m11x good enough to buy?

Mkay so I've really considered getting this laptop but the biggest thing that makes me not want to get it is Dell's Customer Service after reading all these reviews. I'm living in Canada and want to ship the laptop to the US where my cousins are living. If something goes wrong in Canada, will I have trouble returning the laptop to Dell?
For those that already have alienware, how long has the laptop lasted without breaking? And did the laptop have any faults when you first used the laptop?

 

Personally I love the laptop for its form factor. There are a multitude of faults that have come out of the two m11xs that I've owned.

1) the hinge (which has been resolved I believe)
2) a faulty GPU (many people seem to have this issue but have been told to underclock to avoid game crashes so they dont complain, Ive had to go 5hours with dell customer service to get mine replaced)
3) Might not be a fault but the LCD screen could be better.

Overall its a great system for the everyday gamer especially when it comes to portability. I'd definitely recommend it to someone that will be mobile or in college. However if you are going to stay around the house and only move it from the bottom to top floors and occasionally take it out of your house... then I'd recommend looking into the 14x, an Asus, MSI, or larger form factor computer (at least 13inches).

Being in college and a passionate gamer I myself am happy with my purchase of the R2 but looking back probably could've gotten a larger bang for the buck out of a 13inch laptop.

All in all if this is the form factor you want then definitely go for it. Otherwise I'd definitely suggest a different model or laptop completely in the 13inch category.

Don't know if that was too "thrown together" but It's late and that's my opinion.

Good luck,
DeeVu

 

Thanks Deevu
I'm not sure, but the R3 screen issue has been fixed correct? The faulty GPU seems pretty sketchy for me to buy the laptop. I'm currenty using a 13 inch laptop but the graphics card sucks (ATI Mobility 4200). The main reason I want the m11x is because there isn't a powerful enough laptop (GPU wise) that is 13 inches or smaller.

 

Generally, smaller the laptop, weaker the performance. It's quite hard to find.

m11x r3, r2, and r1 series is most definitely the most powerful 11.6 inch out there in terms of gaming performance. We say best for 11.6" but don't get hypnotized in comparison to real gaming rigs out there. It's not much comparable, since those in 15-17" screens are much better in performance.

You just have to sacrifice performance as you lower the size. That's what it is for notebooks.

 

Got my R2 for almost 11months now and I don't regret it. Good battery life, awesome gaming performance with the help of the tweaks people are posting on the forum, really light (2kg). It's one of the best portable laptop and great value if you are in college or uni

 

Dell has amazing support so I doubt you will have a problem as long as you are under warranty. As for gaming aspect the R2 handles mostly every game from medium-high settings (and i'm assuming the R3 does even better). The battery life was far from the expected 7 hours - I pump out 5 hours max with serious tweaking (mind you this is with WiFi on). As for portability I have textbooks that are bigger so this thing is a charm but deceivingly heavy. I just had a hinge replacement and hope it doesnt break again although the new hinge design seems more sturdy than before so it will probably be awhile before it breaks again and also this thing is overclockable as not many notebooks are these days without combusting in your face. Only flaw I can think of is the CPU and GPU soldered on the motherboard so its not very upgradable but there are things like the harddrive or ram that can be upgraded.

 

from the reviews i have been reading, Dell support sucks. Maybe its usually the US service reps that are better, but the ones that I called were outsourced to India and they were pretty rude and hard to understand/ didn't understand me. That's why I'm deciding to have it shipped to my cousin in the US instead of putting up with the Canadian sales reps outsourced to India.
I want this laptop for university work. I'm trying to do animation and game design and the m11xR3 has the best graphics card for its size that I can find. Not gonna bother with anything over 14'' cuz it wont fit my backpack

 

I live in Toronto and every sales rep I speak to is from Quebec and speaks english very well and are not rude at all.

Who told you Dell outsources to India? because thats false information.

