Mister Jack Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I'm thinking about getting a laptop this year, maybe after my tax returns if I get a decent refund. The m11x is something I hear a lot about, but I kinda wanted to gather feedback from people who have used it. My primary concerns were as follows: How's the battery life? Is the screen small to the point where text-heavy games/webpages are hard to read? How's the keyboard? Is the core model good or do I have to go with the "premium" one? Where could I find a deal? Any heating issues? How is the actual game performance? Is this the best alienware laptop for under $1000? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrainHurtBoy...2 Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 You can play games for maybe 3 hours with about medium brightness, resolution and general computer-pushing, and probably about 5-6 hours of doing other stuff with medium brightness. Deals, I don't know, but the screen isn't too small. It's definitely manageable. The keyboard is very, very nice, and the mousepad, too. The R1 gets kind of hot when you're playing games, but nothing to really worry about. It all works fine. Game performance is spectacular for its size and price point, and is definitely the best Alienware laptop for under 1k. In terms of concrete gaming performance, GTA IV is an incredibly hardware intensive game that is poorly optimized for PC, and the M11X can run that at about medium settings. You shouldn't have trouble running almost any game released so far, as long as you're willing to compromise down to about medium settings, though most will be able to be run at max, like Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age. The core model's fine, and I have the R1, which isn't as good as the more recent R2, so core model R2, which is about the same price as R1, ought to suit you just fine, and the iSeries of cores help everything run smooth as butter. I highly recommend this computer in any form. My only issue is the ridiculous Alien motif, like the alien head on the back of the computer and the weird symbols plastered all over the computer. Also, it's a really, really great backup to have if your computer begins to have technical difficulties, since you can just hook up a keyboard and mouse and stick it on a desk. Oh, the computer also has a fairly low HDD size, but that's nothing a simple 250GB external HD can't fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 What's the difference between the R1 and R2? And do you know if there's any real need to go from an i5 to an i7 on a laptop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I have the i5 version and love it. The R2 is the newer version with i-series processors. The R1 had a Core2Duo, IIRC. It runs almost everything I throw at it with aplomb. I play games like Just Cause 2 on medium-high settings without a problem. Some CPU-heavy games don't run very well, like Metro 2033. The screen size is fine. The keyboard is fine, too. Although I do hate the alienware 'stylings' on some of the keys (and the overall machine - I had to cover up the alien head on the lid so I wouldn't be embarrassed to use the thing in public. Battery life is okay; I get about 4 hours of computing when using battery-saving power options but also doing Wi-fi and old school DOS games. If you overclock it or disable CPU throttling it can get quite hot while playing games. Mine gets a little warm just playing video. I even think I pushed it past the automatic shutdown point while playing Just Cause 2. You definitely want to make sure it's well-ventilated if you're playing for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I totes would love to have one of these. I have my desktop for heavier gameplay, this would be fun for a few games on the go. I don't think there'd be that much of an issue with the screen, unless you have p bad vision problems. As it is now I have an 11.1" netbook by MSI, and the screen size is very managable on that. Realistically I'd go with at least the core i5 system over the C2D, the i7 would be ideal I would think, (larger cache, faster turbo speeds), but at least the i5. My suggestions would be: * avoid skimping on cpu power * base is 4GB of ram, which should do you fine. If you want more, and you know how to install it, for the love of all that is holy don't upgrade through dell / alienware. Going from 4 to 8 gigs is a $350 upgrade? You can get an 8 gig pack from newegg for ~$85. *same with hdd. 320 gb base is p good, if you need more look into an external drive. upping to a core i7 brings to the total to $1114, which is in the territory of some of the more beefier full sized gaming laptops, but you are also gaining a bit more in portability with it. The ASUS G73 (core i7, gtx 460m, 17.3") is ~1500, and while it'll outperform the m11x, it's not as portable, as it's really a DTR, not a laptop. Really, I think if you are going to look at a gaming-centric laptop, anymore the m11x is basically the only reason to look at alienware, otherwise ASUS and other companies have been putting out 15-17" laptops that can compete with alienware, and beat them on price. The best thing about alienware is the vanilla install; no bloatware at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Should I invest in a cooling system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998051 something like this? might be a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Very nice. I'm starting to think I'm gonna do this. Just a matter of who to buy from I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 as in going with the m11 or another laptop? really I think the m11 is the best choice just because of gaming potential while maintaining portability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I mean which store to buy from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I mean which store to buy from If you have an .edu email, you might be able to get a deal through Dell, IIRC. I managed to get my i5 for just a shade over $800 all told with my old .edu address. I wasn't even in school any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Sadly I do not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Sadly I do not Well, Dell sometimes has good deals. My expectation would be that most retailers mark these babies up and that there's probably enough demand that you won't see sales on the i-series models any time in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Disappointing. Maybe I can work out a financing deal somewhere at least. Even if I COULD drop the whole wad at once, I usually prefer not to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Disappointing. Maybe I can work out a financing deal somewhere at least. Even if I COULD drop the whole wad at once, I usually prefer not to. Financing on computers is a scam unless you're a business. Save up and buy it all at once. The m11x isn't that expensive in the scheme of things and you'll save the cash if you really want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 You have multiple stores to choose from for an alienware? I only know of Microcenter, which only has a few in limited configurations in stock, and newegg as well. Typically lower configurations. Just go with aw's website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted February 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Got my tax refund! Time to get me a laptop! m11x is still a solid choice for the money, right? Nothing better has come out recently I should know about? Also, would it be wise to buy it online? I'm a little paranoid about having to ship it somewhere if for whatever reason it happened to break. Edited February 18, 2011 by Mister Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 not that I've seen unless you are looking for a slightly less portable 17" I didn't have any issues with my order from alienware, they required my signature and wouldn't leave it without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted February 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 I'm thinking more in terms of getting repairs or, god forbid, refunds. And the size doesn't matter to me as much as keeping it under 1200 dollars, give or take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 I really don't see what the worry is beyond going through any other retailer. If you want ease and instant gratification, go with a local b&m retailer. If that still allows you the m11x, great. If not, I'd suggest a 17" ASUS system. Better / similar performance, about the same price, larger form factor. Alienware / dell has decent customer service, but I've never really needed it. I sold the system to a buddy, he's starting to have hardware problems now, its about 4 years old. One great thing about alienware: vanilla install. They will install, make a back up, run benchmarks, run the backup to base Windows install. No bloatware, no "free offers" crap. If you didn't ask for it to be installed (steam, WOW, etc), they don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted February 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 Well that sounds good. Pretty easy to tell this is my first laptop, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 no harm in being cautious, just check out reviews and prices, do your research and you should be golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 I love my m11x. You can usually find good deals for the m11x on the dell website. If you're a student you also get a discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted February 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Now I can't decide what color to get for the backlighting Oh wait I can change it! Kick fucking ass! Edited February 18, 2011 by Mister Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorgi Duke of Frisbee Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 I know you're talking about Alienware specifically, but I just wanted to say that Dell in general (both their Alienware and vanilla departments) makes great laptops. I have an XPS Studio 16 I got just before the winter refresh, and I love it to death. I also previously had an Area 51 desktop which I also loved, and that only broke when I made the costly mistake of leaving it plugged into a traditional wall outlet during a storm. It was a real shame, too, as I had only finished installing a new CPU a month or two ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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