Acer TimelineX 3830/4830/5830 T/G

...as I wrote, having one fan is normal and doesn't make it a bad device.

But in my opinion, they only looked for ways to save some money in production/material, and by doing this made some things worse, kept old failures and only improved things they can't get around. (like the new platform)

My last notebooks have had: 15" Mobility Radeon 9600 / 14" Geforce 7600GT / 15" Geforce 9600m GT / 13.3" HD3870/3200

And except the 14" (A Zepto 6214W, best designed NB I ever owned) they all produced a lot of heat and noise.

And speaking of newer generation:

I already mentioned the most recent MBP, the M11x (up to R3)

And no offense, I like the concept of the Y460, but this is really the first review google puts on the screen:

Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 Review

Review Summary:

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 is a high-end gaming notebook that weighs under 5lbs.

Pros

Great gaming performance
Good battery life
Huge improvement in the looks department

Cons

System gets too hot while gaming
Limited screen resolution options





(same for the 14"/15" TimelineX)

HP ENVY 14":

- GPU: throttled

Sony 13" VPC-Z11X9E/B

- GPU: GT 330M: a lot weaker, but loud as hell

...

These were the models I looked at, before buying the Acer, and they all have the same issues.

Just simple laws of engeneering.

 

Hey,

about the cooling solution, If we customers Change the Thermal Compound to ic7 we Would Problebly get some degrees Off.

and How about Sandy Bridge, Were not going to be able to Overclock it BUT, is it Possible to Undervolt it ??
If We are Then there is not going to be any problem with heat.

/A

 

Some informations from Czech e-shops, no info about delivery yet.

Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG-244GSSDNbb (LX.RFQ02.045)
i5 2410M + 120GB SSD, wrongfully listed with 520GT
price excluding VAT 17 844,- CZK = 729 EUR = 1 032 USD

source:
Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG-244GSSDNbb (LX.RFQ02.045) - Czech Computer | czc.cz

another source:
IT.cz - Acer Aspire 3830TG-244GSSDNbb 2410M/4GB/120-SSD/13.3''WXGA GT540M/WF/BT/cam/W7HP64

 

Another 3830 with SSD and that version is not even the "devil", seems like the ssd is going to be standard? Now that would be awesome!

EDIT: Chinese site with 750GB HDD... so much for the ssd being "standard", guess I was dreaming a little too much lol http://detail.zol.com.cn/notebook/index276852.shtml

 

Looks like both Newegg and Buy.com have deactivated/sold out of the 4820tg-6847.

I wish there was some details about the US release of the 30 series so I knew whether to try and grab one of these before they are gone, or wait for the newer model..

 

That Chinese site is showing 3830 T not TG. Looks to me like TG will be sold with SSD and T with standard drive.
I think it will be "only" 3Gb/s SATA SSD for the money, but if there is possible upgrade to 6Gb/s I can live with that.

 

Didn't see that, thanks!

 

Did you guys see this?
If Acer is going to start selling overpriced nonsense like Apple I wouldn't even consider touching 1 with a 10 foot pole.

Computers should be affordable. PERIOD.

My computers doesn't run on feelings and marketing, it runs on electricity and logic.

The reason Apple could get away with insane pricing is that they have the media by their necks.
Just like how celebrities continue to remain famous by remaining in the limelight.
Except that in Apple's case you pay for their advertising.

 

It's ok. Just blame it on April fools.

In all seriousness though, I quite agree that Acer shouldn't try to be another Apple. There are some who consider Acer because it offers very competitive prices for a given specification/design. Case in point, the x820TG series. If they start gouging people for the x830TG notebooks, what's to stop people from just buying Apple? The costs are similar but Apple offers the perception of better quality...and you get the snazzy looking MacOS X.

 

Who DOESN'T want to be apple? Huge market cap, huge market share, huge margins.

People are willing to pay for quality. I think some other manufacturers could stand to learn from that. Quit pushing 50 different half-broken models to the market and instead refine into something that works well for its intended audience. If you can get close, and still beat Apple in price, you will be a winner.

