M11X vs M14X

I'm currently in the market for a new laptop, and was wondering what people's opinions were with regards to these two models:

M11X in Red (i5 2467M, 6GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, 1GB GT 540M, with Killer Wireless N) @ £558

M14X in Red (i7 2670QM, 6GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, 1.5GB GT555M, with 1600x900 screen and Dell Wireless 1000) @ £826

From reading on here I understand that with the M14X I may be able to get 10% of the cost refunded to me if I e-mail them once I receive the laptop and inform them that I'm aware other people have been given this discount, so if that was successful then that'd take the cost down to about £735, which I'd be a lot happier with! Although I've also heard that sometimes they offer a M14X bag and tactx mouse, which I'd be less happy with as £826 isn't a pricepoint I'm massively happy with.

Primarily I'm looking to this machine for light gaming and typing on the train/whilst at uni, with my gaming generally limited to Football Manager. For this I feel that the M11X would meet my requirements, but what's it like for typing on? What's the M14X like for typing on? Will the M11X be a problem when typing?

As I understand it, the M11X has one of those bobbly touchpad's, does the M14X touchpad have the same texture?

Basically with regards to the M14X I want to know how likely it is that I'll be able to get an additional 10% off on the M14X given the system that I've selected (I already have a code for 15% off so that's included in my prices for both machines, as is the 10% cashback that I'll get back through Quidco). Also, don't suppose there's a similar blag on the M11X?

Typing is also a very key issue so I'd like to hear honest opinions on what typing is like on these machines. I'll be using the laptop on an hour's commute to university most days, but from what I've read both the M11X and the M14X should offer more than enough battery power, even if I don't charge the laptop at all during the day. If I'm using it at all at university then power shouldn't be an issue as the likelihood is that I'll be using it on charge.

As I understand it there'll be new M11X/M14X models coming out in around 6 months, so currently that's leading me to the conclusion that my best bet is to get the M11X, save my pounds for now, and then either sell it in 6 months and buy the new system with ivy bridge, or keep it for travel and buy a larger Alienware for home use (currently my home computer is a 2010 iMac). So to me the M11X is currently seeming a more attractive proposition, but that very much depends on the ease of typing to be honest and how much better a keyboard the M14X really has? In terms of gaming needs the M11X seems fine to me, as having a Mac for the last 18 months has basically meant that all gaming aside from Football Manager has fallen upon my PS3. Skyrim appears to work pretty decently from what I've seen on the M11X, Football Manager will obviously run a fair amount of leagues without too much trouble, and yeah, basically I feel that my gaming needs/expectations will be more than covered by the M11X. I've checked out 11" laptops instore which seem pretty fine to me considering my needs, and if I do ever use the laptop at home for extended periods of time then I have a 21" monitor I can hook the laptop up to anyway to avoid eye strain.

So.... in summary, just in case anyone can't be bothered reading my ridiculously long post (which I'd imagine would be most people), what I want to know is....

- Ease of typing on the M11X/M14X
- Does the M14X touchpad have the same bobbly texture of the M11X?
- How likely an additional 10% on the M14X is?


Thanks everyone!


Rich

 

If you need it right here and right now then I suggest getting whichever one is more comfortable looking to you. Yes the next refresh comes out in May-June probably but 6 months is an eternity in the gaming world. If you would like to save your money then do it but if you would like the better system then go with the M14x.

Also, never seen an M11x in person but the keyboard on the M14x is really good. It has that silky rubberized plastic feel to it and it's pretty much a full non-chicklet keyboard.

 

The r3 offers excellent performance for the size and the keyboard feels good on it but I would avoid the m14x. I dont know what the pounds to dollars rate is but I found a few cheaper Asus' with the 460m and 560m even though they are 15 inch laptops. the m14x has the 555m, I would avoid it untill they put a 560m in it at least.

 

Hi, Can I ask how you got such low prices on the M11x?

If I live in Ireland can I still use Quidco?

 

Yes, but the M14x has a quad core processor and the M11x is a dual core. The performance you get with the M14x is gonna be better, hands down. Obviously that's at the expense of the portability and form factor of the M11x.

 

Laptops - Build your laptop today. Versatile Dell laptops | Dell Ireland

It's €849 so actually works out slightly cheaper at current exchange rate

N?$GMKNDSKRN4$ is the code you want for the 15% off, so that'll take it down a bit for you.

As for the cashback though, no, unfortunately I believe it's only Dell UK that you can get cashback for, and upon googling it for you I couldn't find details of anywhere that offers cashback for Dell Ireland orders.

Keep an eye on this site for future Dell Ireland deals: Dell IE (Ireland) Discount Codes | Dell IE (Ireland) Vouchers & Promotional Codes

 

I own both an M11x R2 and an M14x. I love them both for rather different reasons. To answer your questions:

- both machines have really, really nice keyboards. The M11x keyboard is chiclet style, while the M14x keyboard is traditional non-chiclet; still, both show basically no flex and are really quiet and comfortable to type on. The M11x keyboard is in no way small or cramped, if that's what you're worried about.
- The M14x touchpad is completely smooth, unlike the M11x touchpad which has bumps. I owned my M11x first, so the smooth M14x touchpad initially threw me off, but it's really just as nice in its own way. Both touchpads are really responsive.
- I'm afraid I can't speak to the likelihood of getting the 10% discount.

In general, the M11x is way more portable due to a smaller size, lower weight, and better battery life. Also, the M11x can game on battery, while the M14x throttles significantly on battery - worth keeping in mind if you intend to game on battery on the train. (Although many trains have outlets, don't they?)

