Since i know at least three of us have one of these laptops, I thought i would make a quasi-club thread.
Here goes.
Laptop in bulletpoints:
-throttling
-decent build quality
-amazing performance/price
-1" thin
Common Specs:
First off; owners list:
Next; mods and tweaks:
How to prevent throttling:
On battery wear:
-under construction
Here goes.
Laptop in bulletpoints:
-throttling
-decent build quality
-amazing performance/price
-1" thin
Common Specs:
Intel Core i5 2410M / i7 2620
4GB DDR3 1333MHz, Hyinx
Intel HD 3000 or nVidia GT 540M 1/2GB DDR3
WD 500/750GB HDD or 120GB SSD
AOU 13.3" LED LCD, 1366x768
Windows 7 Home
4GB DDR3 1333MHz, Hyinx
Intel HD 3000 or nVidia GT 540M 1/2GB DDR3
WD 500/750GB HDD or 120GB SSD
AOU 13.3" LED LCD, 1366x768
Windows 7 Home
First off; owners list:
-reflex99
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-ComradeNF
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-robwadeson
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-hengster
3830TG / i7 2620m / GT 540m 2G
-killeraxemannic
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-Wincet
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-brettjv
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-eightdrunkengods
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-ComradeNF
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-robwadeson
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-hengster
3830TG / i7 2620m / GT 540m 2G
-killeraxemannic
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-Wincet
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-brettjv
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
-eightdrunkengods
3830TG / i5 2410m / GT 540m 1G
Next; mods and tweaks:
How to prevent throttling:
The number one issue with this laptop, is throttling. Some fool at acer doesn't understand thermodynamics, and failed to provide an adequate heatsink/fan for the given hardware. Luckilly for us, it is correctable for the most part. Through the following three steps, members have been able to prevent, or completely stop throttling.
DISCLAIMER: These steps can void your warranty. I take no personal responsibility for damage done to your laptop/components/dignity. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Step one: Throttle stop.
Step 2: remove vent mesh
Step 3: add some coins
Step 4: redo thermal paste
See here for teardown Instructions:
http://broo2.blogspot.com/2011/07/acer-3830tg-6431-teardown.html
Step 5: buy Laptop cooler
Generally, the Cooler Master U2 is regarded as the best of the best. While the stock fans are decent, a lot more cooling power can be achieved if you replace them with something like scythe slipstreams or similar.
Newegg-Cooler Master U2
DISCLAIMER: These steps can void your warranty. I take no personal responsibility for damage done to your laptop/components/dignity. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Step one: Throttle stop.
Throttlestop is an amazing little program that allows you to set the multiplier of your sandy bridge CPU. To download said program click here: (link).
When you open throttlestop, you will be greeted by a panel that has a bunch of options. Set them like so:
-Clock modulation (unchecked)
-Chipset Clock mod (unchecked)
-Set Multiplier (checked, then put 19.0 in the box to the right) Here is where you need to play around a bit. For me, 19 works, and is almost bulletproof in games. it sets the CPU to 1.9GHz. If you can go higher and still get acceptable performance, by all means, do it.
-power saver (unchecked) You can set up a second profile for battery power if you want to use this setting
-disable turbo (checked)
-EIST (checked) this is intel speedstep. Checking or unchecking this box doesn't do anything on my laptop, so i just leave it checked
-BD PROCHOT (unchecked) never messed with it, so i leave it unchecked
-C1E (checked) also a power saving technique
then hit save. You can go into options, and tweak it to your liking. I have TS start minimized with windows. I also have it set up so i have a profile that it switches to on battery which clocks it down to 1GHz to save battery.
When you open throttlestop, you will be greeted by a panel that has a bunch of options. Set them like so:
-Clock modulation (unchecked)
-Chipset Clock mod (unchecked)
-Set Multiplier (checked, then put 19.0 in the box to the right) Here is where you need to play around a bit. For me, 19 works, and is almost bulletproof in games. it sets the CPU to 1.9GHz. If you can go higher and still get acceptable performance, by all means, do it.
-power saver (unchecked) You can set up a second profile for battery power if you want to use this setting
-disable turbo (checked)
-EIST (checked) this is intel speedstep. Checking or unchecking this box doesn't do anything on my laptop, so i just leave it checked
-BD PROCHOT (unchecked) never messed with it, so i leave it unchecked
-C1E (checked) also a power saving technique
then hit save. You can go into options, and tweak it to your liking. I have TS start minimized with windows. I also have it set up so i have a profile that it switches to on battery which clocks it down to 1GHz to save battery.
Step 2: remove vent mesh
Ok, this step is pretty easy as well. The idiot that designed this notebook decided that it would be a good idea to put this plastic mesh over the bottom vents. Cool, now dust doesn't get in, but neither does like ANY AIR AT ALL. Luckily this genius of an engineer only used glue to hold the mesh in, so it is pretty easy to remove. You can just use your fingers, and pull it up, being careful not to rip the silver foil. Here is what mine looked like when i finished it:
Step 3: add some coins
Through some craftiness, we have come up with this method that helps delay or prevent throttling. Behold!
![ibomS1UZoyayrj.png]( "ibomS1UZoyayrj.png")
All this is, is dimes on top of nickels sitting on top of the heatpipe. No TIM is used, and they are held in by the case when you put it back on. I actually changed the one furthest to the right to a penny instead of a dime as it provided better fit. The build quality of these isn't very exact, so you might need to try a couple different combinations of coins.
Alternatively you can use copper slugs, which are designed for this purpose, but i didn't have any of those on hand.
All this is, is dimes on top of nickels sitting on top of the heatpipe. No TIM is used, and they are held in by the case when you put it back on. I actually changed the one furthest to the right to a penny instead of a dime as it provided better fit. The build quality of these isn't very exact, so you might need to try a couple different combinations of coins.
Alternatively you can use copper slugs, which are designed for this purpose, but i didn't have any of those on hand.
Step 4: redo thermal paste
See here for teardown Instructions:
http://broo2.blogspot.com/2011/07/acer-3830tg-6431-teardown.html
Step 5: buy Laptop cooler
Generally, the Cooler Master U2 is regarded as the best of the best. While the stock fans are decent, a lot more cooling power can be achieved if you replace them with something like scythe slipstreams or similar.
Newegg-Cooler Master U2
On battery wear:
Acer decided to source batteries from two different companies; Panasonic, and Sanyo. This would be great and all if the batteries performed the same, but sadly the Panasonic battery likes to exhibit very erratic wear. Some people report 9% battery wear on first boot
![eek.gif]( "eek.gif")
. To check which battery you have, I suggest Batterycare. Battery care will tell you the model, wear level, and a bunch of other useful info about your battery. So now you are probably like "OH NOES I HAZ PANASONIC!". Well don't worry, not all of the panasonic batteries show this issue. I personally have the panasonic battery, and mine has been at a solid 2% wear for almost 3 weeks now (as of writing).
If it really bothers you, some members on NBR have called Acer, explained the issue to them, and then Acer sent them new Sanyo batteries pretty much without question. The best part? Acer let them keep the old battery. Pretty good service if you ask me.
If it really bothers you, some members on NBR have called Acer, explained the issue to them, and then Acer sent them new Sanyo batteries pretty much without question. The best part? Acer let them keep the old battery. Pretty good service if you ask me.
-under construction
