Acer TimelineX 3830/4830/5830 T/G

i tried 3 battery programs and all of them say i have 66938mwh when the design compacity is only 64800mwh... either these programs dont read the panasonic batterys properly or panasonic had super terrible quality control.


as for throttling using throttlestop i can run 2310m at max speed with maximum temp of 81C when the ambient is 26C

 

I fiddled with the Win7 Colour Calibration tool and got rid of a lot of the "pink" but then it seems to reset back to the original colour when I boot certain applications (such as CPZ-z). Kind of frustrating. If I had only one issue I could look beyond it but this is quite a bit.

 

Can anyone volunteer before/after thermal repasting temps to confirm that is a solution to the CPU throttling? I wonder if after applying such a fix, a 3830TG could host a 45W i7-quad without it being throttled?

 

Already done, was not a solution.
I may have done it badly though, because it did not even help for cpu.

 

Those bast*rds! Giving you extra capacity like that! srsly tho, this isn't uncommon.

 

its just so many others on here are having problems with the panasonic batteries. wear issues and what not. mine was 1.6 after the first discharge and then it just kinda went over capacity mode.

 

Hypochondriasis

 

Technically the over capacity issue would be Hyperchondriasis amirite?

 

im not worried about the battery since i dont keep my laptops/desktops for more than a year. just stating my observations.

 

OK then. Is there a definitive guide on how to stop the throttling that doesn't involve using Throttlestop to prevent turbo boost?

- nickels + dimes fix
- redoing the thermal paste

Josh - did you confirm the i7-2630QM works OK in the 3830TG? Can you advise what fixes were done to get the system running without throttling?

 

I guess, using a laptop cooler.
Maybe one could also try to replace ODD bay with a second fan as on the 3820..
I will maybe try this if I can easily find a fan that suits, and a connector to plug it in.

I can see a lot of people thinking that way, "no biggie since it'll be someone else's problem when I'll sell it ahah".
No need to ask our-self why ebay still is full of scammers

 

Yeah, and it worked "really well" for that guy.

 

My TJMax is 85c, checked with Real Temp. Yes, Core i3. Appears that Real Temp offers the ability to set TJMax to whatever you want...but I don't know if it just affects the reading or actually changes it?

 

Hello all I am new to the forum and I had a question.

I picked up the 3830tg-6431 and it came with 2 sticks of 2GB Hynix RAM. CPU-Z reports this as HMT325S6BFR8C-H9 PC3-10700 (1333MHz), FSB : DRAM 1:5

I have 2 sticks of 4GB Samsung RAM that I would like to use which report this from CPU-Z on another (Dell) laptop: M471B5273CH0-H9 PC3-10700, FSB : DRAM 2:10

When I put in one stick of the 4GB Samsung RAM in the 3830tg it boots fine, but when I try to boot with both sticks, I just get a black screen. Each stick will boot individually in slot 1, just not together.

When I go to the Crucial website, the top recommendation is for RAM with the same specs as the Samsung but with a voltage of 1.35V. What is going on here? Is the laptop not able to supply 1.5V to the 8GB of Samsung RAM?

I can supply more information if needed, I would like to use this Samsung RAM that I already own so I don't have to spend another $50.

Thanks in advance.

 

what happens with 4 + 2 GB ?

 

I just switched out the Hynix 2GB stick in slot 1 for one of the Samsung sticks and it boots fine. I am assuming it is OK to run with 2 different mfr sticks in there right?

 

Yes. No idea why your 2x4GB wont work, strange karma :-/

 

It would be nice to have 8GB available. I run a lot of virtual machines for work and it is nice to have the RAM for them. If anyone has any experience running VM's with this switched graphics machine it would be interesting to hear if you have seen any issues. I installed Ubuntu in a VM last night and the machine had a BIG failure which I think was due to video driver issues. I am thinking there will be some interesting effects if you try to run VMWare using the NVIDIA card and the regular Windows host on the Intel integrated graphics.

 

You're not the only one with the shade of pink prob... I'm seeing it too. :| We must have gotten a bad batch... I'm going take this laptop to Staples to get it exchanged soon.

 

How do u install it?

Never mind...figured it out. At first glance, way better!

Try this first.

 

How did you install it in Windows? (I installed it in Gnome, not sure how it's done in windows.) I installed the 3830 icc from notebookcheck review and it does look much better. I found that one in that post to be a bit too bright and blue.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/uploads/tx_nbc2/Acer_3830TG_1366x768_Glare_AUOB133XW03V2_ICC.icc

Review Acer Aspire 3830TG Subnotebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

i running vm (with vmware workstation) on my 3830T,it rocks pretty well
i install windows 8 preview,win 2003 & others & i have no issue at all

 

Thanks. It looks about the same to me.

My battery is now has 8.42 ware. As anyone here replaced the battery themselves? I'm guessing its just a regular modular connector. Just unscrew, disconnect, put in new battery, reconnect and screw it back in. Right?

 

Did you indicate for VMWare to run with the NVIDIA card so it is available to the VMs? Or does it do it automatically? I only had about 20 minutes last night to play with it and the Ubuntu VM crashed right after install.