However, in terms of performance, there is NO question the M14x is way, way better. To be honest, I don't actually game on my M11x anymore - I use it when I'm on campus and moving around (like you intend to), but when I'm at home I only game on the M14x because it's so much better. It also has a more luxurious feel to it because of the soft touch coating around the touchpad, where your hands sit (compared to the more bare plastic of the M11x).

If you're sincerely only going to play Football Manager, the M11x will suffice completely and will make a great travel computer. However, keep this in mind - once you own the M11x you'll probably be tempted to get more games to use on it, since it's such an awesome machine! And if you're going to play more demanding games, you might soon wish you had an M14x.

Bottom line: both are fantastic choices. For you, since mobility seems more important, the M11x seems like a better choice.

 

Thanks, I think you've pretty much made up my mind to get the M11X. I was checking out the train that I'm usually on the other day (high speed southeastern service to Stratford International), and I could only spot one plug socket on the carriage I was in, and even that I don't think was intended for public usage as it was in a pretty awkward place. So yeah, whilst a lot of trains would be more M14X friendly, mine really isn't! Also, the chiclet style keyboard is actually a plus point of the M11X for me as I've been using the Apple chiclet keyboard for the last 18 months, so it'd probably actually feel more natural for me, especially if I'm switching between the two on a daily basis.

I hear you on the gaming issue, I'd already thought about that. The M11X is almost definitely going to make me want to get more games, hence scoping out how Skyrim performs on it through YouTube. Football Manager is the main concern, which will obviously run no worries, but yeah, there may well be times when I crave the increased power of the M14X. All in all though I think the M11X suits my needs better than the M14X, and what you've said (and deadboy90 said) makes me think that the M11X is the way forward here. Yes the M14X is obviously going to outperform the M11X quite considerably, but in terms of my personal priorities for the system, the M11X does seem a more sensible and suitable choice (even if it does pain me a little that the M11X is so much less powerful).

Thanks UberJason, and as you've helped me to make this decision this evening, I'll be able to take advantage of the fact that topcashback is offering 15.15% cashback today and therefore save myself an extra £30!

 

I think you've made the right choice. I also have an M11x (r3 i7) and the M14x. If I'm travelling anywhere on public transport (e.g. train or plane) I always bring the M11x, it's portability wins hands down. Bear in mind the gaming performance on the M11x will compare favourably enough to the M14x as the M11x screen resolution is typically lower (1366x768 vs 1600x900 option for the M14x), so less pixels for the GPU to manage. I wouldn't quite describe the M11x keyboard as chiclet style - the keys are not spaced apart like those on a Macbook. However it is no problem to type on assuming you don't have massive hands. Anyway enjoy your new machine...

 

I personally don't like typing on the m11x, the m14x keyboard feels much nicer and has better spacing between the keys. But for portability in the train the m11x wins big time. Gaming wise, my m11x r1 handles almost every game fine and I play skyrim on medium-high settings, so the r3 should be able to do even better. Ofcouse the m14x is much more powerful, but it's also a bigger machine. Both have pro's and con's, but you can't really go wrong here. They are both awesome!

ps: if you are waiting for the next revision of the m11x or m14x, you can wait forever. There is always going to be better hardware to wait for in the future

 

The M11x is a great machine, you'd be really happy with it. I've only seen one M14x in the wild and it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. However, the M11x is still more portable and from what I've heard, gets much better battery life.

I was really debating upgrading to a M14x. It would definitely pack more punch then the M11x but I would have lost the awesome power/portability form factor that makes the M11x so awesome. It is really hard without seeing them both in person but the best advice would be from the guys who have already posted that own both of them.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll be happy with either Alien that you choose.

 

I was also thinking which one to get/ i'm leaning towards the m11x r3 because i've read that m14x systems have overheating issues and other problems compared to the m11x. The only downside of the m11x is it's glossy screen and that it only costs less than $100 than a good configured m14x.

To those who earned both systems, what are the problems you've encountered with both? and reliability wise which would you reccomend?

 

Would have gotten the M14X if it wasn't for the down throttling.If I wanted a pc to game on that required me to be connected,might as well have gotten a desktop.Ordered an M11X instead!

 

Yeah, I know what you mean, when the ivy bridge processor arrives though it'll consume less power compared to sandy bridge, so the M14X should then be better suited to travel. Also, as it's the second generation model this should presumably mean that any problems experienced with the current M14X should be improved upon.

 

The M11x keyboard took me a couple of days to get used to, but now I type just as fast as any other keyboard ever. It's super-portability adds some practicality.

 

Note that you can't play games on the M14x on battery. That's not something I care about in the slightest because I've always got a power cord around (I actually own two, one at my place and one at my gf's), but some people care. The CPU on M14x gets really hot during games of Starcraft II, as well, but it's never shut down on me. It has throttled a bit at times, though. A cooling pad helps. Also, both M11x and M14x have a glossy screen, although the M14x's seems better.

However, the M14x has never outright failed me, and I sincerely love it. Performance wise, it's way, way better than the M11x, particularly for CPU-intensive games like Starcraft II. (I have the M11x R2, so maybe the R3 is a major step up in GPU, but I don't think it's that different in CPU.)

So in the end it really depends on what matters more to you - portability or power? Both are really reliable. The M14x is way more powerful, and less portable.

 

Thanks man, never saw dell.ie had similar deals to Dell uk. That save me a lot of waiting and around 40 euro too.