M11x-r3 specs, manual & review

M11x-r3

System Dimensions
Height: 32.7mm (1.29 inches)
Depth: 233.3mm (9.19 inches)
Width: 285.7mm (11.25 inches)
Starting at Weight3: 2.0 kg (4.4lbs)

Processor
Intel® Core™ i5-2537M 1.4GHz (2.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache)
Intel® Core™ i7-2617M 1.5GHz (2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache)
With 2nd generation Intel Core i7 mobile processors, you get the following features built in:
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 dynamically increases the processors frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom when operating below specified limits.
Intel® HT Technology allows each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time.
Intel® HD Graphics 3000 delivers built-in performance for casual and mainstream gaming with no extra graphics hardware needed.
Intel® Quick Sync Video makes editing and sharing videos simple.

Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate 64-Bit
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-Bit
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Memory
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2X2GB)
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1x2GB +1x4GB)
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM(2x4GB)
16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2x8GB)

Chipset
Mobile Intel® GS45 Chipset
Enhanced high definition experience. Outstanding Blu-ray capable, HD video playback with full hardware decode from AVC/VC1/MPEG2.
Improved HDTV connectivity with integrated HDMI and DisplayPort supporting up to 1080P.
Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD Great 3D graphics performance for corporate and consumer laptops.
Intel® Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and customizable color controls. Enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays.
Up to 1066 MHz front side bus support. Provides faster data transfer rate compared to previous generation bus speed.
Support for DDR3 and DDR2 memory technology
Support for increased performance and more energy efficient memory technology.
Integrated high speed USB 2.0. support for 12 USB 2.0 peripherals for maximum 40x faster data transfer and backward compatible to support USB 1.1 devices
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology 7.0 Enables enhanced performance, power management and data protection for the storage subsystem.

Video Card
Dual graphics with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 1.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
Dual graphics with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 2.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
GPU Engine Specs:
CUDA Cores 96
Processor Clock 1344 MHz
Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 10.8
Memory Specs:
Memory Clock (MHz) 900
Standard Memory Config DDR3
Memory Interface Width 128-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) 28.8

NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M delivers the perfect balance of graphics performance and quad-core processor support ,with long battery life you demand thanks to NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology. Great performance AND great battery life NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology seamlessly and intelligently optimizes battery life while delivering the outstanding graphics performance you expect, whether you’re watching a HD movie, surfing new HTML5 websites or playing the latest DirectX 11 games. Speed up editing of your HD videos and retouch your high-res photos with stunning clarity. Accelerate HTML5 websites on next-generation browsers with richer graphics and supercharged performance. 3D your PC with NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ technology for immersive 1080p Blu-Ray 3D, stunning 3D videos and photos, and over 500 intense 3D games, on-the-go or at home on your 3D TV. DirectX 11 Done Right. Dominate the latest DirectX 11 titles with over 2X graphics performance, higher resolutions and NVIDIA® PhysX® physics engine effects for the most realistic gaming experience. Exclusive NVIDIA Verde™ drivers deliver continuous performance optimizations to your GeForce GPU for the life of your notebook.

Display
11.6" (29.5cm) WLED HD (720p) display (WXGA 1366X768)

Audio and Speakers
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with WavesMAXX Audio (Standard)
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with SoundBlaster X-Fi Audio
(Optional)
Audio Powered by Klipsch®
7.1 Digtial Audio out using HDMI connection

Hard Drive
Up to 750GB4 hard drive (7200RPM)
Up to 256GB4 Solid State hard drive

Camera
2.0 Megapixel HD Video and Picture Camera with dual digital microphones

Wireless Network Card
Intel® Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2 (Standard)
or
Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6205 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology
Intel’s 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi product. The Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 dual band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), 2x2 adapter delivers up to 300 Mbps¹ bandwidth, extended range and unique Intel-only features including Intel® Wireless Display, and Intel® vPro™ technology support.