 

Screw this! It keeps dropping the colour profile every time I reboot! Is there some way of insuring it will load every time?

 

Try this:

Window 7 ICC/ICM profiles reset? - Microsoft Answers

 

Haay!!!!!!!

This part comes later:

 

I talked to the tech support again and told them my battery isn't running that long (which it isn't (I said 2 1/2 - 3 hours really it's only lasting like 4 hours to 4 hours 15 min) which is BS compared to other people on here) and they are sending me the Sanyo battery (I requested it specifically). I told them everyone online is having probs with the panasonic battery not just me...

I'm not sure who asked this earlier but about the battery. The guy on the tech support said that you basically unscrew it and take the molex connect out (or what looks to be a molex connector) and replace the battery...

 

i called acer to replace my battery with very high wear & send it to them
and they don't change my battery

 

Don't talk about wear, they wont understand. Tell them your battery isn't lasting long.

 

They didn't change mine as well, said that everything is fine with the battery. I get around 4.5 hours in idle mode (no wlan, screen to medium brightness, doing nothing). Battery wear around 10%.

 

exactly what they said me too :/
i had 26% wear,now with calibration it' down to 20%
i keep going calibrate,for i start my wear decrease
otherwise i send it back to acer in future next weeks

 

You spoke with Acer Canada? I'll actually time mine out tomorrow. Last time I checked I got over seven hours.

 

how would that be scamming. anybody who buys used items that uses batteries knows there will be battery wear. this has to be one of the most stupid comments ive read on forums.

 

I wouldn't recommend that, calibration might make it more accurate but it also takes more of a toll on the battery, so even if it's not reading it correct you're decreasing the capacity faster.

Yes. If you got seven hours I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with your battery... IDK why you'd even worry about it.

 

but i don't want change the battery myself,if i screw up they would not take my laptop back to their services

 

but since i start do it,my capacity & time increase

 

They will service it most likely if you're not comfortable with it... I personally didn't really want them to service it because 1) It doesn't seem that hard 2) I need it for school and cant wait 1-4 weeks for it to go over there and come back...

Try measuring it yourself, it's probably reading that it's lasting longer but it's really lasting about the same...

TBH IDK, I heard doing calibration takes a toll on your battery. That's why I said not to do it.

 

Having read all the posts here, I've determined at doing a calibration on this is a bad idea...it never comes out good.

That was when it was 5.6% wear, two days ago, its 8.9% now. I'll do a check first before doing anything.

...3. They'll return it to you in worst shape then you sent it (or worse, they'll lose it).

 

If anyone wants to know how to replace the thermal paste (or battery) or dismantle the laptop:

Gadgets and Hacks: Acer 3830TG-6431 Teardown

It looks much harder than I thought... I guess I'll wait till the battery comes to figure out what I do.

 

well do i have the choice?
if i use it normally it decrease again & again
i will observe if in 1 months it's better or worse than before
if it's worse,i will send them back

 

I decided to call them back and opt for them to repair it. I really don't want to deal with removing HDD, RAM and other cables/components + removing keyboard etc...

They said they'd service it and pay for the shipping and repairs but not the packaging. The Rep said that the turnaround time is up to 7-10 days after they receive it...

The only reason I'm not going to take it back to Staples is because there is no guarantee I wont get another unit with a panasonic battery (or worse a stuck pixel). I asked them to replace the battery with a Sanyo and the rep said she made a "note". Hopefully they don't ignore the "note". I also told them the pinkish grays prob (which the rep didn't really get but she made a "note" on that too). I guess I'll see in 2 weeks (2-1/2 weeks at most) if it was worth it.

On the bright side their repair center is pretty close so it shouldn't take that long to get there so it should really take 1 - 1 1/2 weeks to get repaired...

Acer Repair Canada
5540 McAdam road Mississaga Ontario L4Z1P1

 

Had it done professionally, made 1-2 degrees difference if that.

 

Now at 10.45% wear...had the computer running since 12:35pm and its 7:05pm now and its warning me I have 7% left before it hibernates. I got well over seven hours the first time I tried this. Seven hours is fine, but having the battery go the way my last Acer did where it started at three hours and deteriorated to 30m after a year wouldn't do.

I've we decided its a real battery wear issue or a reporting issue?

For reference, I installed Battery Care on my wife's cheapie two month old HP 2000. It reports zero wear, but when it boots up it says its already at 94%, with three hours left. I got six hours on this the first time out, I doubt I could get that now. So, I doubt zero wear. Not sure these meters can be trusted.