As for animation and game design I was having trouble with 3DMAX at first because of optimus but the bugs are ironed out now

 

I have had to deal with dell support a few times and have had no issues at all. The reps are obviosly foreign, but not hard to understand and i have not has any issues with them being rude to me. I did have my LCD replace due to having a first generation hinge break and the tech was really nice and professional. He seemed reasonably knowledgeable and didn't cause any damage at all to the notebook.

Also according to someone i know who works for dell alot of there reps are actually in costarica. India has become the stereotypical place well all foreign reps come from.

 

I'm very happy with my m11x r1
My past laptop was a 15', now this is have a small screen but I dont have any problem with that

keyboard is very comfortable, also runs almost every game at the date
I imagine r3 is beast

 

I, too, KNEW for a fact that dell service was terrible. Because it WAS indeed terrible.

They improved it over the past few years. A lot better now.

I have no regret purchasing R1. Fits my needs perfectly and the size is perfect as well. It's smaller than any of my textbook... I can't expect more.

 

if you need the smallest most powerful laptop you can get... its the best there is.

R1 for best battery life
R2 for middle of the road
R3 for most power but louder and most expensive.

 

If you REALLY need a portable computer then yes its worth it. Id honestly build a desktop first. Then buy a netbook and throw linux on it and just VPN and use SSH to acess my desktop. Desktops are way cheaper, way more powerful, and way more upgradeable.

 

I guess what I'm really looking for is an alienware that has no faults when I get it AND won't break down in years to come. I'm hoping the R3 wont have problems.

 

I have been one of the biggest advocates of the M11X. I've had my r1 since 3 weeks after it came out last year, and I have not had a single problem- No hinge issues, no gpu issues, etc. It has remained flawless and I'm typing this post on it right now as I await my M14X to arrive next week.

Once it gets here, the M11X will be my travel companion once again. I've just upgraded the HDD to an SSD and I have to say that It's a beast of a little laptop. It handles anything that I throw at it including dual-booting with Linux (on original HDD) and running VM's. Outside of my first AW purchase (the m5500 back in 2005) this has been the best computer I've ever purchased.

 

Well... You do realize you're saying this on a website devoted entire to notebook/netbook computers, right?

Honestly, this is one of those immortal arguments. Of course desktops are less expensive and more powerful - space isn't an issue whatsoever. That makes a tremendously huge difference. Nevertheless, there are reasons why people buy notebooks instead of desktops, and I think it's safe to say that literally everyone on the notebookreview forums has a reason for not wanting a desktop.

For me personally, I work at a job where I have to sit at a desktop computer for the vast majority of the day - and sometimes that winds up feeling like a very long day. The last thing I want to do when I get home is sit right back down at another desktop computer. I can't think of anything more awful, horrific, and torturous, in fact. I want to sit on my couch and use my computer, or sit up in bed and use my computer, or go onto my deck and enjoy the view and fresh air... and use my computer. Or bring my computer to my boyfriend's home, or to the cafe where I like to go and write. There's a hundred excellent reasons to own a notebook, and given how absurdly prohibitive, unpleasant, and downright difficult it is to have to sit at a desk in order to use ones PC these days, it's worth ever penny of the extra money you need to spend for that notebook - in my eyes it is, at least.

I mean, especially now where the technology just keeps getting smaller, more powerful, and less expensive, it makes more and more sense for people to eschew desktop computers altogether for personal use. I bet that over the next decade or two, desktop computers will become less and less common until they're almost entirely a thing of the past. That's just the direction technology is moving in, and I think we should all be grateful

And yes, I just spent a lot of money on an M11x despite already owning a laptop because I am totally in love with powerful, ultra-portable machines. My Asus is just enormous - it's lovely for using it around my home, but the M11x will be ideal for when I'm in bed, or for basically everywhere that isn't in my apartment. I also believe that not having to transport my Asus around will improve its overall life and resale value, greatly decreasing the amount of wear and tear it is put through. I never imagined that I'd be owning two laptops this powerful, I mean, as recently as three months ago my only computer was an ancient Macbook Pro that could barely run games from 2008... Ah, it's so nice having disposable income.

