Need your opinion...

So, I cant decide which laptop to get...

- M 11 x - R1 - $715.83 Shipped + 4gbRAM/250gbHDD/bluetooth
- M 11 x - R2 - $1,320.38 Shipped+ i7/8gbRAM/bluetooth
- M 15 x - $1,652.08 Shipped+ i7 740/4gbRAM/5850/1920x1080/intel WiFi link 5300/9cell battery

Feel free to post better prices/configs, best I could find anyway...

Im a hardcore gamer, this is my current setup...

Core i7 930 (3.36GHz, 8MB Cache)
6GB 1333Mhz DDR3
1.5TB 7,200 RPM
5870, 1GB GDDR5

I need something portable, yet powerful enough to run games like Black Ops and WoW without any problems. (lag/stutter/choppiness) I would definitely like to spend as little money as possible, but at the same time I don't want to hinder my gaming. I heard mixed reviews about the m11's (hinge problem, super glossy screen, 10/100 network interface card, limited upgrades, c2d cant really hang with most games especially BC2) not to mention the practicality of gaming on an 11"... Now the 15" sounds great, but the price is steep and the size is much bigger/heavier. I would also feel like it would be a waste of money, considering i do most of my gaming on my desktop.

Anyway, any insight would be great!

 

I own the R2 which you can see my specs in my signature. Got to say I was in that iffy boat. Will the screen resolution be playable, is it powerful enough, and can it be portable for lan parties, school, and work? Well my m11x has proven past my expectations. games i play are Sc2, Counter Strike Source, and League of Legends. A little bit of minecraft, emulators, mungyo dance, oblivion, spore etc... I work with Photoshop, illustrator, and other graphic programs that I can't complain work okay on the 1366x768 reso. 10/100 connection is fine except for major file moving. Most of the kinks driver related have been fixed and updated here on the forums. I have yet to have the hinge problem. I am severely sensitive when it comes to my baby though. This replaced my desktop tenfold to be honest. Thats my opinion though.

 

• A) Portability
• B) Gaming Power
• C) Low price

You may pick any 2 of the 3, but not all 3.

Alienware M11x R1 - If you picked A,C
Alienware M11x R2 - If you picked B,C
Alienware M15x - If you picked A,B

 

It depends on what you consider "portable." The M15x is just too large for me, but others are willing to lug it around. For my money, the M11x r1 is the best bang for your buck. The r2 is a nice, forward-looking upgrade if money is no object. The M15x, as a desktop replacement laptop, doesn't make much sense if you're doing most of your gaming on your desktop pc.

 

Exactly, im not really trying to replace the desktop... I feel as if my money would be wasted if i were to get the 15x... although for an extra $300 over the r2 and its problems.. id take it

How capable is the m11xr1... With an OC and mods, will it be able to run games i play? I dont necessarily need to have maximum settings as long as its playable. I figure, if i were to go with the r1, i could use some of the money i would be saving for.. lets say another 5870 or SSD for my desktop

 

What do you consider to be poor performance. In my experience with the m11x i7, on modest settings, non-CPU intensive games may run at low framerates depending on the game, but I wouldn't call it choppy. Granted, I'm not the type to really be bothered by occasional lag. CPU intensive games, like RTSs can get choppy in some situations.

What's the most CPU intensive game(s) you play regularly?

 

I haven't really been restricted on my desktop... BFBC2, Black Ops, SC2, WoW, WAR, l4D2, gta, fallout vegas, LoL, HoN,... ect

I realize it would be a total different experience on the r1, but what can it handle?

 

I think the only game you would have problems with on that list is GTA. Personally I've been able to run BFBC2 (single player, punkbuster optimus issues with multiplayer), Black Ops, SC2, WoW, L4D2, and FONV on my R2. The only game that R2 may get noticeably better performance would probably be SC2.

 

So, WoW or Blackops would run relatively the same between an r1 and r2?

