Questions before i buy.

I've read many threads about what others want to do with their m11x R1 so instead of hijacking ill make my own, Just a few questions.

1) How does the R1 run while using Sony Vegas, Photoshop, After effects mainly editing videos and pictures in general?

2)How long should the R1 last me? ill be using it as a desktop replacement so will this last me 3-4 years?

3) Hows media playing on it? IE can i hook up speakers and use it as a music player for party's? and Can i watch movies on it religiously?(external dvd drive and monitor.

4) Gaming! okay i know the R1 can run mostly all games what about the games i play: Oblivion, Fallout 3, l4d2, Dirt 2? Ive looked on Youtube just want a second opinion.

5) Whats addons should i get? 4gb DDR3? 320gb HDD? I have about 700$ please state why.

To wrap this up ill just say I think the m11x R1 is a beautiful work of art the lights, Outer shell, Performance all drew me towards the m11x R1 I hope to own one soon and thanks for taking your time and answering my questions.

 

1. no exp. (sorry)

2. maybe 3yrs depending on your use. its already 1yr old.

3. awesome, hdmi out and 3.5 audio out. what more could you need?

4. should be fine with all those. i have never played Dirt2 tho, so idk there.

5. get 4Gb for sure. (why? / anyone gaming in W7 should have 4Gb) get the biggest 7200rpm drive you can afford so you wont have to upgrade it later. why upgrade something twice?

 

I have Photoshop CS4 installed on mine. No complaints, does everything fast enough for me. I don't do heavy effects or anything (just web work). I run Captivate on it also, same thing. Runs fine.

I do video compression/converting on it also with IMTOO software. It uses CUDA (video processing) which reduces the time to under half. I can convert movie to iPod format (or avi, whatever I need at the time) in 25 mins or so.

I get about 7000 3DMark06 on my R1 if that helps. Gaming is fine for everything I've thrown at it. External keyboard is recommended.

 

Okay 3 years is fine. And music playing for me is a plus so that's great, oh and so ill be getting 4gb of ram and 320gb i think.

I am a major noob im new to pc gaming too what is 7000 3DMark06

Also does anyone have experience in using the laptop in a car? obviously not while driving but how does it handle on the lap watching a movie? kkthanks.

 

Photoshop CS5 is a pain to use on an R1. It is bearable and fully functional, yet the nasty lag and stuttering while zooming / panning the image gets me mad in no time at all. CS3 seems to perform better, while CS2 performs just perfect.

3ds Max (just in case) - 3ds Max 2010 - terrible viewport performance, edged faces mode totally unusable. 3ds Max 9 performs much better, almost good enough.

Yes, by all means. A good external monitor (HDMI (!)) with a couple of decent inbuilt speakers would give you a very good picture / sound.

Oblivion runs perfectly smooth at the highest settings. Fallout 3 runs very well... not that the game was too fast itself - so you will likely experience a very slight stuttering outside, guess it attributes to preloading the world or something along the lines.

Mass Effect 2 (just in case) - runs very very well - no need to disable shadows in my opinion.

I think the best you can do is buy the stylish Alienware M11x neoprene carrying pouch and keep the rest of the money for something else - I don't think the unit can be crucially upgraded as it is. But then it may be just me - let us hear more opinions on this.

Don't forget to double check the beautiful work of art for its hinges / lid alignment / gaps / any possible flaws as soon as you get the laptop. If you see anything suspicious at all, especially hinge-wise - return it immediately.

 

for a single viewer you will be fine. but the viewing angles on most of the screens that come in the M11x arnt good at all.

i see this as a plus however. make surffing in public more private if you ask me.

 

3DMark06 is a gaming benchmark. For other laptops you are looking at, google it (or the video card it has) and you can get a rating for it also. For example this site:
NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Ive watched movies on the plane with it, its like having a large DVD player. I rip my movies before hand, but I also carry my external slimline usb dvd burner with me too in case I need it.

 

Okay everything seems pretty sweet so far ive also read about a Whitelist? can someone further explain this.

Also hows fraps on the R1? you guys think i can run it while playing oblivion(older game) say for a "lets play" on youtube? for my free time?

 

white list only applies to the r2. its a optimus thing.

fraps should run just fine. but recording while running a cpu demanding game may hurt a bit.

 

Okay great I'm about to set my order just a few more questions thanks for answering so far though.

Now i know this is a alienware m11x sub forum but i have to ask(no answer in the "which notebook should i buy forum") for my specific needs IE everything i posted above would this be a better option then the Acer AS7551G-6477? just trying to make sure i get what i need.

Amazon.com: Acer AS7551G-6477 17.3-Inch Laptop (Mesh Black): Computer & Accessories

 

ummm...i dont like Acer...bought 2 laptops and none lasted more than a year...got sucked by the price...but thats my personal opinion...now that is a 17.3 inch laptop...the m11x is a 11.6...the size and the weight combined with a mid powerful machine is what makes the m11 great...now...is the best you can get for 700$ comparing with all laptots, notebooks or netbooks around...no idea...note that you also buy Alienware for the good quality of the product...

 

okay the screen size is different i know but i can adjust to either so that's okay and carrying a 17" is no problem for me (being a big guy) what caught my attention with the acer its the cpu. is the cpu a huge different in the acer then the M11x? id also like more opinion on quality if i can get them.

 

I've owned 4 Acer laptops because of the price, and never again, within 2 months they start to show major wear, even the timeline series the plastic bezel on the screen touches the rest around the keyboard and is wearing away, within 2 months! The keyboards on them have major flex. I would go with the Alienware if I were you.

 

Alright ill be going with the AlienWare M11x Thanks to everyone who convinced me into spending my money haha. 2 more questions.

1)Color? black or gray?(forgot actuall names) i was going to go with the black because the inside is black too but if someone can explain by gray is better ill have no problem switching.

2) How much longer will this be available? the deal expires March 31, But I'm guessing at this rate i don't have much longer to purchase. ill have the money by the end of this month(January) anyone know if ill have enough time?