 

Yep, desktops will definitely be gone in the not-so-distant future. It's the natural progression of technology. Soon large towers with elaborate cooling systems and reams of cables will be jut as archaic as the Eniac

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Two_women_operating_ENIAC.gif

 

yeah, it will be a LONG future, however ENIAC was 60 years ago, and ever since ATi's fateful design decision on the 9700Pro in 2001 or so (really, no kidding, double the previous GPU gen's specs in almost every way), nVidia and ATi/AMD have been locked in a GPU war that has done nothing but push power consumption higher and higher, despite a significant amount of fabrication advancements since ENIAC (which used single transistor arrays and vaccumm tubes vs massive multi billion transistor single dies of today!!).

Oh, well, at least our GPUs progress at an unnaturally fast rate I ain't complaining on that!

 

its a cool niche device- anyone thats wants what it promises shouldnt be dissapointed. i am sure must of us have or have had netbooks or tablets or both and they just dont do enough. i have an ipad 2 , a xoom - both are redundant - neither are good enough- this alienware is a very good product- you can get a base model for not that much more than an ipad 2- i know which is more worth it..

 

The build quality and performance that the m11x has is flawless. If i known about the Sony S Series before i got the m11x r3 I would of gone with the Sony S Series with the SB Intel® Core™ i7-2620M processor (2.70GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.40GHz, and AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M (1GB VRAM) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology which these are the most important spec that aren't replaceable I would go for. The starting weight of it is 3.89lbs for a 13.3 inch laptop and the design is pretty cool. The only thing I don't like about the Sony S Series is that it's plastic all over, but performance of it would beat the m11x r3. Its quite overpriced than the m11x r3. I wonder if Sony has any coupons..

 

Hi Peeps,

I just wanted to double check the M11x R1 screen was LED?
+ I can upgrade the Ram to 8gb 1333mhz correct? (2x 4gb 1333mhz sticks).

Cheers.

 

pffft....

New and Improved Watercooling Sticky - Post Your Systems Here - Page 36 - [H]ard|Forum

looks like its just as popular as ever.

i think its LED backlit but the screen its self is LCD.

1333Mhz RAM wont make a difference any thing that runs 800Mhz at Cas6 is fine (it wont run any faster), unles you plan on pinmoding.

 

Thanks for the info Some Guy,

I'm not too fussed about the speed I just wanted to bump it up to 8gb mainly. Its coming shipped with a measly 2gb atm so since ram is so cheap these days I'll bump it up using any sticks I have lying around or just purchase some.

Also I was wondering if you knew where I could purchase a new battery for the M11x? Are all the M11x R1,R2,and R3 using the same battery?
Can I purchase one of them and use it in the R1 like new?

How long does your R1 battery life last? Non gaming?

Cheers.

 

right now i think Dell is the only place you can get the batteries. i believe they are the same for all M11x revisions (but not 100% sure)

on my R1 couch surfing i get over 6hrs. according to Tsk.Mgr.(avg. 6.5-7.5hrs before i hit the 10% warning). brightness one bar with about 47 processes. no optimizations just a clean install with only the programs i want installed.

 

I have 4GB of RAM in my r1 and so far it seems to be doing just fine. I wouldn't mind upping it to 8GB but for now it's alright. As SomeGuy states I get about the same amount of battery time: 6.5-7 hours non-gaming. I just did a clean install two days ago when I installed an Intel 320 Series 120GB SSD and performance has been amazing! Boot times have dropped, and Read/Write performance has more than doubled. I'm using 53 processes after the clean install and everything is sailing right along.

 

I don't think so. You can put more power hungry and larger components in a desktop. There will always be a need for a desktop, especially with gaming. Until cost/performance is identical in the mobile market, then it will go away, but basic science dictates this won't happen.

Mobile PC's will be a majority of the machines around for sure, but desktops won't be replaced entirely. PC gaming despite what people say, still is a multi-billion dollar industry, and that won't just shrivel up and die.