 

You might get better performance on the R2, but there are youtube vids of people playing WoW on the R1 perfectly fine.

 

Interesting, so do i need to do any type of OCing or tweaking in order for these games to perform? The r2 is recommended for more CPU intensive games? If that's the case, i don't think the price justifies it being almost twice as expensive for a slight increase in gaming performance.

Would appreciate some input from the r1 crowd!

 

I'm not a big gamer, but I can tell you that I prefer manual switching (R1) over automatic switching (R2). The only game I have played on both is Borderlands and have not notice any difference in performance. I also get about 2 hours more battery life with the R1 and prefer the Lunar Shadow over the "Soft Touch" Black. The "Soft Touch" was great until my son watched a Thomas video while eating Cheetos. It was hard to clean.

My big thing was this a "bridge" computer for me. I couldn't justify a $1,000+ purchase with Sandy Bridge right around the corner. I got this thing for $550 and honestly couldn't be happier.

 

The OC makes a noticeable improvement on my r1, though obviously it's luck of the draw as to whether your particular laptop will overclock successfully. Some people's don't, as with any overclocking. The reviews I read show an overclocked r1 coming within 5-10% of non-oc'd r2's, and in some cases surpassing them. Of course, others here have posted noticeable differences in RTS games with the r2. I can't say as I only have experience with the r1.

Looks like I play mostly different games from you, but for what it's worth, here's what I've tried on my r1 and the playable detail settings (note: none of these have anti-aliasing enabled):

Mass Effect (medium)
Lord of the Rings Online (high, dx9/medium, dx10)
Empire: Total War, the Witcher (medium)
Day of Defeat: Source (medium/high)
The Witcher (medium)
Call of Duty 4 (high)
Company of Heroes Online (high)

...I think that's all, at least until the next big sale on Steam!

 

Where could i find more info on OCing the r1 and comparative benchmarks and such... If you dont mind pointing me in the right direction...

 

The R2 with an overclocked CPU and ThrottleStop has significant performance gains over the R1. If you like gaming on the go and you have the cash, go with the R2. The M15x has poor battery life and is less portable. You already have a decent desktop (like me). You want gaming on the go, right? M11xR2 and do not look back

 

If price is no object, I completely agree: the r2 is the way to go. For me, I couldn't justify the price premium and went with the r1 during the Black Friday sale.

There are loads of reviews. Here are a couple that include comparisons of r1 and r2:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5766&review=alienware+m11x+r2+core+i7

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3808/alienware-m11x-r2

Edit: also take a look at the many threads on OC'ing the r2. The task with the r1 is less interesting: you "enable" overclocking in BIOS and it sets the cpu to 1.73 GHz. You cannot manipulate the speed or voltage.

 

Your right, i ruled out the 15.. It just wouldn't be practical... How exactly does the i5 stack up with the i7?

M11x R1 vs. R2 Gaming
Game Title M11x R1 M11x R2 Percentage
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Very High) 59 63 107%
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Medium) 21.6 31.6 146%
Crysis: Warhead (Mainstream) 31.9 32.5 102%
DiRT 2 (Medium) 31.2 34.8 112%
Empire: Total War (High) 34.5 32.4 94%
Far Cry 2 (High DX10) 29.4 30 102%
Left 4 Dead 2 (Very High) 44.2 43.2 98%
Mass Effect 2 (Max) 39.9 37.2 93%
STALKER: Call of Pripyat (Med. + Full Dyn.) 57.3 57.5 100%

With those numbers, I wouldn't say the r2 is worth the extra expense... if those numbers are accurate

 

Do not purchase an R1 without reading this thread about the R2:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/524257-how-supercharge-m11x-core-i5-i7-um-cpus.html

I would assume those R2 benchmarks you posted are pre-ThrottleStop. Look at the gains from it in the linked thread.

The gains over the R1 are significant. The i7 is better than the i5, but not by a huge margin. The i5 was my price-to-performance sweet spot, but if you have the funds, go for the i7.

