Need Accessories for the M11x

Ok here's the deal... I got my M11x for college and I move in to the dorm in about two weeks. I have several accessories that I need to get and I'm looking for suggestions as to what I should get.

I'm going to be using the M11x for light gaming, mostly BFBC2 and TF2 and I'll be hooking it up to a 22" Toshiba LCD TV via HDMI. Obviously I will be typing a lot of papers on it which is why I plan on getting another keyboard.

So here's what I still need to get:
Printer - preferably under $100, needs to have copy and scan capability, preferably wireless. The ones I've found and liked so far are this Brother All-In-One from Newegg and I also like this Canon All-in-one from Amazon.

Mouse (corded) - preferably under $50. It doesn't need to be super ultra high DPI. My dad has the Logitech MX518 at home and I really like that mouse so I'm thinking of getting that one. It's lasted us more than two years and still works fine... I think I saw it on Amazon for like $35.
Mouse (bluetooth) - not sure if I need/want one but if I can find a good deal on one, I'll go for it. Doesn't need to be anything fancy, just compact and bluetooth enabled. I love the Razer Orochi but it's too expensive.

Keyboard - under $50. Even though I'm gonna be gaming I don't really need a gaming keyboard with a silly LCD screen on it. A backlit keyboard would be nice if I could find one for cheap.

External optical drive - preferable something in the $30-40 range.

Headset - under $40. I will be using it for gamin but it doesn't need to be a "gaming headset," it just needs to have some decent headphones and a mic.

Speakers - under $100. Sound quality is important to me. My roomie and I plan on listening to a lot of music, plus I'm gonna be using them when I watch movies and when I play games. I found a deal on these Logitech Z-2300 2.1 speakers for $99 with a coupon code.

Cooling pad? - not really sure if I need one. My M11x does get rather hot but I heard that cooling pads barely help.


I'm gonna need to start ordering these items real soon if I'm going to get them before I leave! Also if I missed anything on that list that you think I might need for my laptop at college feel free to throw it out there.

 

Good backlit keyboard: Logitech G15 Dented Box
Coupon Code: logi_g15_81710 brings it to $55 + FS

If you keep on the look out for specials on the G9 (not the G9x) & G35, you can find them within your current price point. I got my second G9 for $40 or something.

Search Amazon for the Epson Workforce 600 or 610. If you look hard enough, you can find for $100 or less. It is wireless and full flatbed scanner. I have one and it works very well.

Find yourself a decent powered USB hub. Newegg's Rosewill brand isn't bad. I got a powered 7 port USB hub for under $15. I think they are actually on sale now as I was perusing them last night.

 

I got myself a Samsung SE-S084C External USB optical drive. I think a few other people here have got one as well and I really like mine. It's about $45 on Amazon, which seems to be close to your price range.

The only negative is that it gets quite loud when I use it to play a game or I am burning some music onto a disc. I'm sure that would be the case though with most external optical drives.

Anyway I highly recommend it, hope it helps!

 

everything looks good , i would add an external hard drive.

 

I picked one up already... Seagate 320GB.

 

I would get a lock, external hard drive, nice backpack that has good padding and lots of room, and the cooling pad is a good idea if you have extra cash.

 

Cooling Pad: Zalman NC1000

Headphones: Razer Moray+

 

Zalman is great cooler! take it.

 

I recommend either building your own laptop cooler or spending at least 45 bucks for one that is not usb powered. the usb powered ones seem to always be under powered and defeat the purpose (draw more power from power supply, this is a highly argued idea but i think it holds merit.)


Ill be posting picks on how to build one for under 10 bucks in a separate thread this week sometime.

 

I have the Coolermaster Notepal U1
Amazon.com: Cooler Master NotePal U1 Notebook Cooler R9-NBC-8PAK-GP: Electronics

I love it! It's cheap and it fits the m11x like it was made for it. It doesn't stick out anywhere around the laptop. I like the height it gives, it makes typing way more comfortable. I don't even use the fan with it.

 

I have that exact printer and I can say it is well worth every penny. After 3 HP printers in a row I was ready to switch and I am more than happy with the choice I made.

 

How about this Asus External Optical Drive from Newegg? It's one of the less expensive ones and it's rated four stars.

For the mouse I found the Logitech MX518 for $27.99 (!!!) but the sale ends tomorrow so hopefully I can still order it tomorrow. (I don't have a credit card, so I pay my parents cash and they order it for me).

Do you mean the Epson one?

For the keyboard, I'm probably just going to go with the Logitech Internet 350 for $20. I can't justify spending an extra $35 for a gaming keyboard with backlighting and a silly mini LCD screen. I won't be needing the keyboard for gaming anyway, it's more for typing papers and such.

Thanks for the link to the cooler, Kittypink. That's a laptop cooler at a price I might consider getting. If not I'll wait for MLM0351's DYI guide to be posted.

 

^I have that Asus external cd/dvd reader/writer and have burned quite a few dvds on it. It's pretty nice.

 

I don't know printers, but I can talk about what I do know:

If you like the Logitech MX518, then you won't go wrong with that one. However, you might want to consider the Logitech G500 (formerly the Logitech G5). It is the same design as the MX518, except with higher DPI image sensor, higher USB polling rate, and adjustable weight cartridge so you can choose the mouse weight and balance you want. $40 from Newegg after rebate.

