The Official Arrandale Timeline Thread

How did you get the laptop not being a student? I will be in Singapore in about a weeks time.

 

Ironic indeed, but on the other hand, the Z is available and has always been there as an alternative, I remember when other members we're rumbling about Dell's SXPS 1340's refresh, it was compared to the Z. Now, like five months later the Z remained a potential alternative, maybe it earned itself an ownership, and just for the record, the GT330M is a good card even with Sony's downclocking.

BIOS can be refreshed, remember this is a new system, we can't expect it to be flawless, this beta testing is part of the early possesing stage.
The 4820 might be Your way, I personally think the 3820 will grow up to it's bigger brother's performance, plus it's heat design is more impressive ( alright it does not have an ODD, that's a part of it's heat design).

 

Any dealers got this in Singapore now? Anyone got a link?!

 

Acer put an updated 3820TG BIOS on their download pages just a few days ago, version 1.08 which fixes a lot of things. They also mention some fixes related to 3dmark.... which may actually be an PCI-E fix?

 

Be careful with the 1.08 BIOS. Some users have posted bad experiences on notebooksbilliger.de. Obviously with the new BIOS a bug is introduced to the fan control, leading to thermal shutdowns.

 

----Case Close----

 

I really wish they would release this thing with English keyboard already. But even more I wish that notebookcheck would hurry up and do a proper review with screen brightness map and all other fancy charts. In the end it has been available in Germany for week and a half.

 

Yes the bottom is relatively cool after gaming for an hour, the area thats hot is the vent and surrounding areas on the left side of the laptop

 

Sony Vaio z or 3820tg...

Sighs. Somehow I just don't feel the Timeline is going to be in the US by May...

I'm gonna try to see if I can get a friend from China to buy it + ship it. From reviews, it looks like the Chinese one has an English keyboard.

 

I'm searching in vain here for some online retailer that ships internationally. I found the model number for the high spec i5 520m, includes 3G modem too and an external DVD player

Aspire 3820TG- 524G64n

* Intel® Core i5-520M processor(2.40 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache)
* supporting Intel® Smart Cache
* 4GB DDR3-1066/640GB HDD/Multi-in-one
* WLAN 802.11bgn/Bluetooth/3G
* 13.3 inch HD(1366 x 768)
* Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit
* ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5650 1GB
* Camera/Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Acer Gems Bag 14.1"
* Kaspersky Anti-VirusYear 2010
* Acer External DVD SuperMulti USB 2.0


I think this is the English keyboard too? Can someone correct me on this if I'm wrong. Seems to be the model to look for, if you don't want a hot i7 And 3G modem built-in.

 

I went with the Vaio z...

i5-520m, 192gig SSD. With 12.3% Bing Cashback and the $300 Sony Trade Up program (for trading in any old clunker of a laptop), overall price is about $1540:

2100 @ tiger direct
-260 Bing cashback
-300 rebate (Sony Trade Up Promotion)

Not bad at all, the premium over the price of the 3820T (whatever it may be in the US) is worth it to me, especially considering the better screen and build quality of the Z. Not to mention built in disc drive and still ~3 lbs.

 

I asked my friend to check the prices...it seems to be going for around 1200-1300 USD in China. With that price + the $50-100 shipping, I'm really tempted to just go for the Sony Z since with BCB, it's only around $1600ish (and I get it in a week vs 1 mth +)

 

Comparatively, If you get the 3820TG in Singapore, using exchange rate of 1 USD to 1.55 SGD

10 Day Air Shipping about 65 USD
3820TG at 1224 USD based on official retail price in SG

= 1289 USD

 

With the help of Google actually. There were few online offers by students. The one tht I got was willing to ship it to me but since I already planned to go to SG. I met her up in SG instead.

 

Guys who have already got one of these laptop could you kindly tell us which wireless card do you have inside....???