 

the pc mass market is based around businesses and offices- and cost effectiveness- although we are seeing more and more offices with laptops for employees due to the advantages of remote working . i am sure that many businesses will allways keep call centres, banking admin, bankers with typical desktops for cost and security purposes.

we will not see them dissapearing- untill the day were everyone is a part time or full time home worker- which of course could also happen- but if it does its miles off.

there are also the hard core gamers, photo editors, film editors, designers that will allways need and want the best performance possible and you will allways be able to get more performance from a bigger unit.

another thing to consider is the market trend that is is the tablet form- tablets will start taking laptop sales away, the better they become, the more things they can do will make it a choice between the two for many rather than having both..

but especially in the short term- laptop (or laptop perfomance netbooks even desktop replacement netbooks- like the mx11) will continue to grow, tablets will continue to grow, desktop sales will fall, i dont think we will be to far of a point were netbooks (the traditional low powered ones) will start becoming obsolete for more user friendly functional tablets.

 

I think everyone misunderstood. I didn't mean that gaming would 'shrivel up and die' or the need for large powerful systems is reducing in popularity at all. Just that in the future, the capacity of technology to be powerful, small, and remain cool will just keep improving. No one could imagine a laptop with the amount of power we have now, back in the 1950s. I suppose 'soon' is a relative term, I was thinking soon as in 'my lifetime'.. hopefully! But just looking at the timeline of tech so far, another 50 years will probably result in drastic size/capacity changes.

 

Okay. Have you used your M11X to game on a 1080 Monitor? Most games struggle hard. If you bought a $1k laptop and built a $1k desktop the Price/Performance ratio is absurd. If you are into gaming a desktop is the only way to go if your serious. If you do casual gaming then sure the m11x is fine. The best option is like I said to build a powerhouse desktop then have a small netbook. Hell I can do everything I need to do on my smartphone. Its Unix in your pocket. Desktops will not become obsolete for a very long time. Everything you have said above is Biased opinion. Whats funny is you say you like to go outside with your laptop. I don't know if you have ever tried to view a laptop screen in the sun but its next to impossible. Goodluck.

*Don't get me wrong I like my M11x. But if your strapped on cash and want the best bang for your buck go desktop. Also if your a enthusiast nothing is more fun than building a rig.

 

Most people can't do everything needed on a smartphone, desktop, or netbook. I need to use a powerful laptop for Adobe and CAD and a netbook just won't cut it. I also go to school so desktops aren't an option. Sure, games run better on desktops but there are lots of factors to why people use laptops instead of desktops.

 

Most people don't use CAD. Also basic photoshop and adobe programs run just fine on a Core 2 Duo.

 

First off: I don't have my M11x yet, but I would never, ever hook it up to an external monitor - seems like it would utterly defeat the purpose of buying it in the first place! Though I understand why people buying one as a desktop replacement might do that... I just wouldn't. I have an Asus G53SW with a better GPU and processor than the M11x, and I'm not going to hook *that* up to an external monitor either because it has a wonderful, beautiful screen that isn't strapped down to a desktop.

Now, I'm not exactly a "gaming enthusiast" in the traditional sense. I love playing video games, but I'm not totally obsessed with performance in the sense that I *must* be playing everything at the highest rates. My G53SW serves my power-gaming needs more than adequately. I only spent $1200 on it, and yet it runs everything I've thrown at it at rates that have more than surpassed my expectations. I would have absolutely no use for a desktop computer that played games at even better rates, because I truly don't care about playing games at better rates - why should I, when I can already play everything at high-ultra settings with more than playable FPS rates? I'm not the type of person that needs the best possible performance. And I didn't say I was going to use my M11x outside exactly - I said I wanted to onto my deck, which is shaded and not in direct sunlight, and use it. Laptop screens look fine on it, even reflective/glossy ones.