Network adapter
Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC (Standard)


Bluetooth
Internal Bluetooth® 3.0 Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Internal mini-card

Supports Bluetooth 3.0+EDR, backward compatible with 1.0 and 1.1/1.2/2.0 standard
Broadcom's smallest package, lowest power consumption, and highest performance Bluetooth 3.0 solution
Maximizes range and simplifies system integration by providing exceptional output power and receiver sensitivity
Processed with 65-nm LP CMOS technology
Built-in power amplifier to support class 1 transmit output power
Multi-A2DP music streaming to up to five Bluetooth stereo headsets
Packet loss concealment for superior voice quality

Ports & Slots
External Chassis Connections
(1x) IEEE 1304a (4-pin) Firewire Port
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
(1x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare technology
(1x) Display Port
(DisplayPort is designed to replace digital (DVI) and analog component video (VGA) connectors in computer monitors and video cards, as well as replace internal digital LVDS links in computer monitor panels and TV panels. DisplayPort can provide the same functionality as HDMI but is not expected to displace HDMI in high-definition consumer electronics devices. Effective bandwidth to 17.28 Gbit/s)
(1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output
(1x) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
(2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports
(1x) Audio In / Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 audio)
(1x) Security Lock port


Battery
High Capacity 8-cell Lithium Ion (63whr)

Color Options
Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Nebula Red with Soft Touch Finish

Keyboard
Multi-color RGB, 82 key keyboard with AlienFX lighting controls

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5766&review=alienware+m11x+r2+core+i7

Excerpt regarding access to internals:
"Speaking of the bottom of the notebook, the M11x is likewise stunning even from underneath. The bottom panel is largely flat and smooth with speaker grill holes for the downward-firing stereo speakers, the cooling fan intake, and battery meter. If you're interested in upgrading the internal components on your M11x you'll be happy to learn that all user-serviceable parts are located under a single access panel on the bottom of the notebook. Accessing the CPU, graphics or the cooling fan is much more complicated, but most consumers honestly don't need to get to those inner workings.

The single massive cover panel for the battery, hard drive, wireless cards and memory slots uses standard Phillips screws for easy disassembly. It's also worth mentioning that Dell/Alienware were kind enough to use retention clips on all the screws ... so when you unscrew the bottom panel the tiny screws won't fall out and get lost on the floor. No warranty void if removed stickers were found anywhere, although there was some yellow tape over the edge of the hard drive and battery. In any case, Alienware considers the internal battery, hard drive, RAM and wireless cards to all be user-serviceable parts. Long story short, if you want to replace the battery or upgrade the usual suspects then it's pretty easy to do so."

Support Manual
Alienware: Online Documentation

Review
Alienware M11x R3 review | Laptops | Reviews | PC Pro

Text from review:
"Alienware’s M11x has always been something of a marvel. The first product to

transform the concept of gaming laptop from a contradiction-in-terms into genuinely

portable reality, the M11x was, and still is, the only 2kg gaming laptop truly

worthy of the name.

Now in its third generation, Alienware’s gaming pipsqueak looks the same as ever.

The all-black chassis is still gorgeous, the Alien FX lighting beaming out from

beneath the keyboard and spilling out of the grilles on either edge. At 2kg, it’s

remains a good deal more portly than your average ultraportable, but the pay-off is

bombproof build quality. The thick base is fiendishly stiff, and the lid feels stout

and largely flex-free.
Beneath that understated exterior, Intel’s second-generation Core processors now

take pride of place. There’s a choice between Intel’s 1.4GHz Core i5-2537M and, for

a £150 premium, the 1.5GHz Core i7-2617M. Our review unit came with the Core i5 CPU,

4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 256GB SSD. And, while that price at the top of the page looks

obscene, fear not. Dump the £530 SSD and the price drops to a far more reasonable

£969.