Thanks

 

Interesting, would it be possible to trade up from a broken laptop? The entire reason I'm looking at the 3820TG is because my old laptop died on me (defective nVidia chipset). I feel a little iffy with Acer's quality in general but it would be nice to get a Sony instead, although $1540 is still way out of my price range. I guess I could probably temporarily fix it via some techniques demonstrated on youtube and then trade it in that way, but only if the Vaio Z started at a lower price.

 

Guys, I'm sure when this notebook comes to US it will be less than $1000 (with i5-430M and HD5650)... usually the price it is in euros, you just change it to dollars and you're done... for example, m11x costs 800 dollars at US, it costs 800 euros here... if 3820TG costs 850 euros, it should cost 850 dollars at US, that's my experience

 

I agree that an i5-430M + HD 5650 model would be around $1000 or less, but there is no guarantee that such a config would be offered.

 

Actually prices in China right now are around $1000. I might just buy one from there and have them ship to the US. Even if it was $100 shipping, I'll take it.

 

We have that configuration in Sweden:
Acer TimeLineX AS3820TG-434G64N
13,3-tums 16:9 LED
Intel Core i5 430M
4 GB RAM / 640 GB hårddisk
ATI HD5650 1GB DDR3
12 tim batteritid
1.3 MP HD-webcam

The price is 8990 SEK.
That should indicate a US price below $1000

 

However, it's often the case that different configurations are offered in different areas. Nonetheless, Acer would be stupid not to offer it - it's exactly the configuration Acer needs to make an Alienware m11x killer, and the m11x has been selling quite well.

 

Got a link for this?

 

you guys are aware of acer's crappy international warranty right?

and dont you have import duties back there in the US?

 

I believe International Warranty can be converted to local warranty, just need to inform Acer

 

/facepalm

All German online shops that offered shipping to UK already out of stock.

I don't remember last time anyone so strongly refused to earn some money as Acer does now.

 

The rumored supply crunch for the icore chips and popularity of this laptop could be the reasons

 

Could be, or acer is just plain useless releasing this to the masses? Don't forget its out in the UK but over priced and with poor specs (i3 / 5450 and 799 pounds) Its the same case here in Spain. But i need an English keyboard and would like a 5650. I'll give them a week or two more other wise I think I'll go with another laptop.

 

link please

 

The delivery date for the second shipment of timelinex (with a bit different specs, like 9 cell battery etc). just got moved from 7. May to 8. June here in Norway. Delayed by 1 month, I guess Acer is not getting enough of the components they need for manufacturing.

Could very well be related to this: Notebookcheck: Intel may fall short of 32nm processor supply

 

Acer Aspire 3820TG-434G64n W7HP64 Specifications - Notebooks - computeruniverse.net

Here's one with stock. I have almost pulled the trigger on this. Its around 1100 USD however so maybe not the cheapest. But they ship internationally, well at least to Spain for me for around 18 euros. However later down the track I will need to buy an English keyboard

And its got the 6 cell battery, not the pos 9 cell which sticks out 2cm and makes the laptop weigh over 2 kilos.... around 2.5 kilos with the adapter is not light.

 

link as requested: Sök: timelinex

 

acer 4820tg Prices are in RMB so divide by 6-7ish.

Let me know if you need help um...translating. Taobao is like Ebay on steriods cuz it encompasses all of China + HK and that's a lot more people than US.

 

Thanks, I took a look at it. But I wouldn't risk it getting scammed. Paying to find my laptop never arrived. Unless they take paypal?

 

There are sites like TaobaoDirect.com ~ USA buying agent ~ Simplfy your Taobao Shopping Experience that actually will do the work for you, but you have to play a service fee (10%). Those are reputable from ebay and accept paypal. It's your call on how much you really want the computer. It comes to around 1100 for the US for a 4820tg.

 

That keyboard will be like this then right? Do they ship internationally? I can't figure it out lol..

 

Yes that is how our keyboards look in Sweden.