If you want a wireless mouse, then I would suggest the Logitech Performance MX. It is a $100 mouse that is Keyboard - under $50. Even though I'm gonna be gaming I don't really need a gaming keyboard with a silly LCD screen on it. A backlit keyboard would be nice if I could find one for cheap.[/QUOTE]

Can't talk much about this one. But I can recommend plenty of great keyboards if you are willing to spend more.

The Asus drive that you linked will be great.

Razer Moray+. $45 shipped.

When I was shopping for a portable gaming headset, I also found the Sennheiser PC300 for $50. I compared them to the Razer Moray+, and found the microphone and the sound quality to be far superior than the Razer Moray+. However, all places that sell the Sennheiser Pc300 seem to sell it for $80+. If you can find the Sennheiser PC300 for $50, then definitely get those over the Razer Moray+.

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers. These speakers are absolutely legendary in the amount of sound and sound quality they can put out for their size and price. Go into any Best Buy, where you can compare computer speakers. I promise you, the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's will blow away anything else they are selling in terms of clarity in the mid and high frequencies, and clean rich bass in the low frequencies.

You can buy a set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 for $75.98 shipped. They are refurbished. It's always nice to buy new, but I would absolutely give up "buying new" if it meant that I could get Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's for $76. It is 100% absolutely worth it.

Never used one, don't need one. Just keep your M11x on a flat surface, so that you don't block the air intake vent on the bottom. The components of the M11x don't really get that hot anyway (no more than about 60C under load).

Get yourself a nice padded carrying case, laptop bag, or backpack to carry your laptop. You have a nice machine there, so you want to be sure and keep it safe.

 

Sorry I should have specified. I have the Brother All-In-One. We also use it at my place of work for a lot of our satellite offices. Its quieter than my HPs, setup was easier, I like the looks more and it has a very intuitive design for hiding cable, paper storage, etc.

The ink is different as well. With the HPs, I had a black and a color cartridge. The brothers use a double black and then separate magenta, cyan and yellow cartridges. This makes it easy if you are short on one color so you dont have to replace the whole thing. The ink was more reasonably priced at my local shop too.

 

Without said cooling pad my m11x hits sometimes 65c, with it i am always always always sitting at 50c

 

I do have the neoprene sleeve that Alienware sells. I have yet to get a backpack though... still shopping around for that. It looks like the plastic zipper on the sleeve actually rubs against the laptops so I might have to put a piece of cloth in there between them when I use it...

Thanks for the link to the Klipsch... a lot of people reviewing the logitechs that I was checking out said they were great speakers but to spend the extra money and get these, but now I can get them for even less! Plus they are black to go with my laptop and monitor.

 

buy this mouse

gaming mouse???

$24 shipped WOWZ

Amazon.com: Microsoft SideWinder Gaming Mouse: Electronics

not badd ehh

 

The Razer Moray+ are actually manufactured by Sennheiser

 

I could not find the PC300 at that price. :/

 

The buy it now price for the Klipsch speakers is $59.99!! But for some reason it only shows the buy it now price and not an option to actually buy it now..?

 

For a nice mobile mouse, I've had great luck with...

Microsoft Mobile Wireless 6000

Ever popular earphones other people have mentioned...

Razor Moray+

And believe it or not, I dropped $30 to buy a USB powered keypad, since I do some business work - and extra gaming keys.

Logitech USB Keypad

 

Well it looks like they took the used Kilpsch speakers off the website... and I don't want to spend the amount it takes to get new ones.

This JBL Creature III set seems to be good though, I might give those a try.

 

You would be doing yourself a favor if you looked for the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's somewhere else. They are that good.



Just my two cents.

 

Go with the 40$~ arc wireless mouse from microsoft. 120$ 5.1 logitec surround sound x540 & rocketfish keyboard 20$ or the keyboard & mouse set for like 40.

<---------------Best buy employeee

 

Alright... after seeing all the reviews for the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's and all the people recommending them on different websites, I'm going to get the them, new or used. I just need to find the best deal. Sorry, Rawnoodles, but I'd rather not go through the hassle of setting up a 5.1 system and really it seems like overkill for a 15 x 12 sized room.

For the mouse, my dad is going to let me take the Logitech MX518 that we have at home. Also ordering a $3 Kensington mousepad.

The keyboard I'm getting is just a regular $20 Logitech keyboard. I just need a regular keyboard for typing papers, with media keys for movies and music. If I need a backlit keyboard I can use the one on my M11x.

For the printer I'm going with the Brother MFC-495CW.

Do I really need a lock? The only time my laptop will leave my sight is when it's in my dorm, and there's not really anything to lock it to in there.

 

You wont be disappointed with the printer. It's a great machine. Good luck!

 

I thought I wouldn't need a lock because freshman year our doors automatically locked when we left the room. Yet, my roommate left the door open for 5 minutes to walk down and let a friend in, during that time period it got jacked. If you grab a lock just thread it through your bed frame. If you don't have lo jack then I'd spend the money. Better safe than sorry IMO.

 

I have the promedias 2.1 They are indeed great. As for really needing a lock, I used one the first week of school, then never again. It all depends on how well your floor/roommate looks after you.

 

Well it looks like I got sent a defective unit for the Klipsch speakers. The DIN plug on the back, which is apparently a common problem, seems to be messed up. I don't get any sound from the satellites unless I wiggle that around and push it down a little bit.

So much for this being "tested working" and "fully functional."