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Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T
Introduction
This is a compatibility guide to running Linux with the Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T laptop. If you have the Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T and are running Linux on it please consider editing this page or adding a comment below with your compatibility details. By contributing you will help other people running this laptop or trying to make a decision on whether to buy it or not.
This page is just for discussing using Linux on the Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T. For a general discussion about this laptop you can visit the Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T page on LapWik.
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Specifications
For full specifications see the Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T specifications page.
| Name | Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-2620M processor (4 MB L3 cache, 2.70 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.40 GHz, DDR3 1333 MHz, 35 W), supporting Intel 64 architecture, Intel Smart Cache Intel Core i5-2410M/i5-2520M/i5-2540M processor (3 MB L3 cache, 2.30/2.50/2.60 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.90/3.20/3.30 GHz, DDR3 1333 MHz, 35 W), supporting Intel 64 architecture, Intel Smart Cache Intel Core i3-2310M processor (3 MB L3 cache, 2.10 GHz, DDR3 1333 MHz, 35 W), supporting Intel 64 architecture, Intel Smart Cache |
| Screen | 15.6” 1366×768 Widescreen |
| RAM | Up to 8GB |
| HDD | up to 750GB |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GU40N |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
| USB 2.0 | Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller |
| USB 3.0 | NEC Corporation uPD720200 USB 3.0 Host Controller |
| Network | 10/100/1000 Ethernet Broadcom Corporation BCM43227 802.11b/g/n Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205, 802.11a/b/g/n Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM57761 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe |
Linux Compatibility
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Works | i5-2540M |
| Screen | Works | 1366×768 |
| HDD | Works | |
| Optical Drive | Works | |
| Graphics Chip | Works | kernel driver i915 |
| VGA Out | Works | kernel driver i915, glxgears fullscreen ~540 fps |
| HDMI Out | Works | kernel driver i915, glxgears fullscreen ~496 fps |
| Sound | Works | snd_hda_intel |
| Bult-in Microphone | Works | works fine in empathy with XMPP |
| Headphone Jack | Works | |
| Microphone Jack | Not Tested | |
| Ethernet | Works | kernel driver tg3 |
| Wireless | Works | kernel driver wl/broadcom-sta |
| Bluetooth | Works | |
| WWAN | Not Tested | |
| USB 2.0 | Works | ehci_hcd |
| USB 3.0 | Works | xhci_hcd |
| ESATA | Works | , booting from harddrive is also possible |
| Card Reader | Works | SD, SDHC work |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | kernel driver rts_pstor |
| Fingerprint Reader | Not Tested | failed to find linux driver |
| Webcam | Works | works fine in empathy with XMPP, cheese, skype |
| Smart Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| Docking Station | Not Tested | |
| Touch Pad | Works | use synaptics driver, otherwise almost unusably sensitive |
| Suspend/Resume | Works | rarely would not wake up again |
Notes
You can enter any specific notes with running Linux on the Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8573T here.
Discussion
I have one of these, and got it all working happily with Gentoo Linux.
Battery life is around 3,5h with wireless connectivity, which is far from the fantasy value promised by Acer, but enough for my usage.
Replaced 500GB hd with SSD, which runs blazingly fast. Very happy this way. Original drive works just fine in an external eSATA case, boots connected via eSATA/USB port, including the pre-installed Windows 7 Pro. Hardly ever use it though.
Hardware and driver details:
- http://pastie.org/4270584
Tricks:
- used
net-wireless/broadcom-sta-5.100.82.112-r2from staging- connect external monitor 1st time, GNOME would not recognize it properly, and only mirror the screen. Took a few restarts to have it working as you would expect.
- touchpad driver: used
x11-drivers/xf86-input-synaptics, since default setting would be almost unusable and hyper-sensitive-
wpa_supplicantwith a static config apparently works bestUntested:
- USB3 port, since I do not have a USB3 device to test with. USB2 works.
- express card slot
Weird:
- rarely would not wake up from suspend
- wifi device shows up three times in
rfkill –list- rarely network connectivity would not work even after reboot