The Intel Core processors have made a big impact. A small amount of overclocking is

possible in the BIOS – no more than 3% of the CPU’s base clock – but it’s no longer

an essential part of the M11x’s personality: with Turbo Boost 2 kicking into action,

the Core i5-2537M in our review unit boosted right up to 2.3GHz when required.
That’s power enough to earn the little M11x R3 a reasonable 0.49 in our application

benchmarks. Admittedly, that’s some way behind the score of our reference PC, which

sports a 3.4GHz Core i7-2600K, but still quite fast enough for most purposes.
Shift your attention from spreadsheets to first-person shooters, though, and the

M11x relishes the challenge. With Nvidia’s GeForce GT 540M alongside the new Sandy

Bridge processor, the Alienware scythed through our Low quality Crysis test at a

blistering average speed of 80fps. More notable is the M11x’s ability to almost

handle Crysis at High quality. At the screen’s native resolution of 1,366 x 768,

this gaming monster is capable of racking up an average frame rate of 25fps. Pushing

average frame rates, which are more than 20% quicker than the last generation, the

M11x R3 is a genuinely capable gaming platform.
Such performance would normally see most gaming laptops falter away from a mains

socket, but even here the M11x R3 impresses. Nvidia’s GeForce GT 540M chipset

launches forth where 3D grunt is required, and Nvidia’s Optimus graphics-switching

technology allows Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 chipset to take the reins for

power-efficient desktop duties.

With a huge 63wh battery concealed behind the removable metal panel on the

Alienware’s underside, the Intel graphics allowed the M11x R3 to cling on for 11hrs

5mins in our light-use battery test. Gaming sees that figure tumble: with screen

brightness at maximum, Wi-Fi off and the CPU and GPU running flat out, we managed to

play through 1hr 15mins of Crysis. If gaming on battery power is high on the agenda

then you’ll just have to drop the display brightness and reduce the detail settings.
If there’s one area where the M11x stubbornly hasn’t improved, it’s in the quality

of its display. We’re not overly concerned by the 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution –

anything higher would result in uncomfortably small pixels on an 11.6in display –

but the image quality is mediocre. Narrow vertical viewing angles left us tilting

the display back and forth, and the tiny sweet spot leaves even small head movements

resulting in noticeable contrast shifts. Our subjective experience was backed up by

some woeful figures: with a maximum brightness of 219cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of

only 212:1, the M11x R3’s panel is decidedly below par.
The keyboard is better, though. The keys are finished in a silky, semi-rubberised

finish, and each one depresses with a pleasingly crisp action, whether it’s for

split-second gaming or typing out an email, it’s well on song.

Connectivity also hits the mark. Two USB 3 ports are positioned next to the twin

headphone outputs on the right-hand edge, while FireWire, an SD/MMC, Memory Stick

card reader and Gigabit Ethernet line up on the left, flanked by DisplayPort and

HDMI 1.4. That’s pretty much all we could ask for in any ultraportable.
Our review unit also crammed in Bluetooth 3 plus single-band 802.11n wireless, and

it’s possible to upgrade to a dual-band 802.11n radio for a £20 premium. In fact,

the only omission is 3G. Although there’s a handy SIM slot next to the card reader,

there’s currently no option on Dell’s site to specify mobile broadband as standard.
We’ll make no bones about it: the M11x R3 is a devilishly tempting purchase. Few

laptops are capable of treading that line between portability and gaming power with

such panache, and while the display is a disappointment, it isn’t enough to destroy

its appeal. Junk the overpriced SSD and the Alienware M11x R3 is just under £1,000

of unadulterated gaming-friendly fun. If we had the money, we’d buy one.
Author: Sasha Muller

Read more: Alienware M11x R3 review | Laptops | Reviews | PC Pro

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/367333/alienware-m11x-r3/2#ixzz1Pp53ccuD"

Verdict
The third generation of Alienware’s 11.6in laptop is a gaming force to be reckoned

with
Review Date: 13 May 2011
Reviewed By: Sasha Muller

Read more: Alienware M11x R3 review | Laptops | Reviews | PC Pro

Alienware M11x R3 review | Laptops | Reviews | PC Pro

 

Ok.. Thanks for that

 

:d

Did Not Read.

