Acer Aspire TimelineX AS3820T-6480 13.3-inch Ultraportable Laptop PC

Feb 21 2011 - With a price tag of just $650, the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS3820T-6480 offers an extremely compelling option for those looking for a compact laptop with some long running times. It may not be as thin or as feature rich as other 13-inch laptops but it still offers a good experience for those on a tighter budget. Just be sure to clean up the software that is installed to unclutter your desktop for better performance.

Feb 21 2011 - Acer's Aspire TimelineX series was designed to be an ultrathin platform. With the AS3820T, the system gains a bit more bulk in order to add some extra performance and a larger screen. In terms of performance, the system uses an Intel Core i3-380M processor that does a good job of balancing power and performance. This combined with 4GB of DDR3 memory allow this $650 system offer some solid computing for most tasks.

The 13.3-inch display of the Aspire TimelineX 3820T certainly provides a much easier to read display than many 11-inch displays. It still uses the same 1376x768 native resolution typical of ultraportables. It does use a glossy coating that will cause some excessive glare and reflections that make using it outdoors a bit difficult. As with many ultraportables, it relies on the Intel GMA integrated graphics. This is perfectly fine for average use and even HD video playback which netbooks are incapable of. Don't expect to use it for any sort of 3D applications or even casual PC gaming.

The Aspire TimelineX 3820T is mixed when it comes to storage. The 500GB hard drive certainly provides extra space compared to the competition in this size and price category. The downside is that it does not come with an optical drive. This isn't unusual for an ultraportable laptop these days but for its size, it is very close to some models that do offer it. Of course, the primary use for an optical drive for many laptop uses is to watch movies or load a few programs but this is something that can be done via downloads more and more.

The real advantage that the Aspire TimelineX 3820T offers is battery life. Netbooks have really been the king of long running times but more and more laptops are getting longer times. This version of the laptop uses the six-cell battery pack rating at 6000mAh to keep its profile smooth but there is a nine-cell battery pack option. In video streaming tests, the system was able to run for roughly four and a quarter hours before going into standby mode. This is longer than many of the other 13-inch ultraportables on the market but below Acer's optimistic eight hours. That might be achieved with more conservative power profile and less demanding computing.

The keyboard design of the Aspire TimelineX 3820T uses the very common island or isolated layout. Unlike many other companies though, the keys are more flat which gives it a bit different feel that takes a bit of time to get used to. One really nice aspect is the full sized right shift key rather than the smaller ones to fit in the arrow and page keys. The trackpad is a bit smaller than many other 13-inch laptops and uses the single rocker bar style buttons that can be difficult to use at times.