Sorry but they don't ship internationally. I live in Sweden so I checked both stores that are selling the 4820 with 5650 graphic card and neither of them will ship it outside of Sweden, Norway, Finland or Denmark.

 

Italian's spec are the same and the price is about 800 €

 

No dude. In Italy we don't get the 3820tg with 5650, only 5470

And that one is also with horrible 9 cells battery

 

damn you're right

 

Are you guys really sure the 9-cell is as in the pictures, a guy in a swedish forum posted the following (translated by google...)

"I have talked to engineers at Acer, ordered the 3820 myself (with the best 9-Cell) minutes after it popped up in NetOnNet. The technician on Acer took a look at the pictures and told me it simply deals with a retractable support. So for all you who are hesitating because of the image that is where it looks damn clumsy out, take it easy! It is 28mm thick at most with flush, do not 60mm"

Is there still hope maybe?

 

I'm worried the Bios in 3820TG will take a long time to fix.. But I suppose it will happen some day, and then I will probably regret I bought the 4820TG..

Should I be worried?

 

There is already a temporary solution. The I7-620M 3820TG is benchmarking 7523 in 3DMark06.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/479584-acer-aspire-3820t-11.html

I don't think you would regret buying either model. Now if you bought a new 13" MBP that would be something to regret.

If you have any concerns about the I7-620M's temps, I would wait for an I5-520M/540M model. And don't even think about asking when that will be 'cause your guess is as good as anybody's. There is no rhyme nor reason to Acer's haphazard introduction. Sooner or later, Tiger, NewEgg or some other US retailer is going to get a batch of these to sell and they will sell out in a few hours. I'm surprised that they are in such wide distribution and none have shown up here in the US.

Bronsky

 

the scope of the ITW clearly states that it cannot be exchanged nor interchanged for local warranty. so yeah to those looking to import, do so at your own risk

i could very well import a 4820TG from singapore but i am worried about the warranty, the one we have here locally only has the crappy i5 4series and 2gig ram for 1.3kUSD (converted) so im still waiting for more stocks to arrive

 

Thanks Naadianaa, Was it through ebay? I definitely would be willing to go this route.

 

Has anyone heard if these are available in hong kong?

 

If i lived in the US, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Z, this waiting game would kill me. If one needs a laptop the Z is a fair choice, plus noone knows when the TimlineX would hit the US stores.

I'd also buy the Z if it was sold for 1600-1700 USD in Europe, pity it sells for 1900-2000 EUR (520M) - like 2700 USD - not to mention my country's 3000 USD price, while the 3820 TG (430M+HD 5650) costs 1100 USD, so regarding Europe the Z is realy not the option worth considering.

The only thing with the Z is that one has to watch the screen, it seems pretty fragile to me.

 

I can wait till mid August. If it still isn't out by then... Hmm... that can't be possible, can it? Really, Acer?

 

I am a fan of the Z. It is a great device. All things being equal, I would probably have bought one by now. But, I need as much graphics power as I can get in a small portable machine to manipulate GIS files and then, from time-to-time, present them, usually on a smart board. The better the GPU, the more seamless the presentation and the quicker the editing. The GT330M is a nice GPU but the HD5650 is a cut above it. It is worth the wait, as long as it does not interfere with my scheduled work. For me, the 3820TG fits my needs perfectly, except that it is unavailable. Other than that, it's perfect. My preference is still for an I7-620M, but given the availability issues, if an I5-540M came to the states first and my time was runing short, I would go with that as the performance difference is minimal. Actually, the lower temps of the 540M may have some performance advantages under certain circumstances.

Bronsky

@MMMW - yes. It's possible.

 

Nope. Not through ebay. Some SG forum I think. Here is the Link I'm not sure if the seller still be able to get her hands on more stock or not. Seller did mention tht about limited stock.

Anyway, email the seller and try your luck then.

 

naadianaa, how's the heat on the palm rest so far?