If Acer fixed the warts on its TimelineX series, I think a couple hundred dollar price increase would be warranted. Instead they will do what all the other manufacturers do and increase paper specs while jacking up the price, and not actually improve tangible stuff stuff like durability, keyboard quality, cooling, etc.

 

1)My Acer Laptop is durable. I dropped the plastic device twice from waist height. (Strangely enough you guys like to refer to plastic as Polycarbonate which is 5 Syllabus instead of 2, and it ties up my tongue)
2)I can type very fast on Acer's Keyboard.(And that is good enough I don't need the keys to massage my fingers)
3)My Acer Laptop doesn't overheat.(Even if I run FurMark and Intel Burn In Simultaneously)
4)My Acer Laptop flies on Linux and Windows in a Dual Boot Configuration and doesn't crash at all.

Stop propagating your own assertions if you can't understand computers. Stop turning electrical devices into your Gucci Reliability market. You make mass production prices spike for no good reason.

Engineering > Design.
Stuffs start turning for the worse once the clueless get their grubby hands on things they don't fully understand and the marketing people start exploiting them and make the world a worse place.

Instead of telling people to spend money on overpriced commodities why not teach them how to use computers more effectively? Do more out of less, make the world a more efficient & better place.

Engineers are not the richest people anymore (business, marketing and designs are taking larger slices and getting expensive systems to "showoff") but they still need their cheap & powerful laptops to be productive.

To sidetrack, I am running OpenSUSE and IMO it is almost spoon feeding, nice GUI for configuration like Windows, with the Stability and design. It is a very easy distro for Windows Control Panelists.

 

I agree with (1)-(4). The one thing that Acer should have done on the 3820TG was give it a better display. Even if it cost an extra $100 or so. It should have had a model with a 300+ nits, high contrast, matt display. That would help Acer keep pace in the commercial market, which continues to be strong in spite of softness in the consumer markets.

Bronsky

 

I agree with weinter on this.
Apple is priced like it is for the same reason Aston Martins are- because it's trendy and because they can charge as much as they want.
Apple equals fashion accessory whereas Acer is synonymous with low quality (which is their own fault- bad smell that followed them for years and still does)
If Acer really wants to go this way- it's fine with me.
They won't last more than a year before they get back on track (losing to Dell, HP and probably Asus in the meantime)

 

I don't know what you are talking about. The points I made, maybe you disagree with, but you will find them repeated in most reviews of the product.

Engineers design things.

Apple has better quality than most companies. They can do this because they have near complete control over every hardware and software component. Acer likely isn't going to gain this. They also have better quality because they spend more time and effort on testing and QC. One of the things that allows them to do this is that they severely limit the number of different models that they place on the market.

This has nothing to do with trendy or stylish.

I dislike Apple products because their software limits power users... again, this is one reason they can make a high quality product - they have complete control over what the user can do. That doesn't mean that they don't maintain high quality standards.

 

Aspire TimelineX 4830TG launched in Malaysia.

"Priced at RM2,499, the TimelineX 4830TG is expected to be shipped nationwide before the end of April 2011."


Acer's ICONIA and TimelineX Take Center Stage at Plaza Low Yat :: News :: www.hardwarezone.com.my

2,499 RM = $825 ....that can't be right...

 

^you mean its too expensive or too cheap ?

 

cheap...heheh..but it will probably be at least $899 in the US I would think...if not a little more..like $999.

 

825 is cheap! But with all the taxes we have in the EU it will probably not sell for 825, but at least 1000...

 

Acer is struggling to keep its market share as it is in a weakening consumer market. The company's genius is pricing high spec'ced units at very low prices. I would not expect the I5-2410M unit to cost more than $850 when it is introduced. I think that was the original price of the 4820TG.

Bronsky

 

Do you knwo if ther eis any chance they will put an i7 in the TimelineX?? or would that just murder the battery life...so they won't release a model with it.