And of course everything I've said is biased! So is everything you said. anybody who thinks their opinion isn't biased is totally deluding themselves. I'm explaining my opinion as it applies to me personally, and I never, ever pretended to be doing otherwise. Like I said before, the *biggest* and *most important* reason why I will never buy a desktop rig for personal use is because I happen to work in the retail printing business, where I sit in front of an extremely powerful desktop setup for 8-12 hours a day, editing graphics on Adobe Photoshop. When I'm not doing that, I'm sitting at a different desktop rig and operating a massive digital UV-curable printer about the size of my living room. If I did something else, I would feel completely differently - I probably wouldn't mind sitting at a desk to use my computer when I got home.

 

The laptop I had before the m11x was powered by an Intel GMA 950. I was happy to even get games to run, much less "OMG60FPS"

 

Yeah, I know what you mean! My previous laptop was a Macbook Pro hand-me-down from 2007, and it *could* run some games, but unfortunately it wasn't powerful enough to run windows with bootcamp without slowing everything down to nearly a standstill, so I was stuck barely being able to play Mac-only games at very low rates.

And then there were all the temperature problems, besides. I was actually able to run SC2 on it, but I had to set everything to the absolute lowest possible settings across the board, and then I would get around ~25-30 FPS as long as I stuck with 1v1 and no big battles were going on. But it taxed the system so much that after a couple hours of playing, the chassis would get absurdly hot - it even melted slightly, once, and got permanently wavy on one side, lol.

And now with my G53SW, it's insane! I can play it at the highest possible settings and get 50-60 FPS! And the system doesn't even come close to getting hot, because the ventilation is so excellent!

Honestly, I don't really *need* this M11x - my brother bought it for me out of the blue. I'd told him to get me an HP dm1z for my birthday, and he got me a loaded R3 instead because he wanted to do something nice. I'm really not complaining! I know the M11x won't be as strong of a system at the G53 in terms of performance, but I'm incredibly excited about having it anyways - the G53 is really too big for me to take everywhere, and everytime I pack it up and bring it out with me I'm afraid something bad will happen to it. It's even a little too enormous to comfortably use in bed.

It's just so unbelievably... luxurious that I'm going to have a cute little miniature gaming machine to bring with me everywhere! My boyfriend is going be so insanely jealous when he sees that I can get pink and purple backlighting on my new netbook, he will *flip out* over that. I know it sounds shallow, but the visual look of the M11x is a big part of the appeal for me. It has got to be the silliest, most campy, excessive, and crazy-looking thing ever. After using boring, conservative Mac notebooks for so long, I love these awesome machines built with gaming aesthetics in mind.

It's funny though - a friend of mine told me that he would be totally embarrassed to even use the M11x in public, that it looked like a complete travesty of a notebook. He just takes life way too seriously, though. Personally, I think that the M11x is awesome *because* it's so far out there.

 

I dunno, I've taken the m11x on several business trips before; I guess it has to do with the exact enviorment you are in I think most people won't really care what your equipment looks like, only who you are Though my boss poked fun at my m11x as being double ugly

 

ehhaahaha lol.
I wonder what my boss is going to say when I take my Inbound M11x on the next business trip.

Cheers.

 

The M11X is a win-lose situation to me. I've gotten' accustom to the screen. The keyboard and well, and the mouse. The lighted up keyboard REALLY helps in the dark. I would have bought a R2 if it existed when I got the R1, and the fact that R2 has Optimus makes me nervous. I like hybrid better. The bad things about the M11X (All the R models) is the price. For me in New Zealand. If I did know about making your own PC, I wouldn't have got this laptop and made an account on NBR . I regret not building a Desktop. This laptop isn't for power users. I thought at its price (At the time when the R1 had just came out) it would be very good in gaming. The morale of the story is, don't buy a laptop for looks.

 

bit the bullet and bought it. m11x r3 with i5 processor, 8 gigs ram and 500 HDD. Sales rep couldn't get me a free sleeve, which kinda sucks. But I got NBD shipping for free.

 

The sleeves are produced under license by a different company, Dell has no control over the stocking etc. High quality sleeve though, definitely recommend it!

Nice little machine, I'm sure you'll have fun with it!