3820TG Owner's Lounge - Part Two

[downloads]

No external hdd can take advantage of USB 3.0 only ssd will... It's only for marketing purpose.

That's not true. USB 2.0 offers maximum real transfer of roughly 30MB/s.
Any external drive made since 2008 or so would average closer to 50-60MB/s (for 2.5" 5400rpm drivers) or higher (for 2.5" & 3.5" 7200rpm).
Another words any fairly modern external HDD would benefit from USB 3.0 and since it's a new technology all drives that come with USB 3 are modern.

[zsero]

Been thinking of getting one of these to replace my four and a half year old Inspiron 1501.

I can get the Core i5, Radeon 6550m version of this notebook for $800 Canadian. I could also get a core i5, integrated graphics Lenovo T410 for about the same price.

In a lot of ways, the Acer seems like a better choice, being about a pound lighter and having dedicated graphics. However, I worry about a few issues, namely drivers and durability. Or special concern is screen durability: I've seen some $600 TimelineX models at a local Costco, and the screens had a lot of flex to them. Since the laptop would be going in the same backpack as my textbooks (albeit in a padded laptop compartment), I worry about cracking the screen. Aside from sharing a bag with textbooks, I'm pretty gentle with my gear... but my first laptop (a Seanix SL226) developed a crack in the LCD panel (but not housing) after only 14 months, which makes me very leery of screen flex.

Does anyone here have input on this issue? I should also note that I can wait a few months before purchasing as I won't be going back to classes until the fall.

This is just so easy: do you game? If yes, choose the Acer. If you don't, or if you only game with few year old games, then choose the T410. They are in totally different leage!

The download link is not working for me, zsero.

It has to work now!

[0utf0xZer0]

I do game some, however, for one of the programs I'm considering this is a none-issue since I can commute to class from home, where I have a still-decent desktop. My first choice option would require me to be in residence during the week though, so having a discrete GPU might be useful there.

I should probably wait and see which program I end up in before buying... I was initially thinking that I'd need to grab the T410 deal soon if I wanted it, but then I realized that the Canadian base price for the Thinkpad X220 is $850 and hence well within my price range.

Still interested in hearing some general impressions on durability for the 3820 series.

[Bronsky]

Still interested in hearing some general impressions on durability for the 3820 series.

The old owners lounge was over a thousand pages of posts and the 3820TG has had a surprisingly small number of problems. I lost one in an accident that even a thinkpad would not have survived. I've used this unit since September with one minor problem that Acer fixed. I use mine everyday and a lot of nights for work. It has proved very durable.

Bronsky

[zsero]

The old owners lounge was over a thousand pages of posts and the 3820TG has had a surprisingly small number of problems. I lost one in an accident that even a thinkpad would not have survived. I've used this unit since September with one minor problem that Acer fixed. I use mine everyday and a lot of nights for work. It has proved very durable.

Bronsky

On the other hand even the oldest models are not yet a year old, so its not possible to say anything about the reliability. I'm still buying 5-6 year old second hand X60-s for half the price of some laggy Atom netbooks and I know that they are going to run for a couple of years without problems. The only thing which needs to be done on a 5-6 old X60 is the cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste. I really love the 3820TG, but I would not want to type on its keyboard after 6 years of use.

I think generally that none of the discreet GFX card notebooks last as long as the IGP based ones.

[Bronsky]

I really love the 3820TG, but I would not want to type on its keyboard after 6 years of use.

I use my KB 6-8 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. It has held up surprisingly well considering how flimsy it feels. I am not gentle with my notebook. It travels with me quite a bit, has been dropped more than a few times (Incase sleeve has been great).

I don't take it onto investigation sites anymore, since I got my Slate (and destroyed my first unit ). But, it does still travel in my trunk quite a bit.

We replace our units every two years because of the steady wear and tear we put on our notebooks. The Sony Z's in the office have been as maintenance free as my Acer but the Latitudes have not held up as well. We've had Thinkpads in the office as well and they're equally tired after 2 years of constant use.

Bronsky

[RWUK]

I think generally that none of the discreet GFX card notebooks last as long as the IGP based ones.

That's very interesting. Do you have any examples or links that explore this?

I've never though of or heard that before but I can see it possible from the extra heat the IGP generates. Chips are getting much hotter and chassis are becoming more and more often solely plastic. Great for processing power, weight and 'manufacturing costs', bad for anything else. That said, having kept a close eye on the x820TG threads, I myself would have little worry about damage during travel or overall longevity. I'd surely also pick up a sturdy case for overhead compartment fun.

internet / office apps. Gaming (in windows) yields from 45 to 90 minutes 120 tops on battery. Note that a lot of older games play just fine on the IGP, like half life 2 etc.

Hmm, 4.5 hrs is not too encouraging. I was hoping to get at least 6 hours wifi use from this with Linux. How do your Linux battery times compare to your Windows times? Thanks!

[geokilla]

Does anyone have the latest drivers for the Atheros AR5B97 WiFi card? I'm getting tons of problems lately with certain access points. My friend's house has a Draft N router and I can't keep a stable connection while his laptops and computers can. I also can't seem to establish a stable connection at my old high school while everyone else can according to my sister. She takes the laptop to school sometimes so working Internet is a must.

[Dr. K6]

Hmm, 4.5 hrs is not too encouraging. I was hoping to get at least 6 hours wifi use from this with Linux. How do your Linux battery times compare to your Windows times? Thanks!

In Windows 7 I get 6-8 hours of general office/internet use. I switched to an Intel 6200 WiFi card, I'm not sure if that helps. This is in "Power Saver" mode (I tweaked it a little) with Intel Graphics and the lowest screen brightness.

[Sxooter]

Hmm, 4.5 hrs is not too encouraging. I was hoping to get at least 6 hours wifi use from this with Linux. How do your Linux battery times compare to your Windows times? Thanks!

My run time is about equal, maybe 5 hours tops in windows, 4.5 in linux. Not a big difference.

I'm a sysadmin and I type a LOT on my keyboard, and I'm not just starting to see wear issues on my space bar and enter key after 4 months. But they're pretty minor so far. Replacement keyboards on amazon are $30 so I already have one in a box ready to go when I need it.

I have worn out several other keyboards, including 2 on my old T42 and one on my eMachines D620. Both lasted about 1 year before having serious issues, so this one seems to be having problems a little bit early compared to the last ones.