 

What the heck was the point of reposting all that crap?

 

I appreciate the post. The review is a month old but I hadn't seen it yet.

 

re: What the heck was the point of reposting all that crap?

Firstly, because this site is getting so big I can't find all this "crap" that's supposed to be here somewhere.
Second, to stimulate new conversation about the r3.
Third, to test the waters of this site to find out the attitudes of the main contributors. To find out if it's worthwhile participating.

 

You test the waters by copying and pasting text from another site thats a month old?

Interesting.....

So you had this planned "I'm going to post something stupid, and see how people react."

 

I guess he found out that some here enjoy being offensive. On other sites I frequent it is common practice to post quotes or links to any articles that appear pertaining to the forum's topic. The content was accurately described in the title. If you are not interested you are not obligated to read the thread.

add: It's also common practice to refrain from insulting newcomers.

 

With regard to the DisplayPort on the M11x-r3 and incompatibility with my current VGA monitor.

Has anyone had good results with adaptors from DisplayPort to VGA?

Otherwise would the best image be achieved by using the HDMI port or DisplayPort? Both involve buying a new monitor so which has the most advantages?

 

You are right, the knowledge came from the web. The info is a build up from a number of sites: including Dell Australia, Intel, Invidea, Wiki & 2 laptop review sites. It is specifically about the features of the r3, which is what I want to talk to other people about.

The two queries following on the from the inital specs & review stuff:
1. USB 3.0 - does anyone know if the SuperTalent RAID usb thumb drive work with the M11x-r3?
2. How to get the best external monitor results, which port work the best?

 

I use one I got from Amazon every day. Its great wasn't that cheap but works perfectly. Its a little dongle on a wire which the VGA then screws into.

 

I didn't even know a drive like that existed - thank you for bringing something new to the table.

But also, I also hate you for making me want to buy more stuff!

Sorry for being an a$$ before.

 

I picked up my adapter and use it almost everyday for a projector. I use my laptop for work. I have a R2 but should work with a R3. Good Luck.

For only $15.40 each when QTY 50+ purchased - DP (DisplayPort) Male to VGA Female Converting Adapter with built-in chip | DisplayPort to HDMI | DVI | VGA Adapters

 

Making video conversion fun again

I can't be the only person who hates the way the video format conversion process takes forever and locks up a pc whilst it's in progress.

It wasn't until I looked into what Intel's Sandy Bridge processors can do and then what Nvidia's GeForce cards can do that I made the connection between them.

ArcSoft MediaConverter 7 and ArcSoft MediaImpression 3 HD both utilise the Intel Quick Sync Video feature within the Core™ i5 or i7 processor AND the CUDA Technology within the NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M when converting to other video formats.

The Intel Quick Sync Video feature shortens video file conversion times and the NVIDIA CUDA technology offloads CPU usage during video conversions to allow other programs to run normally.

By accident or design (probably the latter), the Alienware team put together two pieces of hardware which have made video conversion fun again.

Intel lists other softwares which can use their Sandy Bridge Quick Sync Video feature:

Badaboom Media Converter
Corel Digital Studio
CyberLink MediaEspresso
CyberLink PowerDirector
MainConcept
Movavi Video Converter
Roxio Creator

I don't know but some of these programs might also utilise the NVIDIA CUDA technology as well, it's been around since 2008.

I use ArcSoft's stuff, so I've stopped looking.

GeForce GT 540M
Intel Quick Sync Video
ArcSoft Inc. - Intel SandyBridge

 

I use that same cable from Monoprice whenever I'm faced with a VGA-only display. Works as advertised and no one beats their prices and quality.