The people that support the R1 seem to like it these days based on the price. I cannot argue that. However,if you have the funds, there are gains to be had with the R2 using ThrottleStop (i5 or i7). You have a desktop similar to mine (see my sig), so I believe you like a good computer and do not let a couple hundred dollars stand in your way of performance, right?

 

The R1 is quite amazing and i bought at the price of 600bucks just yesterday i put MOH on full i played it OC tho it was amazing today or tomrrow am gona test out MW2 and black ops and League of Legends
and oh ya i played BlazBlue the R1 is quite amazing if u want the laptop for WoW am sure the R1 can eat it lol The R2 ones are amazing and will last with you more since it's on the up to date i5-i7 the core 2 duo is getting old but i was amazed by the R1
hope u will get any benefit out of this xD the R2 is like double the price ? XD

 

Anand didn't use TS in his benchmarks, as it wasn't available then, and noone knew at the time that i-processors' turbo power limits were gimped. I wouldn't trust any R1 vs R2 benchmarks unless the testers used TS with an overclock.

I've observed FPS gains of 20-50% using throttlestop with an overclock, versus no gains (and often drops) in FPS with just overclocking on its own.

This phenomenon is well documented in this forum.

 

Since you like WoW you should go with the M15x. As you know WoW can be very cpu demanding when you are participating in raids.
And since you are a hardcore gamer in general, I doubt you'd approve of the 11 inch screen (read some complaints about its general quality), and the very weak cpu (I'd be surprised if you play the latest cpu intensive Total War games with it).

As a gamer, I wouldn't consider the M11x untill it gets a decent cpu (which is definitly possible, as other brands have proven this) and finally gets its hinge issue resolved.
(sry if I stabbed a few m11x lovers in the heart here, I believe that the m11x has great pottential, but atm its not really worth it).

 

The R2 is faster in CPU intensive games than the R1 but the difference is not worth the ridiculous price difference. Games like BF:BC2 and RTS games are playable on the r1 and simply more playable on the R2 (although settings will still have to be reduced to the lack of GPU grunt).

The majority of current games are GPU limited (to the extent that the GPU in the M11x will be the limiting factor). A few outliers will run better on the R2 but these will be in the minority.

There is simply no way that the R2 is worth what $700 more than the R1 (based on the ops opening post) especially when the vastly more powerful M15x is available for only ~$250 more.

The R2 is excellent and it is "better" than the R1 but the current pricing is just ridiculous. In the UK for example the similarly sized Envy 14 can be purchased for less than a (special offer) "i7" R2 whilst significantly more powerful gaming laptops (such as the GX660R) are actually cheaper. Heck if you take Dell's own pricing (don't look at offers) the HD5850 equipped M15x is cheaper than the "i7" based M11x.

For what it's worth I love my little R1 but for anything CPU or GPU intensive I simply switch to my deskop.

 

I've seen the threads about thottlestop and OC'ing the r2. I'm glad r2 owners have managed to get more value for their purchase. For me, I'm happy with my r1. It stays pretty cool, gets great battery life, games like a champ, and I got a great price on it.

Check the massive gaming thread--lots of people playing WoW on their M11x. The hinge issue is a concern. Mercifully, it hasn't afflicted my r1. The screen is actually pretty nice, I think. Turn up digital vibrance when in discrete graphics mode and the colors really start to pop.

 

Like which brands? The m11x will never get a "decent" CPU because of TDP limits. Even the next m11x that will likely get a sandy bridge chip will probably only feature the 18W ULV variant, which is dual core. It'll be a decent upgrade from the current i7, but a non-ULV i5/i7 will destroy the ULV sandy bridge anyway, so this argument is pointless.

 

I noticed how everything in your post has to do with performance and gamign quality. That perfectly explains why you are not the correct audience for the Alienware M11x.

