Which M11x would you choose ?

Hi all. I was keen to get your opinions on which of the following M11x configurations you would choose, if these were the only 2 configurations available to you.

Option 1. Core i5, 8GB RAM, 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD

Option 2. Core 2 Duo SU7300, 8GM RAM, 128 GB SSD

 

Option 1, the Nicer SSD can be upgraded later. Much easier and cheaper than upgrading the processor

 

Ok, let's say after you purchased it, you lost your job and your nagging wife / girlfriend banned you from buying anymore computer parts.... Which one ?

 

Do you really need 8GB of RAM?

Do you need more storage or faster storage?

What games are you interested in playing now and in the coming year?

What applications other than games are you planning on running on the M11x?

Answer those questions and we can better give you advice.

 

I think I'd be out looking for a job rather than buying an expensive subnotebook

 

Time to upgrade wife/gf at that point.

 

Do what you like, but definitely do not buy your SSD from Dell. There are much better and cheaper options out there. Even if you pay someone to install it.

 

In that case, it depends on what Slickie said. the difference between 4gb of RAM and 8GB is hardly noticeable, maybe stick to 4 and see what you can do from there?

Personally, I'd still go with option 1

 

Yes need the RAM.

Interesed in playing any game available... Will core i5 make much difference here when compared to su7300 ?

As for apps, I will be running vmware workstation with multiple Vm's hence requirement for RAM.

I guess, thing for me is really how much difference to gaming performance does 640um, 520um and su7300 make. From what I can gather from this forum, the 640um will make a bit of a difference on more CPU intensive games at the cost of heat and battery life, so the 520um looks like the best balance of power / battery life. However, the Dell USA site has C2D's selling for 600 bucks. I was thinking I could get one of these and fit my own RAM and SSD. Too Many Options !!!!!

 

If you are not willing to play CPU intense games the SU7300 would be the right choice.
With an SSD you just can't compare user experience between the two computers... SU7300 can even last 5-6 hours battery life easily - expecially with an SSD.
My old R1 also had a big advantage over the actual i7. There was no fan noise when surfing. With an SSD there is no HDD noise eiter so the system is totally quiet.

 

I'd choose #1

 

Ok. I think I'll go for number 1. Thanks for your input. Could someone make a quick comparison of the i5 to i7 in terms of gaming performance / heat / battery life / noise ? Also, if I get a m11x with 4GB RAM, and say I want to upgrade to 8GB later on, is there particular brand that will work with the Dell RAM or do I have to start fresh with 8GB ?

Thanks

 

I got the i5 and am very happy with 4 gigs of RAM. Go with the 1st choice.

 

I believe you will have 2 2GB sticks if you get 4GB from Dell, so you will have to pick up new ram. Newegg.com is a great place. I believe the M11x is 204 pin DDR3, and you need atleast 800 speed.

Something like this is what you want:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model CM3X8GSDKIT1066 G

 

I chose the i5

It's still being built, but using the instant savings from Dell and the coupon from Dealzon still in effect it was $699. I added a case and blue tooth, but it came with 8 gigs of ram without paying for the upgrade.

That's one of the reasons I didn't go with the R1.


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Check out this review that highlights the i5 at PC-Waves


It's all good. I know it's easy when you're looking for a new toy, gaming platform or just something to get some work done at a coffee shop you want it to be the absolute best. At the end of the day I just want it to meet my needs and go a little above and beyond that, I think the i5 has it in spades at the right price/performance ratio for myself.

 

Tekshow, I love you. You just saved me a whole lot of dough. I couldn't help it and went for core i7 in the end. Once again, you are a legend.

 

Hardly, but thanks for the flattery! I know that i7 is soooo tempting. I almost picked it up, then almost called them today. I had the phone in hand, Dell number keyed into the iPhone... and then my mechanic called and let me know that I needed to drop a few hundred on my car.

It's all good, I think I'm going to be pretty happy with it. If all else fails I'll use that 21 day return policy to upgrade to i7 or SB if that's announced.

Nice work Jonno!

 

Why the hell, do you need 8GB RAM? I'm waiting for Samsungs DDR4 RAM . Also, a SSD drive can make a HUGE difference in gaming. Faster loading in some areas of games, and more. I don't see any difference in the C2D and the i7 from the naked eye. My cousin has an Acer Aspire with 4GB RAM, an i7 920m and a Nvidia GT330M (Better clocks then our GT335M, well, we could always OC our GPU and the GT330M, has less CUBA Shaders 42-330 72-335.) and my M11X R1 still beats his Craptop in gaming. H egets 7-28 FPS in CoD4 on high. I get 38-128 FPS on CoD4 high. Both same Config. Sorry for the long post, I did it on a Mobile Phone with a tiny pad. Sorry if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes

 

Yeah, I actually wanted the 8GB RAM to run some virtual machines. Also, the new Core i series processors have some extra features that assist with virtualization. I'm not buying this purely for gaming, I'm an old school gamer and could probably get away with something more mainstream, but this little laptop has to be the most grunty sub 13 inch getting around and a pretty damn good price.

I think overall I'll be happy but the one thing I find bizarre is the lack of gigabit network.

 

real men use 8 gb of rams

 

I still think that You would miss the longer battery life of the m11XR1.

 

I had an order down for an r1, then found a deal for an r2 that put the price at 632 for me. It was a hard call, r2 has no real linux support compared to r1, and has worse battery life (not by alot but still less), but eventually I decided to get the r2. Reasons being that the r1 no longer has driver development support, while the r2 does, with the r2 I get 3x more ram (not that I need it but 2gb isnt really enough) and a much better hdd, and a faster cpu too. As much as that extra 45min of battery life would be nice, I would rather have somthing that wont be obsolete next year (that core 2 duo really is quite old actually). Plus the soft touch finish is kinda cool. I guess well see when it gets here but I think thats the way to go unless battery life is the most important factor...or if you have to run linux.

 

Exactly. My hope is that I don't get distracted by all it's gaming goodness, I've got a lot of work to do! I frequently work from "home" which translates to being on the go. I have to run this database application that is heavy resource intensive. Part of it is stored server side and then when I'm working on the app it has to run on whatever machine I'm using, which is a bear. Systems with 2-4 Gigs of ram have hit some sluggish spots with it. The only thing I have currently that cuts it is my big desktop. Lately, I need to be more mobile so I can take the content and put it in front of people.

And I guess that's all the agonizing boring stuff.

In the back of my mind it's going to be "serving" a lot of Mass Effect and Fallout games.

 

If you're virtualizing and will actually use 8gb of ram then you'll probably want the i7. That being said, my Server 2008, XP pro, and backtrack VMs have no problem co-existing on 4gb of ram. (though I am considering upgrading for geek cred)

 

I dunno. Going i5 to i7 adds 25% to the price. With the overclocking capability I don't think it is worth it. Virtuals need RAM more than CPU, at least when you're talking about running them within a laptop (a.k.a. far from a production-level environment).