Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought the first one when it came out last August in Europe. It is the same specs as the US sold one. I also purchased this again from Amazon for a gift and have in the household the Acer AS1830T-3721 (i5 model), and the AS1830T-3505 (i3 model), both purchased here on Amazon.
The Acer 1830t i3/i5/i7 are all physically the same computer. Only the processor, hard drive size, installed ram amount, and Bluetooth 3.0 separate the 3 models, therefore, reviews on those models apply here as well.
Also the older Acer 1810 with an Intel SU7300, Acer 1551 with an AMD Athlon II Neo Dual-Core Processor K325/K625, Acer TravelMate 8172 with an Intel i3/Win 7 Pro, and Aspire One 721 with an AMD Athlon II Neo Processor K125--netbook category, are the same basic computer chassis. This saves Acer a lot of money by offering several different models under the same platform--and gives us consumers more choices. If you are looking at this size PC check out Acer's current variants. Acer also owns Gateway and re-brands these 11.6 inch models. If you don't mind what the label says on the outside you can find similar models with Gateway that might have different sale prices. Compare both labels and shop around before you buy.
For budget buyers the i3 models (AS1830T-3505 and AS1830T-3921), are quite nice. The -3505 ships with 250GB drive, the -3921 ships with a 320GB drive, the -3505 is being heavily discounted. The i3-330UM is the same as the i5 but without speed step, it's fixed at 1.2GHz but still utilizes 4 hyper threads (2 per core). You can upgrade the ram and HDD at anytime money allows while still having a respectable laptop PC.
People like myself who are computer gurus, must have the latest whether we need it or not. I bought the i5 model for myself but passed it on to family after I got this i7. I did the same immediate upgrades I did on the i5 model by installing a Kingston 425 128GB SSD, (same MLC and Controller as the infamous Intel G2 but for a fraction of the cost), and 8GB PC3 10600 Crucial RAM. The cost difference from the i5/i7 is currently at 200$ simply for a faster more powerful processing unit. For a guru like myself most definitely a necessity. This is my dream machine. It is only lacking a dedicated graphics card, (GMU). My cost with RAM and SSD upgrade came to 1,300$, (current cost (02/11),>$1,100.
End results:
i3 models--worth their weight in gold. AS1830T-3505/AS1830T-3921, best value there is no better deal to be had as of current. It allows RAM and HDD upgrades. Also in this budget is the TravelMate 8172 with i3/2GB ram/Win7 Pro and the 1551 with AMD Athlon II Neo Dual-Core Processor K325/K625 and ATI discrete graphics.
i5 model--worth its weight in platinum. AS1830T-3927, at a current 600-700$ this is the model to have. It will handle just about anything you can throw at it and most likely, for its intended purpose, satisfy all users. Even upgrading ram to a max 8GB and the hard drive to an SSD still keeps cost under 1000$ which is very respectable and most likely will come down in a few months.
i7 model--worth its weight in titanium. AS1830T-68U118, at a current 800-900$, the extra 200$ it will cost to get the i7 processor will not see a huge gain. It is not a GAMER machine like the Dell Alienware m11x, but can be used as a media hub for all your multimedia entertainment. This model still lacks a discrete graphics and without one falls short of larger i3/i5/i7 models in the same price point. If having a dedicated GMU is important you may want to consider a larger 13/14-inch screen with an i3/i5/i7/discrete graphics for the same money. It comes down to size and weight VS ultimate performance. I have added a list of models that have dedicated graphics cards in the comments section.BATTERY RUN TIME:
The AS1830T-series includes a 5800mAh 6-cell Lithium Ion battery that sits nearly flush. Acer accomplishes this by moving the keyboard forward and cutting the battery casing into the top of the laptop frame. This gives it a nearly flush (top to bottom and out the back) fitment. Acer states an 8 hour run dead time. My experience is about 5.5 hours using WiFi and Bluetooth without letting it sleep and about 6 and up to 7 hours with Bluetooth off with rest periods in-between.
SCREEN:
Very impressive. Mercury and lead free LED backlighting (Light Emitting Diode) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) at 11.6 inches diagonal measure 1366 x 768 pixels (720P 16x9). It has a 200-nit high brightness. The backlighting is extremely even (many reports with graphs showing this--just search the net), and consistent color at varying angles. It does lend on the blue side of the hue (cool temperature), which can't be dialed out with white balance. But again, you would never notice unless you have this side by side with a high end monitor or comparing pantone standards. It is still best in class.
