Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T Review

The Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T features an Intel Core i5-430UM processor. This new generation ULV processor makes the laptop one of the best on the market under $1,000. Additionally, the 1830T offers a decent battery life of 6 hours.

Aspire TimelineX 1830T specifications

Processor: 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
RAM: 4GB/4GB
Storage: 500GB/5400rpm
Screen: 11.6-inch screen with 1366 × 768 pixels

Design
The Aspire TimelineX 1830T measures just 1.1 inches thin and weighs around 3 pounds. In terms of looks, the 1830T isn’t too different from the Aspire One 721 netbook. It’s a bit heavier, though, but that powerful dual-core processor justifies those extra ounces.

The notebook features a matte lid that hides fingerprints. It ships with a 6-cell battery that protrudes from the system, tilting the machine at a slight angle.

Heat
The 1830T gets hot while performing certain tasks. There is no cause for concern yet. However, it is not recommended to put the machine on your lap for long periods of time.

keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard is almost full size. It’s easy to use. The keys provide good tactile feedback and you’ll be up to your normal typing speed in no time. The silver touchpad buttons are nice and crisp, but the touchpad could have been a bit larger.

display
The 1830T has a 11.6-inch screen with 1366 x 768 pixels. The screen is bright. The colors are vivid. Viewing angles are also good. But the glossy screen causes distracting reflections.

Ports and webcams
Port selection is successful. There are 3 USB ports, an Ethernet port, a Kensington lock slot, a headphone and microphone jack, a VGA port, an HDMI output, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. No eSATA or FireWire. Supported connectivity options are WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0+HS. There is also a 1.3 megapixel webcam.

Performance
The TimelineX 1830T has a 1.2GHz Intel Core i5-430UM processor and 4GB of RAM. This new generation of ULV processors offers significantly better performance than its previous generation. In fact, the 1830T offers commendable performance in many benchmark tests. However, boot times are average. The 500 GB 5400 rpm hard drive takes 1 minute and 20 seconds to boot into Windows 7 Home Premium. But this delay is probably due to the trial software that comes preloaded with the laptop.

graphics performance
The 1830T does not have discrete graphics. However, the Intel HD GPU with 128 MB of memory offers reasonably good graphics performance. The laptop also has an HDMI port for transferring video to an HDTV.

Battery duration
The Core i5 version of the laptop has a decent battery life of 6 hours.

Verdict
The TimelineX 1830T is one of the best ultraportable laptops on the market. It looks great, offers good performance, and has respectable battery life. But at $699, it’s certainly not cheap. So if you’re on a budget, you might want to consider the $599 Core i3 version of the 1830T. Alternatively, you can buy the $499 Eee PC 1201PN which offers comparable graphics performance but less processing power and stamina.