 

It is with much pleasure and satisfaction that I present to you all what appears to be my throttle proof 3830TG. I originally was never going to post on NBR again, simply because "downloads" deleted a post of mine where I stated that I would be acquiring several i5-2520M CPUs, and that I would be selling some. I strongly disagree with him deleting my post, because although I understand this thread isn't for selling items, the i5-2520M has made a huge difference in my 3830TG. I would barely make any money on each CPU, and was taking a risk that they wouldn't even be compatible. The point of me selling the CPUs is to help people who bought the i3 version of this machine get a lot more out of their notebook. It ticks me off that despite contributing positively to this forum, the moderator still felt the need to delete a harmless post. I had heard of forums with mods that were control freaks but had never experienced it, I thought NBR was different. Essentially I felt that "downloads" didn't value my efforts and expertise. Despite this, I feel I must share with you guys some tricks that I used to drop temperatures dramatically. It makes no sense to keep this to myself. I want to help the community. I know many people are upset with their 3830TG, and rightfully so. Hopefully you guys can make use of this to improve your experience.

My model formerly had the i3-2310M, which had a max temperature of 85C. Out of the box, this unit would shut off after running only Prime95 (NO gpu load) if I allowed Throttlestop to force it to 2.1ghz. Quite sad.

The i5-2520M has a maximum temperature of 100C, so the upgrade immediately gave me 15C of headroom.

Next up, I bought IC Diamond 24 Carat 92% pure synthetic diamond thermal compound for a whopping $17.99. After reading reviews, I was convinced this is the best paste on the market. My results that follow help to confirm this. I applied it on the CPU, GPU, and chipset.

I followed up on what I had suggested in adding ramsinks to the heatpipes. I took note of other people who tried it that said their bottom panel was too tight, and that it caused a bulge. In order to avoid that as much as possible, I sanded down the ramsinks until I was simply too bored to keep sanding. While there is a slight bulge underneath my notebook, the rubber feet are still the highest points, so the laptop doesn't wobble at all. Also, the back panel goes on fairly easy, and doesn't come loose. I only added heatsinks directly above the CPU as I figured that area would be most effective. I can always sand down more heatsinks and add them all the way down the heatpipes if I need to. I really like how I have the option to further expand heat capacity in the future.

One thing I noticed, was that there was room to fit heatsinks without any sanding of the heatsinks on the OPPOSITE side of the heatpipes, facing the keyboard. I was able to fit 3 of them in this spot, allowing space in between them for air flow, as well as space for the fan connector. I believe this made a huge difference as there are vents that draw cool air in, and basically force air across the ramsinks.

Next, I cut away a small plastic piece over the GPU with a $5 saw from Canadian Tire. I sanded off the paint and was able to attach two unsanded, full height ramsinks over the GPU. This alone dropped temps by over 5C. This isn't shown in the pictures, simply because I added the heatsinks later on. I was hitting 82C load with Prime95 for 10 minutes before I added them, and 75-77C after.

Finally, I lapped the base of the CPU and GPU contact points with wet 2000 grit sandpaper. I'm not sure how the bases on your guys' cooling system look, but mine were aweful. Terrible job by Acer on machining the base. You really don't need to go over-kill on the lapping, because thermal compound is designed to fill small gaps. Either way, I believe this made a slight improvement.

I kind of wish that I had done things one step at a time to see exactly how much a drop each improvement made. However you can likely understand how I wanted to have it all done in one shot.

I haven't done any game testing, but with Prime95 running for over an hour at 2.9ghz, the max temp I've seen is 80C. It may still fail when I run Furmark on top of that, but it is important to keep in mind that Prime95 + Furmark simulates more load than any game will. In fact, with my i3 and factory cooling, I could play most games at 1.8ghz and not shut down, whereas Furmark + Prime95 would fail in 5 minutes.

Here are some pictures:






10 Minutes of Prime95 yields a CPU temperature of 75C at 2.9ghz. With my 2.1ghz i3, 10 minutes of prime would put me at 81,81,83,84. It is important to consider that despite increasing heat output by 7W (the i3 would use 25W, and the i5 I have now outputs 33W according to Coretemp) my temps still dropped by 6-9C. Screenshot: Imageshack - winsn.jpg

The heatsinks I used were from a Gelid Icy Vision Rev.2. I simply emailed Gelid and asked if I could buy some replacement ramsinks for my Icy Vision Cooler. They were $8.00 USD shipped. I used 320 grit paper to remove most of the paint on the heatpipes, 600 to remove what was left of the paint, and then 1000 to smooth it out for good thermal transferl

If you have any questions please let me know, and feel free to REP

I guess this also confirms that ES dual cores (at least the Q17N i5-2520M ES) do in fact work in the 3830TG.

 

Out of curiosity how many hours does BatteryBar show on a full charge?

Is that in the power saver mode on (the P button)?

 

I should also mention that during load, the keyboard area does not get hot at all. My idle temps fluctuate between 33-38C.

Update: Forced Turbo (2.9ghz for 2 cores, 3.2ghz for 1 core, it fluctuates between speeds) I got a max temp of 87C in black ops, and 91C in Dead Island. No laptop cooler.

 

Most people wont be able to do what you did... Congrats though. Really interesting...

It would have been nice you could have done a vid on it...

 

anyone know why these laptops aren't being restocked anymore? especially the 5830tg...

 

ppl are getting the 3830tg for the wrong reasons if they really care about the throttling.

and throttlestop works perfectly to stop the throttling issue, putting that much effort into increasing performance is just not a very good idea. impressive none the less

probably new model coming out soon without so many problems