GRAPHICS:
The Acer AS1830T-Series (except for the AMD ones which use ATI), use Intel HD with shared video ram of 128MB. While this is better than the older Intel GMA 4500 of the last generation, it is not a substitute for dedicated graphics or integrated graphic chips. It is enough power to help render HD video off the web and use the HDMI on the laptop to play video content on your big screen monitor, it will not play games with any kind of authority. It will render 3D imagines in software like Chief Architecture, Adobe CS5 and such but not like one would be use to on a desktop. Again, this is an ultra portable and I don't think many people will be trying to use it for these things on the couch/bed/airport lobby.
KEYBOARD/TOUCH PAD:
This is Acers short coming. The keyboard has been slightly improved over the last gen (1810), but only with layout. It still has some flex and even though the keys are large enough not to miss key often, they are chiclit style and don't have enough tactile feedback to use efficiently. Even still, there are worse designs out there and in this price range I say Acer rates mid-level. One complaint I read a lot about is that Acer moved the keyboard forward to accommodate a flush battery. This limits palm rest area and reduced the touch pad size. My personal preference is I like it better. I would rather have a flush battery and actually don't like to rest my palms on the leading edge of the laptop. The touch pad is an Alps version. Small, and not well designed. Acer has gone the multi touch/swipe way which is not well executed. When scrolling the touch pad often locks with an `action' function making if painfully difficult to simply scroll down/up or across the screen with the pointer without it locking. Also the left and right buttons have a loud stiff click. Unfortunately there is no `off' button to this multi jester function and one must adapt to it. My answer is a portable mouse when I can. And again, it is not the worst in the business, but improvement is in order for Acer.
SIZE/WEIGHT/CHASSIS:
One of the best features of the Acer is how compact and light it is for being nearly a full PC. At 3.1 lbs it is very easy to handle. You can pick it up by the corner and hardly know you are holding anything. Not much bigger than most netbooks. Once you have this in your hands it feels even thinner than the 1 inch spec sheet says. I also like that Acer keeps the 6-cell battery almost flush so there is no huge protruding appendage sticking out the back or angled down .Its reinforced plastic casing has an aluminum skin on the top edge and Acer has improved stress points over last gen (1810), so there is less flex and seam separation between the upper and lower halves and screen surround.
RAM:
RAM and HDD can be accessed by a removable cover on the bottom. HDD is a 2.5 inch Serial ATA drive with a maximum thickness of 9.5mm. the higher capacity drives over 640GB are 12mm in thickness and will not fit-(cover won't close). Also under this cover is the PCI-e 1x16 but Acer does not include this on most models. Misleading specs has Acer stating 4GB max ram capabilities. The Intel Arrandale Ultra Low Voltage (UM) versions can accept up to 8GB DDR3 RAM, 4GB x 4GB 204-pin SODIMM. The AS1830T's come packaged with PC3-10600 RAM (1333MHz) instead of the norm 8500 (1066MHz) RAM. When upgrading I recommend you upgrade to like same. While you can mix speeds it is not the best practice. If you are disposing of all factory ram you can re-install the PC3-8500 and it will work fine, but if you are only replacing one of the two sticks you should use the faster PC3-10600 version to match. Whether you go with 1066MHz or 1333MHz is redundant as the Intel Arrandale UM's only read PC3-800 and will automatically downgrade the speed. Cost between PC3-8500 and PC3-10600 is roughly the same, the problem is finding 4GB sticks in the PC3-10600 version. I have mostly used Crucial but have also used Kingston, Corsair, and Patriot Signature without cause. Plus all these brands offer lifetime warranties.
PORTS and WIRELESS:
Acer is loaded with connection abilities both wired and wireless. Wireless toggling is handled by soft keys now instead of hard keys (FN with F3). The 68U118 offers the new Bluetooth 3.0 +HS which use the collocated 802.11 for speeds up to 24Mb/sec when communicating with another Bluetooth 3.0 devise such as the Samsung Galaxy cell phone. Other AS1830T models use the Bluetooth 2.1 or can have Bluetooth added like in the AS1830T-3505. WAN uses Draft N in all models which are pretty standard these days. Acer runs the antenna around the screen giving better signal lock and very strong connections. For wired connections you have full HDMI that carries digital 5.1 surround...Read more›
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Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black)Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T: Extreme Mobile Performance
The next-generation of Acer's popular "all day computing" lineup, the 11.6-inch Aspire TimelineX 1830 (model AS1830T-68U118) is an ultra-portable powerhouse that weighs just over 3 pounds yet packs in a full-size keyboard and ultra-low voltage Intel Core 17 dual-core processing--with 4-way multitasking processor power to work on four tasks simultaneously.
Click here for more information about Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