 

There's already an i7 version of 3830
http://www.amazon.de/Acer-Aspire-TimelineX-Notebook-ice-blau/dp/B004U4UGTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=computers&qid=1301425279&sr=8-1

 

Core i7's use only a little bit more power than an i3/i5, so there would be no issue putting one in.

 

OMG I want: Translation result for http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B004U4UGV0/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=computers&psc=1

HD is a little small at 120GB..but easy to upgrade...also, not sure of the resolution but i think its 1366...

Now only if resolution of screen could be better...that I see this as the perfect machine for me.

 

That HDD is SSD my friend You really want to swap that for a regular HDD?

 

lol ur right....dang that is a nice machine...but 1200 euros is $1700! Eks!

 

it's not like that
consider it if acer going to sell overpriced around 1100Usd but very quality sexy looking laptops why not buying it.

The same other manufactures

Remember when HP release Envy line thats may look like the apple production ,its started at 1300Usd but now its only 900Usd

i

 

Too much. I would buy a CTO Sony SA, I7-2620M/HD 6630/1600 x 900 for $200 less and put an SSD in myself. My 3820TG w/SSD & I5-540M upgrades cost $1,250.

Bronsky

 

Can you really configure a Sony SA with i7 and hd6630 for $1500? Last time I checked VAIOs were much more expensive

 

Just found a less expensive 3830 on a german site:
Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T-2314G50nbb ab 649.00 € | heise online-Preisvergleich

€649 or $922

But this is with the i3-2310

EDIT: And here's the translated Amazon version: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=da&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.de%2Fexec%2Fobidos%2FASIN%2Fb004ulo0wy%2Fgeizhalspre03-21%2Fref%3Dnosim%3Fm%3DA3JWKAKR8XB7XF

 

Just keep in mind it's a 3830T, not TG, so if it's $922 without a GPU then it'll probably be $150 to $250 more with a GPU.

 

My issue is that marketing is forcing up the prices without justification.
It is affecting the perception of "value for money" by introducing non-substantial, non-existent factors like branding to cloud the mind of less informed consumers.

Do you really think they can't continue to push out good looking, high performance,high quality, low cost laptops like Acer TimelineX?

If we minus out advertising and branding everyone will be getting better stuff at lower cost.

The perceived branding = quality doesn't exist. It is just an excuse to charge higher prices for higher profit margins.

 

i think the new timline is the same price range

the company doesn't increase the price but the Intel new SB processor is the cause that's why most of the new laptops are kinda overpriced

 

from the link of the specs..
(Core i7-2620M 2x 2.70GHz • 8192MB (2x 4096MB) • 120GB SSD • DVD+/-RW DL • NVIDIA GeForce GT540M • 4x USB (3x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0)/Gb LAN/WLAN 802.11bgn • HDMI • Webcam (1.3 megapixels) • multi-touch trackpad • 13.3" WXGA glare LED TFT (1366x768) • Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) • Li-Ion battery • 2.20kg • 24 months warranty)

2.2Kg?. I thought it was between 1.8 and 1.9 kg..

About the OC...I know that the Intel SB cant get OC, but what about the gpu gt 540m?

 

Without an SSD I think that will be the range. Only, the early SBs are showing up with a few build quality issues on the trackpad and mis-aligned fingerprint reader. I would wait for some SAs to ship and read user reviews before seriously considering them.

Bronskt

 

I really think and hope Acer keeps to its current pricing structure. Different prices appeal to different markets. As a college student who doesn't have a lot of money, I like the option of having a decently capable laptop at a relatively low price.

As for build quality, the current generation TimelineX are not to be underestimated. The machines are well built. From personal experiences with 4820TG's, they will hold up well to daily use and an occasional mishap. Sure, there are better machines out there such as Thinkpads and MacBook Pros but those also cost more.

Regarding heat, the 3830TG's single fan design is weaker compared to the 3820TG's dual fan system; however, the 4820TG/5820TG have already been using a single fan design. While not perfect, the design is adequate given careful usage and application of thermal paste. The 4830TG/5830TG should be comparable to their older brothers. Only the 3830TG is seriously lacking in the heat department.

