Let's discuss M11x R4...

Two minor revisions, for this very succesful and unique gaming notebook. It's popular, and does not have many main competitors.

For the third major revision, what do you want to see;


1) 12'' Display while keeping the same dimension. The most powerful 11'' notebook would still apply to the most powerful 12'' inch. By upping the screensize a bit, they can keep the same dimensions and reduce the bezel.

2) Matte Display. There is simply no way around it. Outdoor use, has to be a must, because this is advocated as gaming on-the-go.

3) Better sound. A speaker upgrade? Most people will probably use headphones, but for those who want to watch movies on their machine in bed, a clear crisp sound might be highly desired. It should be an option for those who want to pay.

4) If the next line of ULV Sandy Bridge is 10-15% stronger combined with a 10-15% more stronger GPU, it should in theory be enough to play BF3 and Skyrim in a resolution of 720p. Question is if the next ULV processors will be that good, or even worth talking about? With the new focus on the so called Ultrabooks, could powerful more energy processors become waysided in the name of battery? Back to the horrors of Atom?

5) Better quality display. This could be a pay-for-upgrade. I know Dell can make displays because I own a 27 IPS Display and it's wonderful. Contrast, colors, gamma, viewing angles. It's all amazing. They are so good, that Apple are using the same panel for their almost twice as expenssive cinema display panels, which costs twice as much but has twice as few ports.
Having good graphics on a notebook becomes mute if you can't see what is going on.

Challenge; Very bright display can be battery demanding. AW will have to find a way to make a display that is energy efficent, while still looking good. No excuse for the poor viewing angels though. Or the meager contrast and weak blacks.


6) Battery Slice? - The M11x is very fat as it is. I kinda find it refreshing in these days where we are so full of ultra slim products. A battery slice of 1'' of added fat on the bottom might make the M11x look more like a lunchbox, but it could be an interesting way to go about it!?




7)Dual Fan cooling - The 3820 Acer was legendary for it's dual Cooling set up. Could M11x do the same? two more quiet coolers in different parts of the machine. It could mean less room for ports, due to needing vents on both sides(perhaps the back?).




8) New colors - Some people love everything about the M11x but the aesthetics. I personally don't find the M11X beautiful, but I am so bored of the slick minimalistic apple-fication of all other Laptops that I will happily take the crazy trolling-happy-go-lucky-in-your-wannabe-business-user-face! That's not to say that giving some some new colors like a White version might be a good idea.






R3 did not come out that long ago, but it seems clear to me that AW are constantly working on revisions. I was very sad that in the last update that they had not fixed the screen. It continues to be a problematic turner for those that wants to use M11x as their desktop replacement. Of course it should come at a cost, but only for those that want it. Not everyone will need a special quality panel, but it would be a good send for those that do.

 

Haha the R3 just came and we are going to discuss something that will come out in possibly a year or later. By that time we will see cheaper SSDs (looking at trends) and newer technology. Speculation should commence when the R3 is at least 6-8months old. That's what happened with the R3 and it was a lot more accurate.

 

These types of threads pop up constantly because companies push out new stuff so fast anymore. It's a never ending speculation cycle.

I honestly think the R3 is great. The R4 should receive standard upgrades such as latest processor and GPU, but otherwise it seems fine to me. The screen is about the only thing that needs to be addressed IMHO. I know there isn't really any other option out there in the 11" range for a better screen, but if they moved up to 12" (and preferably a 16:10 ratio) there would be more options. Once calibrated with my Spyder3 though it looks pretty decent.

I would also like to see the Lunar Silver color option return. But I'd never see either since I just got my R3.

 

Yeah. I feel like the only other option besides gpu/CPU could be the screen since there is so much border that's it's such a waste.

But again it's over a year until we see a refreshed model. Probably whenever ivy bridge comes

 

I think they should wait until the next intel cpu architecture to update. A die shrink on the cpu (ivy bridge?) would probably allow for a processor ~ 25% faster.

Also its time to ditch nvidia and move to amd gpu's. As of late amd gpu's have been more power efficient unless something changes this next generation.

A higher quality screen, I don't really mind the resolution just the terrible quality of the one used now.

Also it should not clock down the gpu or cpu if running on battery. For a small system meant to game on the go that is crucial (I know my R1 doesn't, none of them should imo).

 

so long as it's a worthy upgrade over the R2 then all good for me: then i can use the R2 as a linux PC barring any ability to actually play PC games via WINE.

 

I'd like to see a faster and better processor. My R2 is great for many games but not Starcraft 2 in 2v2 or bigger multiplayer games because of the CPU bottleneck. A more powerful processor would be a welcome improvement.

 

Double Fan+12" Screen ! I would be happy with those 2 upgrades (Of course better processor+graphics+battery)

 

I find these kind of posts complete waste of time for reasons already stated in multiple threads and posts.

 

I have to agree that the biggest improvement needed would be a better screen. I would have gotten the R3 if there was a upgrade option for the screen... It wouldn't even need to affect the bottom line, make it a purchase upgrade.

Until the line gets a bump in screen quality, I'm gunna stick with my R1. Once they offer something better, I'll be the first to order.

 

The screen is better on the R3. It's a different screen. More vibrant and crisp than the other ones.

 

^^ and like I said, it looks great after being calibrated by my Spyder3.

It could still be better, but the 11" market is limited. I'd really like to see a 16:10 ratio though since the bevel is so big. Plenty of extra space below the ALIENWARE light to move things down and expand.

 

There actually is not very much space in there for a larger screen. I removed my lcd cover the other night to measure for putting in a larger screen and install some more antenna. In order to make the lcd bigger, they would need to make the case a little thicker, or switch to a machined aluminum case due to the hinges, wlan antennas, and the camera.

 

I have not seen the R3 in person and I know there are different panels floating around but according to Anandtech the R3 screen was actually worse than the R1 and R2 they tested. It was brighter but in every other category it was worse.

AnandTech - Alienware M11x R3: Portable Powerhouse

 

oh yeah, SATA 6 Gb/s as well prices for 120 Gb (500+Mb/s) are $150 upgrade and would well be worth it

 

Maybe a non ULV CPU and two HDD bays and a POWERFUL GPU? (The laptop might get thicker) BTW I love thick laptops (In height, not width ) they look like Military comm computers.

 

^get a toughbook instead

 

A bigger screen???
That should be a new model m12x not m11x r4... LOL

11.6 = m11x Period.

We should wait at least to january 2012 to start talking about this...

 

Why...? You want to provide feedback before they put it into production!




The Bezel is so large you could easily get more screen estate out of a machine with the same dimensions. Obviously it would be named M12x.

 

Cmon guys the r3 has only been out for 4 months(I think).....

I spoke to alienware and they said that they had no plans on releasing a r4 version... yet

 

Those things are 100% rip off. You get a toughbook with an Atom CPU for $900 USD.

 

BUT YOU CAN RUN IT OVER

 

I would like to see a semi matt screen with alot more contrast..

 

I agree that this thread is really a waste of time... but i'm keen for a chassis upgrade (along with outher stuff of course)

 

So far they have released a new revision every 6 months, so Its not completely far fetched to assume a new revision for christmas.... the most telling method of finding out when the next revision is released, would be to follow the intel processor roadmap. ivybridge isnt slated for release until at least 2012 so we may be in the r3 for a bit longer than previous iterations.

 

You think it's a waste of time, yet you still reply? Sense, makes none.




They are constantly R&Ding new products and technology, as well as trying to predict what consumers want. Just because they won't release it for the foreseeable future, does not mean that they are not taking notice.