Acer Timeline Ultra m5?

[smerdk]

Would you care to tell me which RAM are you using?

Crucial recommends PC3-12800 DDR3 RAM only. They only offer 4gb modules for the M5-481tg (I assume using manufacturer specifications), both of the 1.5V and 1.35V variety. In fact, the recommended module was the one with 1.35v.

For those interested, the Crucial 4gb available modules are:

CT3377948 (1.35V)
CT3377950 (1.5V)


However, using CPU-Z I checked my M5-481TG-6814 and it has this module:

PC3-10700 (667 Mhz)
NT2gC64B88G0NS-CG
Nanya Technology
1.5V, CL9


I plan to go the 8gb SO-DIMM route, but would like more info as what will work, and what will not, before I buy/upgrade/open the laptop.

Will update on how this laptop works when I install the Samsung SSD, and the extra RAM.

However, so far (coming from a first gen Timeline):

- Build feels stronger.

- Metal palmrest (and most of the top of the case is metal) feels nice, and since there is no paint, it won't get damaged with sweat.

- Keyboard backlight might be nice for some. I don't like it, so I don't use it. Nice to have it available, though.

- Having to open up the entire computer in order to change RAM/HDD is a pain. It's one of the things PCs have in favor of them, compared to Apple.

- Another thing I like about PCs, that Mac lacks, are the TWO trackpad buttons. This one lacks them, and uses the Synaptics software to emulate the right click.

- User interchangeable batteries were beter than the integrated one, since I could go two days without charging, just by buying extra batteries. In that area, the 3810 and 3820 Timelines are superior, IMHO.

- Trackpad is OK, not great. If you define regions/areas it, it works almost perfectly, both for scrolling and right clicks. However, it will randomly miss multi-finger gestures, though not frequently. I had a Macbook Air that also randomly missed multi-finger gestures that used more than two fingers. It worked almost perfectly with two finger gestures. I'm using the Timeline trackpad with defined areas and - as long as I go only with defined areas - it does work great. Defined areas + multi-finger gestures = Just OK. YMMV.

I forgot to talk about the keyboard:

- The keyboard is fantastic. No missed keys at all. For those that need to write a lot (like me), this keyboard is a blessing. I prefer it over the first gen Timeline, since that keyboard was/is a dirt/hair magnet. The new Ultra has a great keyboard regarding both performance and cleanliness. You will love it if you have pets.

- The speakers are definitely an upgrade, compared to the first gen Timeline. Of course, if you are serious about music you'll use external speakers. However, for occasional use (as in watching a YouTube video, listening to music while working, or maybe watching a movie with another person), it'll do a pretty good job.

- I would have gladly payed $1100-1200, maybe even more, for a version with BluRay-writer, 10gb RAM, and a 128/256gb SSD.

[yumyum]

is there a way to tell if the laptop is using the dedicated gpu instead integrated one? i play tera on medium and get like 45 fps so i assume automatically turn on?

[vacaloca]

is there a way to tell if the laptop is using the dedicated gpu instead integrated one? i play tera on medium and get like 45 fps so i assume automatically turn on?

You can use NVIDIA control panel to force your game app to use the dedicated GPU. It probably did turn on, yes, but you can change particular settings with the route I mentioned.

[vacaloca]

Would you care to tell me which RAM are you using?

Whatever was cheapest at the time, haha, that happened to be a Patriot PSD38G13332S. I'm sure the Komputerbay SODIMMs at Amazon would work fine, those are a great price as well, but they only sell 2 x 8GB sticks at a time.

I would have gladly payed $1100-1200, maybe even more, for a version with BluRay-writer, 10gb RAM, and a 128/256gb SSD.

