Product Listing

Acer Timeline X 4820TG: Packing a Hefty Punch

By Aloysius Low - 21 Apr 2010

Performance Time

Performance Time

Here's where it gets a little tricky. We don't actually have any reasonably direct comparisons for this new notebook and its specifications (especially for this processor class). As such, we've tried our best to gather a few other notebooks to give you an idea where this newcomer stands.

In the result comparison mix, we've a quad-core Intel Core i7-720M (1.6GHz) from a Lenovo IdeaPad Y550P. Also since the Y550P comes packed with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M, it's an ideal comparison to the similarly capable ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 that's equipped on the Timeline X 4820TG. We've also enrolled the 3D stereo gaming capable ASUS G51J 3D notebook which has a similar quad-core processor to the Lenovo notebook but a better discrete graphics in the form of a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M for another comparison point in graphics capabilities. Finally, we've also thrown in the previous 14-inch Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T for reference and comparison to the original Timeline series and how much we've progressed since.

Notebook Comparison Table
Specifications / Notebook Acer Aspire Timeline X 4820TG ASUS G51J 3D Lenovo IdeaPad Y500P Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T
Processor intel Core i7-620M (2.66GHz dual-core, with turbo up to 3.33GHz) Intel Core i7-720QM (1.60GHz quad-core, with turbo up to 2.80GHz) Intel Core i7-720QM (1.60GHz quad-core, with turbo up to 2.80GHz) Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor SU 9400 (1.40GHz) with 3MB L2 cache
Chipset Intel HM55 Intel PM55 Intel PM55 Intel GS45
Memory 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3
HDD 1 x 640GB SATA 5400RPM 2 x 500GB SATA 5400RPM 1 x 320GB SATA 5400RPM 1 x 500GB SATA 5400RPM
Video ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M Intel GMA 4500HD

 

PCMark05

Based on the scores we've obtained, it would seem that the Timeline X 4820TG is in good form. Easily beating the Lenovo IdeaPad Y550P with its higher scores thanks to a slightly better discrete graphics, a higher clock speed and turbo boost speed. The Timeline X 4820TG also handily overshadowed its CULV equipped cousin by a mile so it looks like Acer has managed to squeeze high performance in the same form factor rather well. Please note that the original Timeline had a few hiccups in running the benchmark in proper, hence we've omitted those results only.

PCMark Vantage

Like the previous benchmark, the scores here do indicate that the Acer notebook still has the lead over the Lenovo unit, but the ASUS gaming rig with its better GPU gives the 15.6-inch unit a slight lead over the Acer Timeline X 4820TG. We'll see how much more the GPU plays a part in the next benchmark section, but it seems pretty clear that it's a pretty important factor for overall notebook performance.

3DMark06

Here's where we get a good indication of how the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 stacks up. Against the NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M, it wins by just a small margin. Against the much stronger NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M however, it is way behind. As far as the ATI card goes, it has pretty decent mid-range gaming performance scores, although do bear in mind that you do get DirectX 11 features on the ATI solution which both the NVIDIA solutions lack in this comparison.

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9.0
  • Design 9
  • Features 9
  • Performance 9
  • Value 9
  • Mobility 9
The Good
Powerful performance in a slim form factor
Affordable for its specifications
The Bad
Tad heavier than other ultra-thin notebooks
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