Alienware M11x Gaming Notebook Now Available Discussion

Alienware announced its M11x 11-inch gaming notebook at CES this year - it is now available for purchase starting at $799.

Read the full content of this Article: Alienware M11x Gaming Notebook Now Available

Related Articles:

• Dell Unveils Powerful 11-inch Alienware M11x Gaming Laptop
• Alienware M11x Review

 

The cpu is kinda sad

 

The GPU is nice for sure, but I am going to agree that the CPU option is very weak at best. Even gaming on my HP dv5t's Core 2 Duo P8400 processor (2.26GHz/1066MHz FSB/3MB L2) I notice that some games could use a processing power boost.

The SU7300 technically does not meet the minimum requirements of most new games coming out today. For example, Mass Effect 2 requires a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo minimum, recommended is a 2.6GHz. The SU7300 would probably run it but . . . it would get choppy at times.

 

When is dell going to update the studio xps 13?

 

Don't forget that it is an 11.6in laptop. Im just glad it doesnt have the atom in it.

 

Really disappointed it doesn't have internal Blu Ray drive and a better CPU. For the 11" category though I suppose it's cool.

 

I think the sad CPU is part of the reason Dell/Alienware were able to bring this notebook to market for less than $1,000. Although the CPU is going to cause problems with some games, I'm curious to see how playable (or unplayable) modern games are on the M11x.

I also have to give some serious credit to Dell and Alienware for this notebook. No other OEM was even considering building an 11-inch gaming notebook. Every representative from other companies that I spoke to at CES was amazed when Dell announced the Alienware M11x. There wasn't a single other company that was prepared for that product, but there are now several companies considering options for small form-factor gaming notebooks.

We'll just have to see how the M11x actually performs with real life games like Left 4 Dead 2, Mass Effect 2 and Call of Duty MW2.

 

If the CPU can be easily overclocked to 1.7ghz like the asus ul30vt, it wont be that bad.

 

The CPU is unremarkable, it's a major letdown that DELL didn't wait for Intel's updated CULV processors (i3).

However, the Nvidia 335M is solid. 72 shaders and GDDR3 memory is plenty of power to run current games fluently at 720p. It's great to see such a GPU in a notebook like this for the first time. It helps that game development has been constrained by the limits of consoles; ultimately, the M11x has enough punch to satisfy gamers, with or without Arrandale.

When they do update to Arrandale, I'd perhaps be interested enough to ditch my plans to build a desktop and pick one of these up. And in that case, I could sell the dm3... It has what I need, mobility, and to an extent, has what I want, gaming-grade hardware.

 

ign.com says they can get playable framerates with maxed out Mass Effect 2, MW2 and L4D2.

 

Yeah IGN has a video of it playing the games you mentioned Jerry...looked like it ran pretty OK actually which has got to be to the credit of the GPU....the CPU was not overclocked in the games so it looks like the M11x while sad with its CPU can hold up pretty decently.

 

Including some necessary upgrades (SU7300, 4GB RAM, 250GB 7200 RPM), the total is just a hair under one grand, at $999. Call me surprised...

 

I don't think I'd consider the CPU upgrade to be necessary. You're only gaining 1mb of cache over the base Pentium.

 

Yeah. It's too bad they coudln't have put in a decent CPU and Blu Ray drive, because the GPU is actually extremely solid for gaming. Really impressive for an 11" notebook.

I'd actually consider one if it had those two things.

 

But then it'd have to be at least 13". I don't think any ultraportable is able to pack in a full power CPU AND an optical drive. With anything under 12", you're almost completely limited to either Atom or CULV.

 

This little laptop amazes me, I didn't think it was possible. It has to be pretty thick.

 

Nevermind, I thought the SU4100 was single core. It is a duo.

 

Early reviews say it plays even the newest games well, yeah the best CPU is the SU7300 and I'm a little confused at why it does not come with i series CPU's(maybe on the refresh?) but it's still a pretty nice little system.
Dimensions from AW site
Height 1.29"
Width 11.25"
Depth 9.19"
It looks thicker than it really is.
Dell/AW really surprised me with this laptop, it's a win all around.

 

Does anyone think this might actually be able to game on the battery and actually last for a long time? That would be quite a feat.

 

At CES an Alienware rep said the initial battery life estimates were between 6 and 8 hours running the Intel IGP with light CPU and light hard drive activity and between 2.5 and 3.5 hours stressing the Nvidia GPU and CPU while running a modern 3D game (such as Call of Duty MW2) off the hard drive.

Hopefully those estimates will prove to be accurate in our review unit.

 

I hope so, 3 hours or more of gaming would be totally awesome!

 

You guys have one? I can't wait for your review.

 

No thicker than other CULV's, only it weighs about 4lbs! Literally a brick.

 

It's not in house yet ... but we're on the list.

 

This is all I need to know Very interesting laptop. I too was doubtful of the CPU, but if what everyone in this thread is saying is true, then this is a pretty nice machine.

Something like this, without the gamer looks, could make the perfect student/gamer laptop. Hell, it's even affordable.

 

Well the 11in Vaio TT, does come kind of close. Granted you still get the intel culv cpu, and an intel 4500hd gpu, it does come with an optical drive and even an option for blu-ray. LG had the 10.6in x100 but not sure if that came with an optical drive but not sure if that came with a built in optical drive but it had the older gen intel CULV and the nvidia 8400gt was it? Asus also had the 12in U6e with the intel p cpu and nvidia 9300gs gpu, but battery life was poor on that machine.

 

The problem with gaming on battery is that the GPU is typically downclocked, so it won't be quite the same.

