Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820TG Owners Lounge

[aviphysics]

The Only Complaint I have is that I can see grains on the screen while Watching Videos..Grains are pretty prominent.. Otherwise its Next to Perfect.

I have not had this problem either.

Originally Posted by cykotoxik
I like nearly everything about the 4820TG, but the lack of a backlit keyboard is bothering me.

IMO once you leant to touch type this becomes irrelevant. Some people even practice touch typing by removing all the letters from their keyboards so they can't cheat.

[RobsTV]

I find backlit keyboards on Windows machines are generally a premium, rather then a standard. Lack of a backlit keyboard used to be a deal killer, but since very few laptops actually come with a backlit keyboard I have to stick with what I can get.

And for only around $20 or less (ebay) you can get a new backlit keyboard for the the 4820/3820's.

[downloads]

I'm looking at the Timeline 4820 with the 5650 GPU. I only play one MMO - World of Warcraft, will the 4820 be able to handle this (and do so with the new expansion coming out in Dec)?

Yes it's gonna handle it with no problems. As for the expansion- I don't know- hard to judge without the expansion being actually available but HD5650 is a good mid-range card and an overclockable one so it should be fine anyway.

[cykotoxik]

And for only around $20 or less (ebay) you can get a new backlit keyboard for the the 4820/3820's.

Yes, that's definitely a great option for the 4820/3820's.
I'm definitely considering that.

But my primary concern for that is voiding the warranty.

I'm eagerly awaiting for an expert hardware modder to post
a technique to install/power a backlit keyboard that doesn't
void the warranty.

[CrimsonVoid]

And for only around $20 or less (ebay) you can get a new backlit keyboard for the the 4820/3820's.

o.O link please.

[aylafan]

o.O link please.

Hopefully, the shipping doesn't cost more than the backlit keyboard itself. That would defeat the whole purpose of a cheap upgrade.

[RobsTV]

o.O link please.

Search ebay for 3810T and you will find backlit keyboards such as this item # 170563693674 priced at $12.98 plus $4.99 shipping. Shipped from a US seller. 3 available. This was the seller I purchased from and it worked great.

9J.N2C82.01D NEW OEM Acer Aspire 3810T Laptop Keyboard - eBay (item 170563693674 end time Dec-08-10 06:17:46 PST)

Make sure the keyboard found has 2 flat ribbon cables, like the one shown in this auction. Some sellers state backlit when they are not. It must have 2 cables, one of which is for powering the lights.


If I recall, the 4820TG has a plug for a drive under the bottom cover. That could be used with a 1-in 2-out extension plug, and would keep the warranty intact. Looks much easier than the 3820TG installation, which was still very easy.

The difficult part is filing down the few spots on the edge of the new keyboard that the hold down clips slide over. This is on the keyboard, so again, no affect on warranty. Backlit keyboard is thicker, which is why the thing need to be filed thinner in a few spots.

[Haberdasher]

I'm ready to pull the trigger, but I'd like an i5 model. I don't really care if it's the 3820 or the 4820tg but I'm not comfortable replacing the CPU myself and I'd like it to last at least a year or two without being too outdated, so that i5 is a must. Since the 3820 is no where to be found w/ the i5 in the western hemisphere, has anyone been able to find a 4820tg i5 model recently?

[aylafan]

I'm ready to pull the trigger, but I'd like an i5 model. I don't really care if it's the 3820 or the 4820tg but I'm not comfortable replacing the CPU myself and I'd like it to last at least a year or two without being too outdated, so that i5 is a must. Since the 3820 is no where to be found w/ the i5 in the western hemisphere, has anyone been able to find a 4820tg i5 model recently?

I'm confused. There is only one 4820TG model sold in the U.S. right now and it's a Core i5 model. However, it's currently out of stock at many retailers.

[INCyr]

I think he's referring to the fact that they seem to be out of stock almost everywhere. I have one on order from Amazon, but honestly, I'll be surprised if it shows up in December. As of right now, there's no place to actually buy one and get it RIGHT NOW.