The buyer for the Alienware M11x should have the word "portability" as one of the first words out of their mouths. The fact that you didn't even mention portability leads me to believe that you're probably looking for a larger, more powerful gaming machine like an Alienware M15x or an HP Envy 14

 

kent nailed it on the head. m11x users are "portable gamers". Portable being the operative word.

 

Well while I was typing this I had the Acer 3820tG in mind, which has a normal cpu and an ati hd5650. Eventhough its 13" the size between those laptops is not so different.
And ofc the vaio Z is an other good example of a whole lot of power in a small package, but since the price difference is so big I don't really count this (both the sony Z and m11x are machines which are a segment in their own).

You're correct that I am not the audience for the current m11x, but then I ask myself, is any real gamer (i.e. someone that plays all sorts of games, therefore the many cpu intensive games included)? I mean, Alienware is a brand for people that want the best gaming performance in a portable machine, and I don't see how an ulv processor fits that profile. If the m11x would have a normal voltaged cpu I would probably be unable to resist it, regardless of the 'moderate' gpu (I use a weaker one atm I think). Its size would suit me perfectly for taking notes in class, and when i'd be at home i'd hook it up to my 23" full high def monitor.

Aside from my personal preference (my next purchase will probably be 7-800€ laptop with SB/IB integrated graphics + an awesome gaming desktop), I tried to sum up the most importent things which are according to my opinion (based on things I read in this forum) a turn off in the m11x as a system by itself (which is why I mentioned the somewhat poor quality of the 11" screen, which would personnaly not bother me as I use a 23" external monitor anyway).

 

Well, you COULD buy the Acer 3820tG. But the larger screen size IS actually a factor. Remember, we're talking about portability here. And there's a big difference between an 11.6" Alienware M11x and a 13.3" laptop when you're flying in coach class on an airplane.

Plus, you'd own an Acer. It's got that un-sexy bland-but-functional look that tells you that design was an afterthought. I use my laptop for both work and personal use. If I were to meet with a client and whip out an Acer, it would send the message that I was too cheap to buy a real laptop for work (e.g. Dell, IBM, or other laptops commonly seen in the corporate space). If I whip out an Alienware, it gives the impression that I seriously know my toys, and I am willing to pay for it.

You are correct that the Sony Z is much more expensive (2x the price) than an Alienware M11x. It also has a weaker GPU. It's an excellent all-around notebook that would be great for someone looking for a versatile, portable notebook that can also play games on the size. But I prefer to sacrifice some of that portability for stronger GPU and lower price.

I travel a lot for work, which means that I spend a lot of time flying around in coach class on airplanes, and a lot of evenings in hotel rooms. I am also hopelessly addicted to PC gaming. A portable gaming machine is perfect for me.

Yes, I can get laptops that have more power, or laptops that have larger screens. But I will readily sacrifice gaming power and screen size if it means that I can get a laptop as small as the Alienware M11x that can game as well as it can. It cannot run every single game out there at max detail level. But it runs an awful lot of games at high detail level, at native res of 1366x768. And that is "good enough" for me, if it means that I can also have portability thrown into the mix.

I also consider myself a "real gamer". When I am not on the road, I play on my desktop machine. It is a 3-year-old machine that I've built, centered around an Intel C2Q Q6600 CPU overclocked to 3.4Ghz, 2x GeForce GTX260's in SLI, a Thermaltake 850W PSU, 8GB of RAM, an OCZ Vertex 2 SSD, 2x500GB drives in RAID-1, 1x 1.5TB drive for backups, about $600 in sound hardware connected to it as both speakers and headphones, and a 32" Sharp Aquos 1080p HDTV as my monitor. I have about 8 games in my to-play list that I've collected from the past 2 major Steam sales in July and November. I *AM* a gamer. And I couldn't think of a better laptop than the Alienware M11x for my needs when I travel for work.

Different strokes for different folks. It sounds like the Alienware M15x would better suit you.