 

I love the notebook, but I don't want the alienware look

 

Unfortunately for those who don't like the Alienware design, this is your only option for an 11-inch gaming notebook until other companies step up to the plate.

Another company "might" surprise us with an announcement later this year, but I suspect Dell/Alienware is going to own the 11-inch gaming market for all of 2010.

 

Not on the M11x.

The real reason: the GT 335M is a mid range graphics card. Running full clocks on battery wouldn't be a problem.

 

Darn it, for some reason I'm still intrigued by this little guy. You guys notice what a better system this is than the iPad? Only $300 more too.

 

Not meant towards you personally, but:

Enough with the freaking iPad already. Only 1 week in and I'm completely and utterly iPadded out.

It's nothing but a bucketload of FAIL wrapped in marketing hype and cultism.

Actually... I need a new sig.

 

It is a nice little system. Personally, I'd rather take the new Sony Z... but the Z is 2x the price. IMO, if Dell could have found any way to say put in a better CPU and downgrade to 330M instead, it would have been worth it. One disappointment is that M11x only has 10/100 NIC and no eSATA, making transfers of videos/games a bit slow.

 

Everything looks pretty great, save for the antiquated processor. Honestly, I wish they would have waited another few months and put a Core i5 or i7 in it instead. I'd purchase instantly and give it a go with a decent processor, but this anemic offering annoys me. Why create a pretty revolutionary notebook from an 11" display (that if previous Alienware offerings are to be any indication, will be high quality), an excellent graphic card for the size, and even a multicolored backlit keyboard, and then drop that bomb of a proc into it? Sure, if it was an option that would be one thing to keep the price down, but I wouldn't mind hitting closer to/on/over $1000 with the best possible core i7 available. There are several Core i7/i5 offerings that would make it the perfect mobile gaming machine.

Aside from that, the only big change I'd love to see is a full metal chassis, similar to the 17". Back to waiting for the (likely overpriced as hell) Sony Z.

Edit: Really? 10/100? That has to be a typo, right? No eSATA is a letdown as well.

 

Put a ssd in this machine and it will fly!

 

Well, any laptop will be faster with SSD. That's not going to help with slow-ish CPU. I kind of don't get 10/100, hope that was a mistake by the reviewer.

 

He's talking about the integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card (NIC).

 

Can't wait to read a review about this one!

 

They're not even meant for the same tasks, or the same people. The iPad and M11x are not comparable.

With that said, I really like the gutsy risk that Dell is taking on this design; the risks are big, yes, but the rewards in terms of sales, innovation, and learned opportunities is far greater. I think this machine will sell well.

 

This is exactly what i am looking for

About 12" +- 1" laptop with decent GFX and CPU, 3G modem and good battery

 

IGN's released their review of it

But its not as in-depth as your reviews are so I am really looking forward to yours

The M11x is shaping up to be a BEAST

 

You think this will be able to handle WoW at high? I'm looking at building a new desktop and am looking for a small portable gaming rig and this might be what I need to replace my HP Mini. Any thoughts?

 

Yes. The entry level Pentium 1.3GHz CPU is enough to handle WoW and the Nvidia GPU is WAAAAY more than powerful enough to handle WoW on all the highest settings at the native screen resolution.

 

Well the reason it's not in-depth is they rehashed the Dell PR info with their hands-on time at CES.

 

Nice price but i don't mind paying extra £100 for good CPU.

 

This machine is great, PERIOD... The ppl saying the processor is garbage... Do you guys really think that a 11'' laptop can have an i5,i7 and a GT335M? It's not for the price (well not only) but the temps... How are they gonna cooldown those parts? If 15'' pcs "cough*asus*cough" have problem with temps, imagine one with a 11'' chassis, for now, that's impossible...

This machine is a major improvement already, you can't have a m17x in a 11'' chassis...

 

i3, i5, i7, aka "Arrandale", has the timeline set with ULV processors on the way. It should only be a month or two. This is also cause of the recently-expected MBA revision being delayed.

Considering that Arrandale has the integrated GPU on die, and the rated TDP accounts for that, the M11x should have no problem handling a minimal increase in thermal output, if there is an increase to be found.

The SU7300 isn't garbage, it is in fact, a respectable CPU for CULV ultra-portables. What it isn't, is a gaming grade CPU. Frames will suffer in games running certain engines, for example, the Source Engine, and the benchmarks support that. There's no excuse for skipping Arrandale, they will have it in 3 month's time, I promise.

 

Agreed. It isn't a horrible processor on an ultraportable for basic netbook-like use, but this is supposed to be a new class of mobile gaming notebooks. I don't expect the highest end Core i7 X920 of course, but take a look at the new Sony Z, which is going to be extremely thin and light, with a Core i7-620 and the 330GT, in 13". Now, I expect the M11x to be a bit thicker than the new Z but I'd think that if that kind of processor can be crammed into Sony's offering, then something similar could be done for Alienware.

Info on the new Z here - http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...alogId=10551&langId=-1&cmsId=zseries#features

Granted, this is going to cost twice what the M11x is going to, but it has the "sony tax", full metal chassis, and extremely high resolution screen for its class, and more leading its price premium.

I hope the M11x is updated swiftly and the processor is upgraded to something similar to the Z's. If for some reason they can't use a regular i7-620 or whatnot, there are other i7s and i5s, as well as the upcoming new generation ULVs if absolutely necessary. They should also fix the lack of gigabit internet - in this day and age that's just shameful. eSata would be a great addition if they have the space, as well.

 

I know. I think Asus could step up, maybe even add a core I3 mobile.

 

I agree. Core 2 is a very efficient chip. This laptop strikes the perfect balance between power, gaming, portability and price. Now we need to see where the build quality stands.