As for screens, I am perfectly happy with the screen of my 4820TG. While true that the screen may be worse than that of other machines, the prices are also lower. Some people may be willing to pay more for a better screen while others are less inclined to pay a premium for something they don't mind too much about.

Finally, the Mac comparisons. Fact: Apple does not have a huge market share in the computer department. Mac OS usage is around 7% to 8% while Windows is around 10 times more. Also, some Macs have thermal problems just like other computers. I have seen Macbook Pro's that sometimes throttle or completely lock up because of heat. The aluminum body also transfers heat to your lap which can be uncomfortable and become a problem. The Macs are great machines - they look awesome, excellent design and build, etc; however, the price premium is sometimes difficult to swallow for a lot of people.

The bottom line is: different laptop makers target different markets and different people. Acer appeals to value offering decent performance and good prices. Sony weighs heavily on multimedia with Blu-ray and better screens. Apple focuses on the product experience through build quality and software exclusivity. For the sake of all markets, we can hope that there will be different manufacturers to fulfill each role.

 

The designs of these new Timeline X are very cool, no doubt . I am even considering the 4830TG .

But after some vids ( YouTube - Test notebooka Acer TimelineX 4830T w PC Formacie )i found the flexing are kinda concerning especially around the optical drive back area.

Slim and flexing somehow doesn't sound good combine together

 

I'd give any money for 4830TG with a quad core i7-2720QM. I'm looking for a 14 inch/up to 2.3kg quad core SB laptop with good mid-range discrete graphics (GT540M is ok), but without luck.

HP has 8460p but with mediocre discrete GPU, plus i7 quads not available in Europe. Asus has 14 inch K43SV, but only with i7-2630QM, which is a dealbreaker for me.

 

You do know that the 2630QM is effectivly massivly overkill for the 540M right? That even if you slapped an extreme CPU in there it would offer no extra gaming performance?

 

The main purpose of quad core CPU is developing and testing of multi-threaded server application I'm currently working on. 2630QM would be enough for programing, but the lack of Turbo Boost makes it less appealing for gaming. Various gaming benchmarks show significant difference between 2630QM and 2720QM having the same GPU.

Ooops, it seems 2630QM actually has turbo boost, but up to 2.9GHz. Have to review benchmarks on the net once again.

 

That and the GPUs in those tests were likely high end. The 540M will not show a difference.

I7 is their top tier lineup, they all have turbo and HT.

 

Indeed, given GT540M GPU, the difference is negligible, may be minimum FPS would be somewhat higher.
However, 2720QM has VT-d (Intel Virtualization) enabled. Is it useful? Don't know yet. I work with VMWare a lot, and a possible boost in virtual machine performance can't be ignored.

 

The 4820TG has the same flexing issue. I don't find it to be a problem, but I don't pick up my laptop by the right hand side much either. Overall the flex of a 4820TG is almost the exact same as the old Thinkpad T42, without the spontaneous GPU desoldering issue it had.

 

I need the 4830 to release now
Are there any other alternatives to this other than the Sony SA?

I can hold out for another month but not much longer.

 

I'm in the same boat. I need a new computer but don't want to buy a 3820 with this coming out soon. Hoping its not too expensive, under $900 would be great.

Any new details on north american release?

 

Nothing in the pipeline. I keep checking around everyday. I have not even seen a release yet in Europe.

 

@nicksti @Cpt. Yesterday
3830tg with i5 and SSD should be available in Europe on 21.4. it will take some time to reach the shops, so beginning of the may is more likely

 

Do you have a link for this, or where you heard it?

 

for example here
Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830TG-244GSSDNbb (LX.RFQ02.045) - Czech Computer | czc.cz
hover mouse over text "0 ks (kdy zboží dostanu?)" (0 pcs when will I get my stuff?)
I wrote to another shop asking about availability and answer was the same.

 

They are now on sale in Taiwan and from what i read on other forums, rest of Asia this month.


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Why do they ship it with only 2GB ram? Fail...