If Alienware could design a single laptop to fit everybody's needs, then they would sell only that one laptop. The reason they sell the M11x, M15x, and M17x is because different people have different priorities. And in the case of the M11x, it is intended for people who value portability than they value the absolute max in gaming quality and screen size.

 

Well, you COULD buy the Acer 3820tG. But the larger screen size IS actually a factor. Remember, portability is a huge reason why people look at gaming-capable laptops in this size range. And there's a big difference between an 11.6" Alienware M11x and a 13.3" laptop when you're flying in coach class on an airplane, even if that size difference is negligible on paper or when the laptop is sitting o na desk.

Plus, you'd own an Acer. It's got that un-sexy bland-but-functional look that tells you that design was an afterthought. I use my laptop for both work and personal use. If I were to meet with a client and whip out an Acer, it would send the message that I was too cheap to buy a real laptop for work (e.g. Dell, IBM, or other laptops commonly seen in the corporate space).

If I whip out an Alienware, it gives the impression that I know my toys. The laptop just looks bada**. It definitely lets the other guy know that I don't mess around.

You are correct that the Sony Z is much more expensive (2x the price) than an Alienware M11x. It also has a weaker GPU. It's an excellent all-around notebook that would be great for someone looking for a versatile, portable notebook that can also play games on the size. But I prefer to sacrifice some of that portability for stronger GPU and lower price.

I travel a lot for work, which means that I spend a lot of time flying around in coach class on airplanes, and a lot of evenings in hotel rooms. I am also hopelessly addicted to PC gaming. A portable gaming machine is perfect for me.

Yes, I can get laptops that have more power, or laptops that have larger screens. But I will readily sacrifice gaming power and screen size if it means that I can get a laptop as small as the Alienware M11x that can game as well as it can. That portability is priceless when you are running around in airports a few times each week, or if you are watching a movie on an airplane seat tray.

I also consider myself a "real gamer". When I am not on the road, I play on my desktop machine. It is a 3-year-old machine that I've built, centered around an Intel C2Q Q6600 CPU overclocked to 3.4Ghz, 2x GeForce GTX260's in SLI, a Thermaltake 850W PSU, 8GB of RAM, an OCZ Vertex 2 SSD, 2x500GB drives in RAID-1, 1x 1.5TB drive for backups, about $600 in sound hardware connected to it as both speakers and headphones, and a 32" Sharp Aquos 1080p HDTV as my monitor. I have about 8 games in my to-play list that I've collected from the past 2 major Steam sales in July and November.

I am a hopelessly addicted PC gamer. And I couldn't think of a better laptop than the Alienware M11x for my needs when I travel for work. It cannot run every single game out there at max detail level. But it runs an awful lot of games at high detail level, at native res of 1366x768. And that is "good enough" for me, if it means that I can also have portability thrown into the mix.

Different strokes for different folks. It sounds like the Alienware M15x would better suit you.

If Alienware could design a single laptop to fit everybody's needs, then they would sell only that one laptop. The reason they sell the M11x, M15x, and M17x is because different people have different priorities. And in the case of the M11x, it is intended for people who value portability than they value the absolute max in gaming quality and screen size.

 

I love the M11x's form factor, but it's footprint is really between a traditional 12.1" and 13".

 

I believe the OP already said above that portability is an important concern. It's not his job to convince you that he's a gamer.

 

Your logic is a bit off, being as the r1 and r2 are identical outside the option 2 would have all three. Honestly it has a and b.

 

@Kent

Since I agree with most things you said i'd only like to add the fact that the size difference between the acer 3820tg and alienware m11x is imo too small to prefer one over the other. You mentioned an 11" being more portable than a 13", but in fact, the m11x is so 'big' for an 11" that they could actually fit a 13" screen in there (many people in the m11x forums wish for this).