The MSATA SSD would be nice, but the price premium is high over the regular Samsung 830. Here is one:
Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Atlas Series MKNSSDAT240GB-DX mSATA 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Here is another:
MyDigitalSSD 256GB SandForce SATA III Smart Series mSATA SSD | My Digital Discount
I hadn't even been aware of this one until now -- Crucial makes mSATA drives:
CT256M4SSD3 - 256GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com

They come in 128GB capacities also. As far as Blu-Ray writer, the UJDA242 has a bit of a lip on the top edge of the case that requires the two screws near the ODD to be partly loosened in order for the tray to be able to open/close. It might also require a bit of bending on the side of the top cover of the M5. The lip could probably be machined off, but it's not an easy task.

The case of the drive that comes with this laptop is VERY THIN compared to the UJDA's -- for that matter a case transfer will not work, as the screw holes/standoffs that hold the PCB of the optical drive on the UJDA do not match up with the drive case that comes with the laptop. I did not look at it too closely to try to engineer a solution up though... too much work.

Again a word of warning, be very gentle with disconnecting/connecting the flat flexible cables (FFCs).... aka ribbon cables. I almost managed to kill my Realtek audio when i slightly bent a contact on the FFC interfacing between the daughterboard and motherboard. I fixed it, and bought a spare (slightly longer) cable from Digikey in case the original ever goes bad, but just wanted to point that out.

Edit: To make the post complete, here is the replacement flat flexible cable that I purchased: 687716200002 Wurth Electronics Inc | 732-3586-ND | DigiKey. It's a bit less than 1 inch longer than the original one, but it can be folded in order to be taped down, just like the original one.

[willmgordon]

If anyone puts in an mSATA and gets it working as a boot drive let us know, thinking it would be sweet to have a 60-128 boot drive, then a large capacity normal drive for storing files and movies

[vacaloca]

If anyone puts in an mSATA and gets it working as a boot drive let us know, thinking it would be sweet to have a 60-128 boot drive, then a large capacity normal drive for storing files and movies

Crucial claims their mSATA SSDs are compatible -- they have a 45 day return policy. I'm almost sure they should work as well, barring the canadian/european versions with SSDs have a different BIOS version, but that's a bit doubtful. They are currently out of stock of the 256GB variety, though -- I called and asked earlier, but they mentioned they might be in stock by end of the week or next week.

They might have other sizes in stock, though, if anyone else is interested and wants to be the guinea pig.

[willmgordon]

Got my M5 today, does everyone recommend doing a clean install of Windows and then resetting up the SSD?

[vacaloca]

Got my M5 today, does everyone recommend doing a clean install of Windows and then resetting up the SSD?

If you're adding the extra RAM, at a minimum I think you'd have to re-set up the Hibernate partition so that it matches installed RAM, not sure how it'd behave in deep sleep if RAM exceeds hibernation partition size -- the app I believe is called Intel's Rapid Start. I think you might need to reboot system after you change partition sizes for the Intel Rapid Start installer to stop nagging with the message saying it's an unsupported system... either that or installing Intel Rapid Storage Drivers beforehand, or both.

I did it because I wanted Windows 7 Pro on mine, but if you have no reason for the domain/RDC features it might just be easier to uninstall the crapware. If you're getting an SSD to replace the main HDD though, might as well just wait and install from scratch on that drive and leave the original as backup, that's what I ended up doing.

[willmgordon]

Sounds good, so within rapid start when I install my new ram I can simply change the hibernation partition size?

[vacaloca]

Sounds good, so within rapid start when I install my new ram I can simply change the hibernation partition size?

The only GUI application I found for Rapid Start was called RapidStartConfig.exe, buried somewhere in the drivers or OEM folder. It does not have an option for re-sizing, which is why I mentioned uninstalling from Control Panel and reinstalling app from the drivers folder on your computer -- I forget where it's located as I'm running on my SSD. It's also on the drivers restore CD you can create using eRecovery software.

You can also just change the RAM and let it enter deep sleep and see what happens... if it bluescreens or doesn't come up right or hangs, then you know you have to fix delete/recreate the partition to adjust for RAM size -- the software might be intelligent enough to only store x amount on SSD and dump the rest on HDD, not really sure.