint reader is attractive. If Acer doesn't fix this throttling problem soon, they may loose all of the market share they gained with the Timelines in North America.

It is a shame to see Acer to squander its success with this series.

Bronsky

 

I think it depends on what machine you have right know.

I can see why 3820 users don't need the 3830, waste of money. But for users like me with the old 1810tz the 3830 is looking good.

 

Can I get that in writing with a guarantee from you to pay me the $900 or so cost of the 3830TG if it doesn't? And you get no points for reading comprehension when I said the only winning move is not to play...

Ever noticed the "Gemstone Blue Throttling" thread at the top of forums? Ever notice Acer never fixed that problem? Guess not.

P.s. for more historical references look up Thinkpad T42, HP Envy 15, Dell E6400/6500 throttling problems, and so on. Manufacturers make lemons. It happens, and it happens a lot, and they often go unfixed. Assuming there'll be a fix is based on hope, and hope is not a good method for buying a laptop.

 

Very well put together. The 3820TG is simply put a milestone.

 

... and warranty will be voided

 

I am not an expert so this is a question out of ignorance:

Stock GT 540M beats stock HD 5650 easily.
OC'D 5650 beats stock 540M

Can't the 540M even be slightly overclocked? If so how does an OC'D 540M compare to the OC'D 5650?

I am in a rock and a hard place with this 4830 vs 4820. The throttling is worrying, but I really want USB 3.0.

 

When I say, any 540M, I mean any 540M, including OC'd 540M. I have benchmark against many owners of 15" Acer 5750M, 14" 4830tg and even AlienWare m11x (r3) (check out their benchmarking forum in another thread), none of them can beat that score in their max OC. May be I didn't check hard enough. Will be happy if some 540M owner can prove me wrong.