I think that regarding the guy who originally started this thread, he should figure out what games he really wants to play and see how cpu intensive they are (WoW being one of them was a reason why I suggested the m15x over the m11x for the raw cpu power), and then see how big of a compromise he wants to make: play all games but carry around a heavy divice, or flytrough the day with a light portable, but unable to play cpu intensive games.

 

The m11x is overkill for 99% of the content in wow. And the remaining 1% (ie/some 25-man heroics) can bring bleeding edge quad-core xfire/SLI desktop systems to their knees. So it's a moot point.

Considering 90% of games are GPU-limiting, the limiting factor in this machine will be the gfx chip most of the time, not the CPU. I've yet to discover a CPU-intensive game that the m11x hasn't been able to handle with ease.

 

I'd find it quite surprising if an ulv cpu would suffice for most games, since my 2ghz intel t7300 almost always runs at 90-100% when playing games like: Assassins creed1 & 2, Medieval 2 and Empire Total War, Mafia 2, (even with cod4 I reach a very high percentage, which I find quite wierd since I know the m11x was shown playing cod mW2 when it was introduced).
And with most new games getting higher minimum requirements on the cpu, I am yet to be convinced of an ulv cpu's capabilties. But this is just comming from my personal gaming experience.

 

M11XR1/R2 Gaming Discussion Thread

...worth a lot more than speculation.

M11x owners are posting in this thread that the machine is sufficient to game. The above linked thread has lots of info on games that work and framerates. In particular, WoW is several years old, well before the i-series cpus. The mobile processor based on penryn is more than capable. I have no problem running Empire: Total War on my r1.

 

Your definition of 'portable' is obviously a little different than that of m11x owners. The ULV processor is precisely the reason it does fit the portable gaming profile. To me, portable means small, light and good battery life. To you, it seems portable means anything that can fit in a backpack, even if it weighs 11 lbs. and can only run MS Word for 1.5 hours. You seem like much more of the 'desktop replacement' type rather than 'ultraportable gaming'.

The Acer laptops are a viable option if you don't mind their "warranty", which involves the customer paying to ship their laptop out for repairs and then hopefully having it back within 2 weeks.

 

The percent load on a CPU is completely irrelevant when assessing relative processing power between CPUs, so I don't understand your argument. And why would you find it weird that the m11x plays MW2? It's not exactly a resource intensive engine, and it's largely GPU-dependent. And besides, your T7300 is miles behind the i7 640UM in CPU benchmarks. Take for example the PassMark charts, which have a score of 1143 for your CPU vs 1832 for the ULV i7.

 

So i pulled the trigger and decided to go with the m11xr1... Seems like the most reasonable buy for my needs. I got it from amazon for $750, its a bit more expensive than dells.. but it will be here tomorrow and you cant beat that! Not to mention Amazons awesome return policy...

Hopefully, its not a defective model as in broken hinge or not being able to OC. Its also missing the bluetooth, which is a bit of a bummer, but then again i dont even use the one for my desktop...

Anyway, i just want to thank everyone for their input... it really influenced my decision!

 

I had no idea the i7 ulv cpu would be more powerfull than my t7300, eventhough it is a new architecture.
This kind of persuaded me to buy an m11x even if they won't put in a "normal" voltaged cpu in the next version (if the hinge issue will be fixed ofc). +1 for that Info.

 

Insert creepy Simpsons' voice "ONE OF US....ONE OF US"

 

Congrats! Hope it's just what you're looking for. That's a pretty decent deal and, I agree, Amazon's return policy is one of the best.

 

The M11x has massive bezels either side of its screen making it physically larger than other 11.6" laptops and similar in size (to the extent that the size difference will not make a difference) to normal 13" notebooks.



Looking purely at numbers the Lenovo X301 (my work laptop) is around the same size as the M11x (marginally wider by 3cm but not as deep or thick) but packs a 13.3" display, a proper i5 and still has excellent battery life. Fair enough it doesn't have a dedicated GPU but with a bit of fiddling with the M11's internal design the same thing could be accomplished within the current chassis size.